Want to strengthen family bonds and increase physical health for all family members? Establishing a Family Fitness Plan will provide those benefits and more.
The struggle to balance family time with outside commitments and activities is real, especially as your kids get older. A Family Fitness Plan will help you establish a consistent pattern for family time. It becomes a habit, part of your routine. You make it part of day-to-day life to give your kids the most valuable gift you can give them, your time.
You will form lifelong habits for each family member that promote disease prevention, weight loss or maintenance, stress reduction, improved performance at school and work, increased longevity, and more. You reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels when you have fun and laugh together. Give your children the gift of a healthy lifestyle.
You form strong family bonds that are essential for your children’s social and emotional development. You earn their trust so that when they are faced with those life-changing decisions, they will know they can come to you as a mentor. You will create happy memories and build healthy relationships that will last for a lifetime.
Want to raise healthy eaters? Get your kids involved in the food preparation process.
A little one is often much more willing to try a food if they’ve been involved in growing it, choosing it, or preparing it. Take them to a farmer’s market or the produce section of a grocery store. Let them see all the colors and select new options to try.
Involve them in planning the menus and preparing the food. Let them cut up the vegetables into interesting shapes. Playing with food doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Encourage them to be creative and try new food combinations.
Serve small portion sizes for new foods. This allows them to try a taste and feel curious rather than overwhelmed. Offer new foods more than once. Just the fact that it was on the table and they saw you eat it is helpful. Try preparing it in a new way and try again.
Plan meals that can be served buffet style, such as a taco bar. Let them pick out the items they want. Watching other family members eat items they didn’t select may entice them to want to try them later.
Include healthy eating in your Family Fitness Plan. Make mealtime fun and relaxing and avoid any stressful confrontations.
Concerned about reducing stress in your family? Try some of these ideas in your Family Fitness Plan.
Designate a time for family mindfulness activities such as relaxation, meditation, and yoga. Keep it short and simple for little ones and increase the time as the habit is established and the practice becomes easier.
Form a family book club or set aside 30 minutes to read, write, draw, or paint for pleasure. Make sharing what each person has learned or accomplished part of the bonding experience. For example, you could make Sunday evening a family journaling session. Or you could hold an informal planning meeting to coordinate everyone’s activities for the coming week. Expose each other to new music by switching off playing DJ once a week. Learn to tell jokes.
Use Saturday mornings to tackle the clutter in your home. Work together on one room of the house each week. You could set a timer so everyone knows they have a finite amount of time. This can encourage family members to work more efficiently. Eliminating clutter reduces stress and you’ll be teaching your kids valuable life skills.
How can gardening support your Family Fitness Plan? Here are some of the benefits to growing a garden while you’re raising your kids.
Gardening gets you outside and moving. It helps you reach your physical fitness goals and you can promote more activity for your child by asking them to bring you various tools. They will also be learning a life skill as they work beside you in this moderate-intensity exercise. Gardening also incorporates fine-motor skill strengthening and stretching.
The process of being outside in the fresh air and sunshine is an excellent stress reliever that helps release serotonin in the brain, which leads to better sleep for everyone.
Children who grow vegetables tend to eat more of them. At least they will be more willing to taste unfamiliar vegetables.
How can you entice your child away from their electronic device long enough to get some exercise? You need to come up with an effective alternative.
Kids love your attention. Take them to the playground or park. Play a game of catch. Go on a family walk or hike and enjoy nature. Ask your kids to teach you a new skill they have learned. Find a sport you can all enjoy together and use that to replace screen time.
Stuck inside? Have a spontaneous dance party. Watch a family-friendly dance video and follow along. Go on a scavenger hunt in your house looking for miscellaneous items. Improve their balance with a masking tape balance beam on the family room floor. Play Roll for Fitness. Have a physical activity for each number on the dice and take turns.
Spending time together creates healthy bonds in a family. That’s the beauty of a Family Fitness Plan. Strengthen your family relationships while you strengthen your muscles.
