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Keeping Your Family Healthy, Part 2: Exercise

Here are some ideas for making exercise a family affair. Remember, your kids are watching you!

Back in the mid-1990s when I was a fairly new, young trainer, I remember clients telling me, “I’m finding it difficult to find time to work out.” These clients would remind me that outside of a part-time or full-time job, they were also raising children and taking care of a home. I would smile and tell them I understood, agree that it was challenging, and then I would look away and roll my eyes. Honestly, I felt like these people were just being lazy. They could find time if they really wanted to.

I’d like to go back and shake that 20-something-year-old trainer and give her a glimpse of her future! These days between work, raising my two boys and keeping up with the housework (and I use the term “keeping up” VERY loosely!), I am just like those clients that I used to work with. Fitting in a workout seems almost impossible.

Now I will let you in on an important piece of information: If you have children, it is even more important to exercise. Not only do you need that time to re-charge and energize yourself, you need to be setting an example for the rest of your family. Children model what they see. Chances are good that active parents will inspire active children, and unfortunately, the contrary is true.

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The good news is that you don’t even have to take time away from your family to exercise. Set aside some time every day for family activity. Keep each other accountable and make it fun! You may have to try different activities to find something your kids enjoy, but just like trying new foods, don’t give up after trying something once.

For parents with babies:

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  • Carry your baby in a front or back pack and do lunges, squats, step-ups.
  • If you have a spouse or friend with you, take turns sprinting around the block or across a field while your partner holds the baby.
  • Find a “Mommy and Me” fitness class or DVD.
  • Go for walks with your baby in a stroller. Stop every so often to do squats, push-ups, tricep dips or lunges.

For parents with toddlers:

  • Take your child to a park and try to do every thing he or she does. Climb up, run around, slide and play!
  • Have a dance party at home. I put on my kids’ favorite songs and we dance and run around the house. They love it!
  • Make sticker charts and let your kids choose stickers to put on every time you exercise together.

For parents with older children:

  • Play soccer, baseball or any other sport with your kids.
  • Play tag.
  • Go swimming.
  • Teach your children to run a stopwatch (kids love them!) and have them time you running the length of a field. See if they can beat your time.
  • Create circuit workouts to do in your home. Have your kids make signs for stations like jumping jacks, running stairs, push-ups, tricep dips, squats, jumping like a frog, bunny or kangaroo (for the little ones!).

For all ages, set some clear rules and limit time in front of the TV and video games. A little bit of that is OK, but too much can lead to a very sedentary lifestyle. The point is, make fitness fun. Exercise does not have to be going to a gym and lifting weights or mindlessly running on a treadmill. Get the whole family involved and create healthy habits that will stay with your children for life.

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