Creating Fit Families

October 30 2010 by Jake Frodsham in School Section |No Comments

How many times have you heard that regular physical activity does a body (and mind) good? Yes, it’s true for our kids, but we sometimes forget that it also applies to us parents! Leading a healthy and fit life helps set up the right foundation for our children – and it can also help us manage the stress that comes with raising families.

As someone who made a commitment to my own health a few years back, I enjoy sharing my own story and helping other busy parents find ways to make it work. As a way to help more parents, I created an online speaker series session called Creating Fit Families. Together with IDVA Learning Coach, Heidi Higgins, we discussed our own stories, why it’s important to make a commitment to health and fitness, i incorporating fitness activities into your family’s daily life, and resources to support and inspire you along the way.

I have been inspired by fellow moms who are making the commitment to do it for themselves and their families. But the reality is that I have come across even more who don’t have a second to themselves and have put any form of exercise at the bottom of their ‘to-do” list. I am here to tell you that there are very few parents out there that are not overwhelmed with all the things that have to get done in a day’s time. It would seem that the last thing we have time for is OURSELVES! But carving out time for regular physical activity is exactly what we need to do – for many reasons. Think of it like this – it’s a lesson in multi-tasking! By incorporating 15-30mins of exercise a day, you are:

Managing stress levels
Leading by example
Reaping the many health benefits that come with exercise

Don’t have any alone time to exercise? Then get the family in on the act! There are many ways to fit in fitness during the course of the day that will not only offer health benefits, but can also improve the communication and connection you have with your kids. It can be a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood or a completely orchestrated game of tag! The choices are endless and don’t have to cost an arm and a leg!

Here are a few of the home equipment ideas we shared during our session:

Jump rope (weighted or standard)
medium-sized rubber ball: four square, kickball, dodge ball
tennis ball: tennis, catch (people or with a dog), batting practice
softball: softball, catch
Frisbee™
football: various forms of football; catch
body ball: a wide variety of exercises
small trampoline: a wide variety of exercises
bicycle
basketball hoop (outdoor or indoor)
Repurpose/recycle everyday household items to turn them into free kids’ fitness equipment

If you would rather get together with other families, many of our schools have innovative and fun programs available – from bowling leagues, fitness for life programs, organized sports teams, reserved days at local recreation centers, and more. Just ask other local parents or teachers for their ideas. You are bound to find something that suits your family’s needs, and if you don’t – you can create one that does!

With obesity rates continuing to rise among children age 10 to 17, we all need to focus on encouraging and inspiring future generations to understand and incorporate healthier lifestyle behaviors. We can’t wait around until opportunities for fitness present themselves. We, as parents, need to find and create ways to incorporate it in our day to day life. Your entire family will reap the benefits – I promise!

P.S. If you missed our Creating Fit Families session, you can access it by typing the session title in the Parents’ Lounge community search box.

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