Author: Riley Pearce
Director of Social Media
We are always looking for ways to make working out fit into our lives. If you have children, this can sometimes be difficult. If you want to know how to get your kids to love your workouts, we’ve come up with a few ideas for you.
You may have seen us share this post from one of our trainers, Tess, this past weekend.
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Tess is a mother of 3 and a past winner of the 3rd Oxygen Cover Challenge and for mother’s day created a special video. Tess demonstrated how she gets her kids involved in her workouts. This inspired us to share tips with you to help you get your kids to love your workouts.
Give your child/children a role in the workout that they can be excited about
In Tess’s video, you see her 3 kids lined up and waiting to play their part. You know that a lot of what parenting is is giving children opportunities to be independent or to show them the value of being a team player.
Tess started by writing down her workout and giving her eldest the whiteboard to read off of. As the oldest his reading skills are likely the most advanced, so he would feel confident, and excited, to show off his reading skills while his Mom worked out.
The second oldest told her mom how many reps she had to do. She may not be at a reading age yet, but she could count confidently. This kept her engaged and also gave her a chance to practice her counting.
Lastly, the youngest was in charge of making the workout difficult for her mom. She may not have been able to read confidently or count accurately, but there is still a role for her.
As you watch the video you’ll notice each of the kids is excited to be part of the workout. This also shows them at a young age that exercise and moving your body can be a fun family activity.
Instilling these values of health, movement, and family playtime have all been shown to help develop healthy habits in children that will last their whole lives.
Create Workouts That Feel Like Play
You should try to plan at least 1 work out per week that involves kid-friendly movements. These exercises feel more like play, and will also help you move your body in a new way, which has been shown to lead to better training results.
Some form of running would an obvious choice, but you won’t want to simply create a running track in the park for the kids to do laps.
Did you ever like running laps as a kid? We’d guess that’s probably a no.
Creating an obstacle course is a great alternative. Start by taking household items to mark the different workout stations so it is easier for the kids to remember what to do at each section. Things like a soccer ball or basketball can act as something for you and the kids to squat down to (or just above). You can grab a box, or even just a shoe, and make this something to do bunny hops over. Also, make sure to bring a mat or a towel so you can include a push-up station.
These types of obstacle course activities are a great way to get yourself and the kids moving in the fresh air now that the warmer weather finally has arrived and the parks have re-opened.
Getting creative with your workouts and finding ways to involve the kids is a win-win situation. You get the workout that you want to get and are able to maintain a good workout routine. The kids get to spend time with their parents, they burn off energy, and they’ll start seeing the fun of exercising at an early age.
