Beyond modeling a healthy lifestyle for your kid(s), exercising together gives you time to bond and makes what could be a chore so much more fun! That said, we know that finding the time to be active together can be hard. These five resources can help you fit exercising into your schedule a little more easily.
1. For mommas with babies and toddlers, Baby Boot Camp might be the perfect fit.
Baby Boot Camp is a mommy and me fitness program that’s currently in 22 states (including most of the states that Kids Obstacle Challenge visits!). The company provides fitness, nutrition, and community support for moms of all ages and stages, and strives to empower women through inspiring health and wellness. Some of the programs available are stroller fitness, running programs (strollers welcome!), and birth recovery classes. Check out their site to find a class near you: https://www.babybootcamp.com/
2. Practice yoga together.
Many studios now offer yoga classes for kids, including Imagination Yoga. You can drop your kiddo off at a kids yoga class while you go to your own yoga class. While you may not be taking the class together, this allows each of you to get alone time. Then, you can come together and show what you learned to each other at home! You can even find yoga for kids classes on YouTube to make doing yoga together a new routine.
3. Dance together.
Dancing is possibly one of the easiest ways to get kids interested in fitness and it’s fun for parents too! The great thing about dance is that there are lots of options out there. Zumba offers Kids and Kids Jr. classes to cater to 4-11 year olds, so you can sign your kiddo(s) up for a class while you complete a class of your choice. You can also look into local salsa, ballet, and other dance genre classes to see if kids are welcome. If you want to stay home, you can even make it a challenge to see who can win the most points at a dance game like Just Dance!
4. Complete a YouTube family workout.
While there seem to be a limited amount of kids exercise videos on YouTube, there are a few family workout video gems out there. POPSUGAR Fitness put together this Family Fun Cardio Workout. This type of workout is great for entertaining the whole family and getting your heart rates up.
5. Keep it simple.
When life is just too crazy to fit a class into your schedule, you can find ways to work little exercises into your family’s day. Aha! Parenting came up with 15 exercise tips for parents with kids of all ages. Some of our favorites are taking up a hobby together (like skateboarding), letting your kid lead the workout of the day, and making it a family challenge to park your car far from your destination.
As adults, we tend to put a lot of pressure on the types of workouts we’re doing to maximize the health benefits and fitness rewards. While getting your kids to be active can seem overwhelming, it’s important to remember that the most important part is to make it fun! If exercise is made to be fun, your kids are likely to want to do it more, and can develop long term interests in fitness and health. So, keep it simple, have fun, and get on your feet!
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