Between school, work, and playtime it can be hard to fit in some much-needed family time and physical activity into your family’s busy schedule – even more so around the Christmas period. Did you know, active play helps strengthen family bonds? Plus, you all get the daily exercise you need at the same time! Building healthy habits in your child by getting active with them at a young age will encourage them to continue to lead a heathy and active lifestyle as they get older. So how can we solve the issue of time restraints? Well, unfortunately we can’t create more hours in the day, but we can provide you with a few ideas for family exercise that may slot more easily into your routine.
Make it a game
Have you ever thought of incorporating exercise into playtime? You could create an obstacle course and time each other to see who’s fastest! Or play Follow the Leader, taking turns leading the others through a series of exercises. Having fun while exercising is the key to making it stick.
Go for a walk
There are so many beautiful scenic walks in and around the Stockport area – many of us discovered ones right on our doorstep that we didn’t even know about during the pandemic! Walking is simple but effective. If you have younger children, let them alternate between having a piggyback ride and walking. Make it fun by taking your dogs, or maybe your family could manage a more adventurous hike. If you can only spare 15 minutes here and there, you could build walks into your daily schedule before or after dinner.
Use 2 wheels instead of 4
Next time you’re heading out, why not take your bike instead of reaching for the car keys? Head to library, a friend’s house, or the park all whilst keeping active. If you find yourself at a park, you can even enjoy a nice picnic or another activity like playing frisbee or tig. Don’t have bikes? No problem. You could use scooters or roller skates instead to add some excitement to your trip!
Head to the playground
It’s no secret that children love the park. The bigger the playground, the better. The joy in their faces when they spot the huge slide, or the tyre swing is unmatched. Active play in the playground helps kids to build their strength and most certainly raises their heart rate, therefore qualifying as exercise. Monkey bars, rock climbing walls, swings and more, they all count. Not to mention all that running around!
Swimming
Swimming is a popular exercise amongst families and loved by many. The best part about swimming, is that it’s so fun you don’t even realise you’re exercising! Not only are you spending quality time together and building your child’s confidence in the water, but you’re also all getting your daily exercise in. Multi-tasking at its finest.
Now as we’ve already established, finding time for these activities might not always be easy. So, if you haven’t managed to steal 15 minuites for a quick walk or struggled to even find 5 minuites for a game of tig in the garden, don’t worry because there’s always tomorrow. We hope you and your family enjoy the Christmas period and found some of these ideas for family fun useful. For information on our Kids, Teen and Family memberships, please visit lifeleisure.net