When it comes to fitness, it’s never too early to start teaching healthy habits and ways of living- and what better way to get your kids into the habits of fitness than to get them into the routine at a young age?
Kids are naturally active: they like to run around, chase things, and keep themselves entertained all day long. You don?t have to take them to your FitnessFirst gym in Sydney CBD to keep them fit ? use these fun ideas to introduce fitness to your kids. Warning: you may enjoy yourself and get fit from running after them too!
Mini OlympicsIf you have more than one child running around, you’ll know that children are competitive – they absolutely adore winning and having their way. While this can be a nightmare when trying to choose whether to watch Ben 10 or Spongebob on TV, it can be extremely beneficial for their health and fitness. Gather your kids (or round up the neighbour’s kids and make a day of it), line up some cones, and make your own Olympics. From the 100m sprint to a jump rope championship or a soccer game, you’ll have plenty of ways to use that competitive spirit to help introduce fitness to your kids. As a bonus, prepare a prize for whoever wins to give the little ones even more motivation.
Xbox 360 Kinect or Nintendo Wii/Wii UThe best way to encourage your kids to get fit and stay healthy is to take them outside, but if you’re looking for some indoor fun then you can’t go wrong with the Kinect or Wii. Both of these motion sensor gaming devices have countless games that get their little bodies moving – think Fruit Ninja, Wii Sports, or Just Dance. The Kinect and Wii are fairly affordable, but with the Kinect you get handsfree motion gaming; with the Wii, each player must use a remote which can become costly if you have more people playing.
Join in the funKids love to copy what adults do, and they look up to their parents. If you want your kids to find fitness fun, you need to make it fun for yourself as well; once they see you laughing and enjoying yourself, they’ll want to join in. Take your kids to the local park or the pool and encourage them to copy you – if you run around the park, tell them to beat you in a race. Before you know it, your kids will get into the habit of exercising, and you’ll be more active too ?
This guest post is brought to you in partnership with FitnessFirst. Tamina Baker is a writer, mummy, and fitness enthusiast who loves setting up mini Olympics with her children during the weekend. Her favourite is the 100m sprint, because it’s easy to coordinate!
