8-Awesome-Ways-to-Exercise-as-a-Family

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Building and maintaining a happy and healthy family takes time and dedication. It’s tough, but it’s possible. In order to do so, a parent must establish strong bonds with their kids and find a way to share life experiences with them.

Loving and caring for your children is essential. But sometimes you may focus only on emotional caring and forget about other aspects of parenting like making sure kids stay healthy. Not all kids love sports which is why it is important to turn exercising into a family activity where everyone has to participate. Most parents today overlook the benefits of working out. They drive their kids around, study with them, sign them up for non-stop extracurricular activities and so on. Instead, just take time to step outside and work out with them.

If you want your kids to pick up healthy habits at an early age – show them them how it is done. Exercising is a perfect way to start.  For encouragement and creative ideas, experiment with these fun activities which are guaranteed to put a smile on your kids’ faces--and yours--while helping them develop the right attitudes and contributing to getting the entire family fit!

Dancing

If the day is unusually rainy and your outdoor plans are crushed, crank up the music and start moving those hips all around the house! The kids will love it. No obligatory dance moves, just let them invent their own and see what they come up with. Be free. Mimic each other and you'll surely end up having a great laugh!  You can even involve the youngest child in a unique way by giving them a flashlight and letting them pretend they’re a strobe light. After just 20 minutes of dancing, you and your kiddies will be pooped...and happy!

Creative walking 

Just going for a walk isn't much fun for kids. But you can turn the experience into an exploration mission. Go to a local park and see what you can discover. Make it even more interesting by hiding a ‘treasure’ somewhere and guide them to find it. Just make sure they go the long way round. Make it exciting to  get both their energies and their imaginations flowing!

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Cycling is a must

The best memories can happen when teaching your kids to ride a bike. The laughs, an occasional cry and the pride you feel when they have mastered it is uplifting for all involved. Cycling is a great family activity because you get to explore nature out in the fresh air . You might even organize a race or two. If your kids are still too small to ride a bike, opt for bike trailers and just take them on an adventure with you.

Jump ropes

You might be laughing now, but ten minutes of jump rope and you’ll feel like a truck ran you over. Don’t be surprised if your kids simply dominate you in this game – they have a lower center of gravity. This exercise is great because it gets the blood flowing, and it’ll improve your kids’ reflexes and motor skills. In addition you can take turns with a skipping rope and, at the same time, singing songs to add another level of engagement.

Gardening

Gardening is a fun workout without even realizing it. If you think gardening is easy, then you have obviously never tried digging and planting. As a plus, teach your kids all about different kinds of tools they can use and, of course, about plants. Step out into the garden and encourage the kids and your significant other to learn fun new facts about the world that surrounds them.

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Skateboarding

In this case it will probably be your kids teaching you how to ride. Skateboarding is a fun activity that gets the whole family out of the house and straight to the park or a beachside lane. You can get customized cruiser skateboards for the entire family and just hit the pavement. Of course protective gear is a must. Be sure to lead by example so that both parents and kids are safe while boarding

Use exercise to teach them about giving back

A charity marathon is a great way to have a teachable moment with your kids and get them exercising at the same time. Choose a charity closest to your heart and take time to explain to your kids why it is important. Now you can have fun just preparing for a race. Make sure you complete it together. Quitting is not an option especially because it is for such a good cause. And let’s be honest a bit of competitiveness can’t harm them.

Compete during commercial breaks

If you often watch TV with your kids, get them off the couch by creating a fun habit. Every time there’s a commercial break, encourage everyone to do as many push-ups or crunches as they can. If they do more than 5, reward them by letting them stay awake longer. Don’t worry, they won’t be able to, even though you have allowed them.

Hopefully,  these activities will help you have fun with your family. But don’t focus just on them. Keep inventing new ways of playing and working out. You know your family, and you know what will make your kids feel happy and excited. Go for the gusto. You'll all feel better for it!

Luke Douglas is a fitness and health blogger at Ripped.me and a great fan of the gym and a healthy diet. He follows the trends in fitness, gym and healthy life and loves to share his knowledge through useful and informative articles. Connect with Luke on Facebook and Twitter