Winter months bring families together for holidays and cheer. Having families come together over the winter can provide a perfect opportunity to incorporate some family fitness while creating lasting memories with loved ones. Having an active lifestyle and participating in fitness activities can provide health benefits for all age ranges. Some of these benefits include an increase in self-esteem, a healthy BMI (body mass index), improved quality of sleep, healthy metabolism, increased mental ability, lower stress levels, and a decreased risk in preventative illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Families that work out together have higher rates of accountability and motivation and they can make it fun with a little family competition while strengthening family bonds.
If you have a home gym trainer, create circuit exercises for everyone to do. See who can complete the most reps or the most weight. Or have a competition to see who can complete the most days within a given time period. Creating fitness with family gives you the creativity and flexibility to make it work for your family and your family’s goals.
Hiring personal trainers also becomes more affordable when sharing that trainer with multiple family members. Each person could be doing the same exercise, but each person doing it could be performing it with a different modification or accommodation to meet where they are on their personal fitness and build from there. No every member of your family has to be at the same fitness level to work out together.
Download exercise videos for your family to do together. IPad personal trainer apps give you access to online videos and virtual classes such as kick boxing cardio and yoga. There are also many apps that are child friendly and have a variety of fitness classes that are created exclusively for children to help them manage stress and maintain a healthy weight. Parents with small children can enjoy doing these videos together. Including your children when they are young will instill healthy habits and choices that will stick with them in their adult years.
If your family enjoys the outdoors during the winter months, take daily walks together or explore a new trail to hike on the weekends. Being outside helps connect individuals to nature and has been linked to lower stress levels and lower cortisol levels in the body. Climbing to the top of giant hill or mountain together helps build team work and trust among families, especially for siblings. The perfect family photo opportunity is the reward for that big hike in the winter! Stay fit and stay well together with winter family fitness fun.
