If you have finally decided to start working out, then let us give you a big high-five! Aside from eating a proper and balanced meal, exercising is undeniably another vital factor that helps you to be fit and healthy. Perhaps you have a recollection of how your parents often take you biking, hiking, and other outdoor activities. But due to the busy schedule and change of lifestyle, there’s a tendency of being complacent and even less time to spend a morning run.
Somehow, we are quite even luckier than the kids today because at least in the older days, there are not so many distractions that may hinder you from shun exercise time. With all of the gadgets, television shows, and social media that are available now, there is a low motivation to engage in some sort of physical activity or exercise.
But don’t lose hope. The key to getting the whole family moving is by starting the fiery passion for fitness through you as the role model. Take the advantage of introducing the importance of exercise to the kids. Even if you don’t have kids yet, grab the chance to be a good influence on your nieces and nephews! Plus isn’t it nice to do something together and bond? Find out the ways how you can motivate them and together reach a rewarding result!
How to Add Workout Time to a Family’s Daily Routine?
- Make it like a game. You can have fun with the exercise by trying to help them do even little fitness routines. Kids will eventually realize that fun is not just all about getting high scores in PSP games or finishing the whole series of their favorite cartoon show. Instead, you can incorporate their favorite game into exercise moves. Acting as their beloved cartoon character or replaying one of the scenes from their favorite show will be a good idea too! A fun example is inventing the routine’s name as “Princess Sit-ups” or “Bob the Builder Muscle Training”.
- Crank the music and show off some dance moves. Nothing can beat music in uplifting the mood. That is why it will be a great tactic to encourage the kids to turn off the TV and take a break from the laptop or other gadgets. Hold out a special night to move your furniture and play some music that will make your body groove! You can even level up the fun by letting the kids hold a flashlight and improvise it as a strobe light – an instant disco scene!
- Take time for a family stroll. Not every fitness routine requires equipment. You can benefit even from the smallest and simplest way of activity like walking, jogging, and running around the area or at a nearby park. These easy exercises can work the muscles, and mental health and improve their coordination. We know how the kids love to run and play. They tend to switch from skipping, walking, and running so it is a good assurance that their body will surely be in action. Plus they’ll get to enjoy the feeling of being responsible too if you let them try walking the dog out for a leisure stroll.
- Have a sports day or an outdoor activity. Camping, hiking, biking and even swimming are mostly fun to do when you got the whole family gang with you! Have your kids try out a kind of sport like basketball, or if they are still too little you can play tag. Plus you all get to enjoy the beauty of nature. Make sure that the kids will have a day out, particularly during weekends rather than staying inside the house. It is important to let them breathe fresh air and feel the heat of the sun.
- Sneak workouts in daily routines. Instill in your kids the importance of taking care of their bodies through sneaking exercise in their usual daily routine. When doing their household chores, you can play pretend “games” or “story concepts”. A fun example is being a superhero who’ll rescue their scattered toys from the bad guys or a wizard that needs to magically remove the dust from furniture. As a result, their body will be in an action such as jumping and even crouching or bending like a spy or a special agent. Let their imagination play while at the same time incorporating exercise movements.
Best Workout for Kids
Here are some of the best exercises you can do together with your kids. Try them out today and you’ll surely have lots of fun!
Jumping Jacks
Every kid loves to jump and it is highly beneficial in terms of building muscle strength and endurance. It is quite easy and sort of a warm-up exercise for your child. Simply tell them to stretch their arms and legs out to their side creating a star-like form. Jump while doing this form and stand in one straight form when they return their arms and legs to the center. You can level it up by doing some “Tuck Jumps”. Jump as high as you can and when in the air, bend your knees and lift your heels as much as you can.
Alternate Toe-Touch
This is another simple routine that can stretch their little bodies. Tell them to stand straight like a soldier in a platoon, with their two feet apart. Stretching their arms out at their side, bend forward and then twist to reach their toes. The right hand must reach out to the left toe and the same goes for the other. Repeat this for 2 sets of 10-20 reps.
Butterfly Kicks
This is quite fun, especially for little girls. Prepare a yoga mat or a big towel so you can lie on your back. Raise your feet off the floor, not too high though, and then flutter some kicks.
Superhero Lunges
Build your kids’ leg strength with lunges. You can try forward, side, and backward lunges to have a variation on this kind of routine. It is also quite easy to do and level it up by adding some squats, crunches and even leg raises as a combination.
With these routines, they can start their fitness journey and be able to understand the importance of keeping their body fit. However, keep in mind that a child is more about having fun so make sure that they’ll enjoy the exercises you’ve come up with so they’ll be constantly stimulated to complete the routines.
Want to know more? Check our other articles and learn how to level up your exercise routines and fitness training. You’ll find tips, the latest fitness news, and even stylish workout outfits.
