Getting your kids into fitness

Being healthy, fit and active isn’t something that should become a priority when you become an adult. It should be something you prioritise at all ages, whether a child, teenager or adult, as being healthy and active leads to many benefits. It can help reduce the chances of you being overweight, increase your overall strength, help maintain healthy bones and muscles, and minimize the risk of getting ill.

If you have children, it can sometimes be difficult to get them into fitness routine, as they may want to spend time on their computer or simply socialising with their friends. They may need a lot of encouragement from you to help them to get active. You should always be a role model for them and exercise together, but you may also be thinking about various lessons available for them and consider how to get kids into golf, or how to encourage them to join a football or a tennis team.

Below are our tips for getting your children into fitness.

Buy them a bike

A great way to encourage your children to get active is to buy them a bike. Cycling will get their muscles working, and their heart rate rising whilst they cycle to their friend’s house or to school. Cycling helps to give children freedom they want and they don’t feel like they are exercising as they will use the bike routinely rather than a planned activity. But if they enjoy riding to and from school, this may lead to them wanting to cycle at a club or in their free time.

Be a role model

Be a role model to your children and they will follow into your footsteps. If they see you going out for runs, playing football with your friends or tennis at a local club, then they will be more likely to want to participate themselves. If you currently play a competitive sport, like football, why not bring them along to your next game to support you and maybe get involved, before and after the match?

Exercise with them

When you are next thinking of something to do, to bond with your children, try and exercise with them, instead of going to the shops, or cinema, or watching one of your subscriptions like Netflix. Head to your local park and play a game of cricket or to your basketball courts to shoot some hoops. Bonding and exercising go hand in hand and benefit both you and your kids. You never know, they may love it and it could be something you do regularly with them after school.

There are so many ways to encourage your children to get active. Our number one advice is not to put too much pressure on them but to simply suggest things and lead by example. You don’t want them to feel pressured or stressed about getting active. You want them to enjoy it!

Related posts:

Fun in the Sun: Top Tips to Keep Kids Active and Entertained Outdoors Fourfit Mini 2: Fitness tracker for kids and teens Dreaming about Sleepovers: Slumber Parties for Kids and Grown-ups There’s no such thing as bad weather… STEM the Summer with Stomp Rocket®, the Ultimate Gifts for Kids