How you can make fitness a family (and fun) affair!

What are the top reasons adults exercise? To improve health, stay fit, and control weight. But what motivates a child to be physically active? Fun. But the end motivation is often quire similar, because if children and adults enjoy an activity, they’re more likely to stick with it.

As you know, an inactive child has a greater chance of becoming an inactive adult if healthy habits aren’t instilled early in life. And it’s never too early to start. What better way to get your kids moving than to find a fun exercise activity your whole family can enjoy together? Your family will not only be healthier and trimmer, but will spend quality time connecting and set habits that may last a lifetime.

Just remember that exercising as a family won’t look like your typical workout. Here are some fun, creative ways to incorporate exercise into the life of your family.

Make Chore Time Fun Time

Let’s face it: chores and kids don’t mix. Not willingly at least. Chores and fun don’t usually mix, either. How can you combine chores with fitness while making it fun at the same time? Turn up your family’s favorite tunes and sing and dance while cleaning the house. Let the kids take turns choosing the music. All ages can be involved. The youngest can pick up toys or sweep the floors. The older kids can vacuum, dust, and help with laundry.

While you’re at it, turn chores into a competition. Who can clean his or her room the fastest? (Without stuffing everything in the closet.)

Dance Party

Want a little more wiggle in your family exercise routine? Invite the kids’ friends over for a dance party. Move the furniture out of the way, turn down the lights, and turn up the tunes! Then get moving. Kids will have a great time with this. If you have a Wii dance game, take turns in dance competition.

Family Fitness Nights

Family fun night is often spent sitting around watching a movie or playing a board game. How can you turn family nights into fitness nights? Go on a bike ride together. Head to a nearby trail in the woods and go on a hike. Invite another family to join you and organize a soccer game, whiffleball tournament, or relay races. Set up a badminton net in the backyard. If there’s snow on the ground, get out the sleds and head to a nearby hill. What about roller-skating as a family? Now there’s a fun family workout! Let each family member take turns choosing which activity to do on family nights, but keep the nights focused on fun fitness.

Hire a Personal Trainer

Each person has different fitness needs and goals. Work with a personal trainer to design a workout program for each family member. Make the workouts such that can be done together as a family or in nearby proximity of one another.

Track Progress

A great way to stay motivated as a family to keep exercising is to track individual progress. If one family member needs to lose weight and another is trying to bench press heavier weight, track both of their progress and encourage them along the way.

You can also have all family members wear a pedometer and reward the person with the most steps, or choose an exercise of the month. Good choices are squats, lunges, sit-ups, push-ups, or jump rope. At the beginning of the month, each family member must perform his or her maximum number of repetitions. After a month of training, the person with the highest percentage of improvement gets a small reward.

And keep progress at the forefront with a chart on your refrigerator to track your family’s fitness goals.

A Way of Life

When fitness is incorporated into everyday life, it won’t become a drag or another thing to fit into your already busy schedule. Set aside just half an hour two to three times a week to get moving as a family. Your kids will have fun and learn valuable life lessons.