#A family that exercise together, stays together - says Bebby!
We live in a fast-paced world and the modern family is an active family,
finding time for family bonding can be a real challenge. Nothing
beats family time but as the saying goes, "Kill two birds with one
stone"
means there's a possibility you could combine quality time with your
loved ones and a commitment to a healthier lifestyle?
In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of incorporating fitness into
your family routine and provide practical tips on how to make it an
enjoyable and sustainable part of your lifestyle.
The Importance of Family Fitness:
Family is the basic unit in society that consist of parents and the
children they are raising. Our responsibilities as parents transcends provision of basic necessities
such as food, shelter, education and medical care. Thankfully, most
parents know that they are fully responsible for the mental and physical
well-being of their children are doing a mighty good job of it.
Engaging in physical activities can not only improve physical health but
mental well-being as well. Also, research has shown that physical exercise
releases feel-good hormones called Endorphins to the brain and this
chemical when released helps relieve stress, pain and then improves your
sense of well-being.
#a fit family is a happy family
Think about how this can help both parents and children bond, express
themselves as well as be of a sound mind.
keeping fit as a family is an opportunity to fight against long term
illnesses, instill healthy habits in kinds from an early age and foster
communication as everyone is happy and expressive.
Finding the Right Activities:
Yes we all live busy lives, very valid. Recently, I watched some YouTube
videos on easy exercises you can do indoors immediately you wake-up in the
morning, which comprises of stretches and breathing exercises. Then,
outdoor exercises that we can make out time to do together as a family,
during holidays, weekends or when vacationing and in our workplace (yes in
your workplace).
There are a lot of family-friendly activities and exercises, suitable for
different age groups, capabilities and fitness levels. It is important to
have set some goals and priorities, this can make it a measurable task and
heck you can even introduce some form of rewards for the best performance
(for some thats the motivation they'd need).
Indoor Fitness Options
I think it is of utmost importance that every home invests in some form
of fitness gadget or equipment, this is not to say that one can not engage
in physical exercises without gadgets or equipment.
So, let's get to listing some fun indoor exercises thats
family-friendly:
Skipping
A personal favorite, fun, involves the whole body because its a
head-to-toe activity and it can be a game for all. A fitness coach told me
once that skipping for 10 minutes is equivalent to 30 minutes of brisk
walking😲 this means that one can burn about 100 to 200 calories in 10
minutes.
Skipping can be fun and exciting for the family if we make a game out of
it, my husband and I used to set a mark like first to skip 50, 100
straight without breaking and the competitiveness inside me will jus awake
but I never made 100 straight. It was definitely fun! Skipping can be done
indoors or outdoors, if indoors ensure to clear out a sizeable space in
your home free of any objects that can cause harm.
#10 minutes skipping is equivalent to 30minutes brisk walking
Planking
Not a favorite 😀😀 but this is highly recommended especially as it can
help with toning the body and we can just make it a fun game if everyone
gets involved and let's see who would hold the title of "the king/queen of
plank". This can be done indoors, again just clear out a space
inside the parlor or even inside the compound, free of any object that can
cause bodily harm.
We can set a goal for the entire family, who can do hold the plank
position for the longest, meaning each day we fight to win an additional
second until we meet the goal. For a cool prize, I'm in☝
The benefits of planking includes strengthening your core muscles, helps
with flexibility and burn 2 to 5 calories (this has some dependent
factors).
#how does strengthening your core and being king/queen of the plank
sound?
Jumping jacks
Like skipping, jumping jacks promote cardiovascular health a great
deal. It is a full body (head-to-toe) exercise that can benefit us in
more ways than one, including increasing the heart rate which in turn
improves cardiovascular fitness, improve balance, promote weight loss,
tone the body and overall health.
There are various variations such as low impact jacks and squat jacks
that you can begin with till you work your way into the vigorous jumping
jack. This can be done anywhere inside the home as long as you have
ensured that he environment is free of objects that can cause harm.
Everyone including the kids can participate as long as they engage in
the age appropriate variations or do lesser number of jacks.
While you can burn between 6 to 10 calories for every 2 minutes
of jumping jack this can vary from person to person. I have read that
one can complete about 100 jumps in 2 minutes, so if spread into 5 sets
can amount to 500 jumps in 10 minutes. That is a lot to burn in 10
minutes to keep a healthy heart and be fit......sign me up.
#Cardio health should be no.1 in your fitness goal
Stretches
This is the easiest, can be done anywhere, anytime and it has some
really amazing benefits. Stretching is usually done as warm-ups to
exercise but thats not the only need for it. Stretches are known to help
with muscle flexibility, balance, improve blood circulation and
long-term can prevent injuries.
Some examples of family-friendly stretches apart from the usual with a
yawn includes: child pose, butterfly stretch, static stretch, seated
hamstring, balasana and leg stretches. Stretching can be done anywhere:
on the bed, while seated or standing, in the kitchen, office, outdoors
e.t.c.
#this can easily become a routine for all
Outdoor Fitness Options
The list can be exhaustive
to be honest and can range from the activities as simple as a walk to
activities that can make you sweat and exercise your heart.
Skipping
Yaay! skipping makes the list again.
Biking
Can be a fun activity for the entire family, this activity can increase
the function of the lower body, working your quads and glutes. The family
can race each other in a safe environment away from objects or vehicles
that can cause accidents.
The list is long, I will happily list them😑
- Jogging
- Canoeing
- Hiking
- climbing
- Brisk walking
- Swimming
- Badminton
- Volleyball
-
Some gym time (indoor or outdoor gym)
- Weight lifting
-
Dancing (did not think dancing will make the list uhn)- both indoor
and outdoor
-
Walks together (step counting towards a goal)
Like I said outdoor activities are many.
Additional Tip:
Turning Exercise into Playtime
means there's a possibility you could combine quality time with your
loved ones and a commitment to a healthier lifestyle?
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