When many parents today were kids, getting exercise and staying fit was relatively easy. Many kids simply ran out the door after school to ride bikes or otherwise play outdoors with friends who lived close by. Nowadays, things are a bit different for our own kids. Many parents do not feel comfortable letting kids roam around as we once did for safety reasons. Besides that, many kids who live nearby are not at home as both parents in those homes may be working and the kids may be in after-school care, or the kids may be involved in organized activities after school, too.
So given today’s modern challenges with kids and exercise, how can parents encourage their kids to strive for fitness and health? Here are some ideas:
Sports Teams. Whether your kids have a competitive streak or simply wants to play for fun on a recreational team, there are so many different sports you can sign your kids up for like soccer, football, baseball, softball, volleyball, and more. You can also consider more individual sports like tennis and swimming, too.
Home Fitness Equipment. While muscle building with kids is a bad idea, basic strength training exercises with resistance bands and lightweight hand weights can help your kids to really stay healthy and fit at home. You can add a mini trampoline, a jump rope, and other affordable cardio-based fitness equipment for a more encompassing workout, too. By all means, join in the fun and enjoy a family workout time.
Home Fitness Videos. You might think about home fitness workouts like P90X and other similar, very intense workouts when you think about home fitness videos. These are not suitable for most kids of course, but there are some other workouts that you can enjoy with your kids at home. Consider toning workouts with resistance bands, yoga and pilates workouts, and other similar low impact options. While you can buy this, some cable service providers offer these options for free through on-demand services, and you can also flip on a health and fitness channel or set some workout programs to record on the DVR, too.
Join In. The fact is that kids, and especially kids who have thus far led relatively sedentary lives, can be really turned off by the thought of exercising on a regular basis. You will find that you make the entire experience far more enjoyable for them when you join in. Of course, you can’t join in on kids’ sports teams, but you can make an effort to step up your own fitness efforts in another way such as taking up walking or jogging regularly. Kids tend to mimic the lifestyle they see their parents leading, and so by joining in on the fitness effort, you will offer subtle motivation.
Exercise is important to the health and well-being of kids, and getting regular exercise can also improve physical development as well as emotional well-being, too. In addition to motivating your kids to get active in some fashion, be sure to include a healthy diet and encourage your kids to get ample sleep at night, too!
Here are a few other articles written by this author:
How Positive is Your Parenting?
Helping Your Kids Through Fights with Friends
Kids and Friend Drama: When to Step In