Getting fit is hard to do alone. Getting your whole family involved is one solution since they are around you all the time. It’s also important to instill in kids, the importance of being active instead of laying on the couch playing video games all day. Getting your family to do something together may be a mission in itself. Making things fun is a very powerful motivator, so here are 7 fun ways to get your whole family active.
1 – Make A Friendly Competition
Game night is a popular thing to do that brings families closer together. Instead of a board game try doing a race or obstacle course. If you don’t have room in your back yard then find a local park. There are tons of games that you can play. Split your family into teams and have relay races, or mini football games (no tackling). The goal is to get everyone running around having fun outside, not arguing and getting upset. They key word in this tip is “Friendly”.
2 – Reward Accomplishments
Positive reinforcement is important to keep people motivated. First set goals for everyone in the family and whenever someone accomplishes their goal find a prize. A goal for adults in the family may be to lose a certain amount of weight or body fat. For kids the goal may be to do a certain number of pushups or sit-ups without taking a break. Don’t just hand out rewards for every little thing, but also don’t make it impossible to reach. Instead of trophies and medals the rewards should be something that will get you excited about working out. Running shoes, a training shirt or shorts are a perfect reward.
3 – Attend Charity Events
Throughout the year there are always charity events going on. Walks and runs dedicated to cancer research or Wounded Warrior Project are good options to attend a couple times every year. Don’t limit the events to running. It may be a little harder to find, but there are always groups going around fixing up houses and helping the less fortunate. Actively helping others like this still counts as exercise. If you’re fixing up someones house kids can find small tasks to do. It is also a perfect way to instill the value of giving back in the young ones.
4 – Learn Something New Together
Take your family outside and every month try learning a new sport. Young kids love to be in control so pick a sport that they have learned how to play, and let them teach everyone. You can try new active things on vacation too. Instead of going on a lazy cruise, make a family trip to the mountains for a skiing or hiking adventure.
5 – Get A Pet
You don’t have to make this commitment just for the sake of being more active, but if you were already thinking about it, this may help make your decision. A dog is a very active animal that needs to run around and be taken on walks. You can take the dog to the park with the family to run around, or take the dog on walks. A dog will also get most kids pretty excited.
Getting a pet is also one of the ways to reduce stress. If you haven’t got a chance to take a look, read about it here.
6 – Gather In Groups
To make things more fun get other families involved. You can go back to tip #1 and make it a friendly competition between your family and theirs. With extra people you may be able to play a bigger variety of games at the park. As the saying goes……”the more the merrier”!
7 – Go Outside
If all else fails, just take the whole lot outside. Anything that is outside is much better than a stuffy room with a television and videogame console. Have a barbecue with some healthy snacks, a pool, and think of some creative games.
The best thing about getting the family involved is that you don’t have to be active on your own. These activities will also instill important values in young people like teamwork, charity, and most importantly personal health. It can be a challenge to get everyone together, but hopefully these 7 tips will get your whole family active. Leave a comment below and let us know how it goes.
About Adam Pegg
