No matter how old your children are, spending time with them can be challenging. When they are young they go to bed early and when they are in their preteen and teen years, they are on the go with sports, hanging out with their friends and working. It’s a struggle sometimes, but you shouldn’t give up on this precious time together.
One way to spend more time with your children is to exercise as a family. Include children in your training. This will help them multitask and it will be good for them to have an exercise routine to follow. Here are some tips to help you make your family fitness time a success.
- Training
You should choose a training that helps you get what you need, but it’s also important that you do one that your kids can do, too. If you choose something that is too difficult for them, they will get frustrated and won’t want to do it. This can be challenging, but when you find one that works, your kids will want to do it with you.
If you find it difficult to do an exercise that your children can do, consider exercising with them for 15 minutes and then use the next 15 minutes to make a program that best suits their needs. Another option is to exercise as a family three days a week and then do what you need to do for the remaining four days. This is win-win when you make it work for your family.
- Location
Depending on the age of your children and the money involved, you may not be able to exercise as a family at the gym. Some gyms have age requirements and the money involved for a family pass may be more than you can afford each month. If that’s the case, find other ways to exercise as a family. Consider exercising at home or doing things outside together that count as exercise.
There are DVDs that you can buy that have family workouts or you can find activities that you can do outside, such as walking a path near your home, walking, or walking the dog around the neighborhood. Consider the things you enjoy doing and then put them in family fitness time so everyone will want to do it. That will make it easier to do and it won’t be a fight with the fitness time.
Family time is priceless and it is important to do it regularly. When you find a way to have family fitness time and include the kids, no matter their age, you can train and spend time as a family. It will also help your kids stay fit and see the value and importance of exercise so that they will continue to do it regularly throughout their lives.