Family Workouts to Encourage Healthy Habits, Bonding and Succeeding as a Team

As parents, we are aware of a healthy lifestyle and being physically active.   We try to encourage our kids to play outside, join sports, while we attend workouts or head to the gym.  Being physically active is so important that we adjust our schedules to accommodate it.  Family exercise though, seems to be forgotten.  It may be seem silly, but exercising as a family yields many benefits.

1. Encourages Healthy Habits: These days we are all too familiar with the childhood obesity epidemic.  We try and keep healthier snacks and encouraging more play time away from the screens.  This can be tiring day after day, between playgrounds, sports practices, or playdates.  Family time these days seems to be more sedentary with game nights, movies, or family dinners.  We can change this by using this family time to increase physically activity together, encouraging you children to exercise.  This will build lifelong habits they can carry with them for years to come.  This will help to ingrain in children what is normal and habits to keep, such as making this a priority.  By seeing the parents making family physical time a priority, they are more likely to do it as well.
2. Bonding Time: The pandemic has created a lifestyle that is too busy with home schooling, working from home, and other activities they may be involved in.  Bonding times seems to only consist of games, movies to unwind.  Typically, these do not include conversation or working together as a team.  Our workouts can foster an environment of teamwork and communication—skills that are important for development.  It is also a great opportunity to continue to get to know each other as they grow.  When you exercise together, you are paying more attention to how your child and you as a parent acts and reacts.  You will learn what motivates your child and how they work as a team.  For parents, this gives you a chance to inspire good behavior and fix any bad habits that may be forming along the way.
3. Encouragement: The quality of family bonding and encouragement affects a child’s mental health and future mental health. Bonding paired with positive encouragement builds confidence and self-esteem in children.  Participation in classes together gives children a sense of growth and ownership.  This ownership and ability to complete the same activities as their parents promotes self-confidence.
4. Builds Teamwork: Most life skills a child learns is from their parents. Teamwork can be taught at school or in sports.  However, if you as a parent do not encourage this in your home life, it is not likely to be carried on through life for your child.  BY exercising together, you are encouraging teamwork and working together to reach a common purpose.  This will strengthen family bonds, while also teaching the importance of goal setting and success both as an individual and a team.

Exercising as a family can be both fun and a good opportunity for bonding.  Join one of our classes together and succeed as a team.  There is nothing to lose here, only something to gain as a family.  Contact a coach today to get started today.