Fitness and the Family: How to Succeed in Getting Into Shape With the Missus and the Kids

Fitness should be a family affair. If families share nice movie nights together, exercise should be just as uniting. According to Willie Gault, a former football star:

“You’ve got to find something that children like to do and do it as a family.”

Gault was referring of course to exercising. If exercising is to become a family affair, it has to be something that all the members of the family would love to do.

Ill health becomes a family affair, unfortunately

Just what kinds of health problems do families share? The list is nearly limitless, but let’s go back to the root of the problem. There is a disproportionately large disparity between unhealthy eating habits and physical activity. Often, folks who are engaged in office work are the least likely to start exercising on their own.

According to the Olympian Florence Griffith-Joyner, the co-chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness:

“I can’t think of a person who’s doing so much, that they can’t make the time [to exercise]. It’s just that we’re choosing other things as a priority.”

Exercise time is quality time

Exercise would work best if you do it everyday. However, if you want to develop a rhythm first with the family, schedule exercises three to four times a week. Put gaps in between exercises.

Walking is a good exercise for the family. To make things more interesting, schedule regular walks around the city. Then once every two weeks, or even once a week, go on nature hikes. Most US states are close to reserves or small nature parks. Camp out with your kids and emphasize the need to be more physically fit.

Climbing is also a good way to bond with the family. At the same time, an hour of climbing can burn between 400 to 700 calories. That’s a lot of burnt flab, don’t you think?
With climbing, you only have to invest in some quality training gear. Climbing shoes (thinner and more flexible than regular athletic shoes), climbing wear (made of spandex or a mixture of polyester and some other light materials like cotton) and of course, safety harnesses.

If you have enough training with safety harnesses, you can choose to use your own and waive the right to use a gym or health club’s own equipment. After a month or so in the health club, you can join a community mountain climbing club and partake of the real deal.

Goals

Keeping physically fit with the family is all about setting goals. You don’t have to write down goals, but if you’re actually making progress with stubborn kids, then you’re already investing in the future.

Being physically fit and the capacity to follow a discipline life is something that every child needs to learn. It’s a harsh world out there, and without discipline, who knows what will happen?

Other benefits of exercising together with your family are of course better health, and for the kids, improved self-image and bolstered self-confidence.  There’s no way to go but up for the family that stays fit together.