Family And Fitness

All of the experts say being active is important to your health. You read articles and blogs about how staying active is not only good for your physical health but also your mental health. But if you are a mom or dad balancing family and life obligations (requests, wants etc), workouts can be really difficult. Add in your children’s schoolwork and activities and where are there enough hours in the day?!

The good news is as they get older, fitting in your workouts even when your kids are home and awake will get easier. But what to do in the meantime? Let’s talk about some different ideas.

One option is to try and fit in your workout early in the morning, during naps or late in the evening. This is a popular option for my family. I will warn you it takes a lot of self-motivation and it does help to have an accountability partner. I choose to get up super early and fit in my workouts before my little ones are up on a lot of days. I know too often if I wait life seems to get in the way. My husband opts to do his workouts after the kids are in bed for the night. He changes into workout clothes when he gets home from work to help him stay motivated. When we still had naptime I would try to fit my workouts in during naps. Somedays it worked great – other days not so much.

Not everyone’s schedules work with early morning or late evening workouts. If you are home during the day and want to fit your workout in then there are plenty of options. If you are a runner I always say get a good running stroller and go for a run with the kids. I’ve been doing this since my 2 were old enough to go in the stroller. My 6 year old still loves it when we go for our runs together. Are these runs as easy as going by myself? Nope. And I have to stop about 700 times to either hear what is being said to me (usually nothing important), and hand out snacks. But we have all learned to enjoy the run together and my children are seeing first hand that I think it is important to exercise and remain active.

If you’re not a runner there are still options to get your workouts in even when the little helpers are around. First one – try involving them! If your children are on the older side (even just 5 or 6) they can try to do parts of the workout with you, they can help count your reps, and even time you. It is a great way to have them participate. If you’re doing yoga choose a child friendly yoga so you can have that time together. If they are too little to help than have box toys, crayons, stickers and paper that are just for workout time. Get them set up before you even start with this box of special workout time toys. In my household I always have them set up with a snack and water too.

Ready to work out as a family? Great!

But now it is time to find a workout that meets everyone’s age, ability and skill levels. Try going for a family walk a couple of times a week. Ready for more than family walks? For all of my runners have your kids ride along on the bike as you run. This is a great way to get everyone moving and you each get to pick the activity that you enjoy.

Have an emerging runner? Try doing some short runs together. Make sure you have decent sneakers and watch how much they are training at a young age. You want to set them up for a lifetime of running and avoid injuries that could haunt them later in life.

Another great family activity is hiking. Choose age-appropriate hikes and make sure you pick trails that aren’t above your littles' ability level. Have them help plan the hike to get them excited. Or you can do a nature scavenger hunt for your little ones, which makes going for a hike and exercising so much fun.

No matter where you are in your life with littles, remember it is important to set an example for them and to take care of yourself. Your children are always watching. If you are showing them working out isn’t just important, but a fun part of your life, they will grow up naturally including it in their lives.