On Tuesday morning I found myself engrossed in a conversation on ABC 702 between Wendy Harmer and Martha Lourey-Bird (Exercise Scientist), discussing family fitness (conversation here.)
So many families are embracing sedentary lifestyles these days – watching TV, playing computer games, glued to their iPhone’s – which is causing heaps of health and social issues.
It was great to hear Martha’s views about the importance involving kids when it comes to choosing activities and how to focus on the positives when it comes to exercise.
For kids/teenagers who are wired to their screens, a great idea is to head to the park and play some touch footie, cricket, soccer, hockey, netball, etc. Or another suggestion, which I thought was awesome, was to get them involved in training for an event with you. Make it a joint challenge – enter a charity event, fun run, parkrun. Not only will this give them a sense of purpose, but the training will stretch over a number of weeks, which will enable them to get into a routine.
Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate
The benefits of training as a family are vast – physical health, mental health and also bonding the family. If you have traditionally chosen a sedentary option over the weekend (i.e. watch sport on TV), why not make a small change and try something active – take the dog for a walk, ride your bikes around the lake, meet friends in the park for a walk. Setting positive lifestyle patterns is so important.
Our values at Beauty of Exercise is always FUN! Whatever we do, we make sure to have fun. If it’s getting up in the dark, running up hills, chasing our buddies around the lake – it’s all fun! And the key thing with having fun is to surround yourself with like-minded people to have fun with.
So, the moral of the F-word — always keep it FUN! And remember, your children become what you are… so be what you want them to be.
~ Beauty of Exercise
