Tips To Get Fit As A Family

There really is a lot to be said for getting fit as a family. For one it means that you are working together towards a better quality of life that has fewer ailments and illnesses and less time and money spent on health care.

Getting into a fitness program together means that the family is getting together to spend some quality time together and working towards a common goal, increasing bonding.

tips to get fitAlso this helps teach the children build a life time of healthy habits; of being active and eating well creating the stepping stones for a healthy lifetime. Here are some tips that may make it more effective for a family to work out together:

Let Kids make suggestions

Fitness does not have to be regimented and structured. It can be a lot of fun and so its good to let the kids make some suggestions or offer your own. It can be a biking picnic; it can be tossing a ball in the yard, regular visits to the park, and a turn around the ice skating rink or even roller-blading down the street or anything. Fix a hoop in the yard to that the parents and the kids can shoot a few hoops whenever the fancy strikes.

Take advantage of where you live

If you are close to hills, make biking and trekking regular family activities. If you are close to a water body such as a lake, or the sea, consider Rowing, Canoeing, Kayaking and Sailing for the family. If there is a pool at home, a rousing game of water polo is a great and fun idea too. Even going to museums and galleries can be a bit of a workout; what with all that walking

Make a plan and stick to it

Make sure that physical activity is part of the family’s routine each day. If it not possible to do activities together during weekdays, structure weekends in such a way that each member of the family is able to make the time for some fun family activity.

Stay Motivated

A little friendly competition in the family won’t hurt. For instance if each member of the family has a pedometer, you could compare notes each evening to see who totted the most number of steps and so on. You can egg one another to do better, offer encouragement and try out new things together. This will keep things interesting and make everyone feel involved and motivated to stick to the plan, slowly making fitness a habit for each person in the family!