Before we had kids, Brian (the doctor) and I would go on long hikes or runs and talk about our future kids and family. One important thing we wanted to become normal for our kids was being active.
We love biking, hiking, running, just being outdoors and we wanted our family to enjoy all those things together. Oh how blissful it would be to hike mountains with our children!
Then… we had kids. And they are freaking HARD! First- they don’t sleep, so even when they are little and you could take them on a hike, WE were exhausted!!
Eventually, the dust settles, and you get some semblance of normalcy again… some.
When we started venturing out for our epic family excursions… what made them most epic were the MELTDOWNS. “I’m so tired.” “I can’t walk anymore.” “How much longer.” “I hate this.” Oh. My. Gosh. Parenting struggles never go away, they just shift.
Needless to say, being active as a family has proven to be more of a struggle than we would like to admit. Can anyone else relate?
Anyone...? Bueller?
Sometimes, we don’t want to make the effort. But most of the time, we still try. Because even though there is about a 50% chance that it’ll be a disaster, there’s still that other 50% that we are hoping are the times that the kids will remember!
We want to model healthy behaviors and part of that includes participating in shared activities that promote health and exercise.
We want to model healthy behaviors and part of that includes participating in shared activities that promote health and exercise.
Where is your family at with incorporating fitness into everyday life? If you are like us and sometimes struggle to get the motivation to make this happen, here are some easy ways to step into family fitness:
--- Go on family walks around the neighborhood.
--- Join a parent/child exercise group. I (Heather) was a part of Fit4Mom for several years and our children have grown up in strollers, seeing their mama have fun while working out.
--- Family bike rides at whatever age your kids are at. Put littles in bike trailers or have new bikers ride while parents walk or run.
--- Family races in the backyard or up and down your street.
--- Family fun runs. Kids as little as 2 years old can participate in kid runs. Register parents for a 5k and push all your littles in strollers. We’ve done this and taken out our oldest the last ¼ mile to finish the race with us, and it rocked his world!
--- Dance parties. Crank the music and let loose!
--- Hike. Find flat, stroller friendly hikes that will allow for kids to switch off in the stroller to get a walking break. When we hike we like to take a hiking pack (to hold a child) and our single BOB to push the baby. Then an older kid can sit on the front of the stroller when they need to take a break.
What does your family do to stay active together?