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Home › Articles › Family Fitness › 10 Family Exercise Tips

10 Family Exercise Tips

Breaking a Sweat with the Kids

By Stacy Tornio

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He wrote a 31-page pamphlet entitled, Family Workout Booklet to show families how to adapt a family fitness program. Most of the booklet is devoted to show families how to set up a fitness program of their own. "It's not just to say the words," he says. "I want the family to find a common bond to exercise together."

A Word About Cost

Michael Spezzano is a national health and fitness consultant with the YMCA. He says places like the YMCA cater to the family, but family fitness doesn't necessarily have to involve a health club membership. "It doesn't have to cost anything," he says. "It could be going to a local park or playing a sport together. It could be going on hikes or biking. It's just spending time together."

Family fitness classes can work, but the class needs to be designed with the family in mind, Spezzano says. For example, he doesn't suggest families take children into an adult-oriented exercise class. Instead, families should look for parent-child classes that have incorporated the family fitness element.

More says many families face the dilemma of being too busy to be active with kids, but the issue is too important to be ignored. She says children learn from example and parents need to take the initiative to make exercise a habit for the entire family. "This is a critical issue," she says. "This is a health issue for kids and it's a health issue for adults. Strategies need to be developed."

10 Tips to a Healthier Family

1. Parent-child classes: Check out your local park and recreation department or fitness facility for family-fitness classes. Parent and child fitness classes like yoga and kickboxing are popping across the country. If you can't find one, talk to someone at these facilities and let them know you're interested. It could lead to one being created.

2. Swimming: Find out when open swim time is at an area pool. University, high school and community swimming pools usually have open swim times for the public. The price is usually minimal and swimming is a good exercise for the entire family.

3. Join a gym: Many fitness facilities will allow older children in the weight room or on the exercise equipment with parent supervision. Make sure to join a family-friendly facility, which usually has parent and child activities.

4. Martial arts: Check out the area martial art facilities and sign up to learn karate, judo, etc. as a family.

5. Let your kids help make the decision. Children are more likely to participate in something if they are involved in helping pick it out. Instead of telling them what you're going to do as a family, let them help make the decision.

6. Cycling: It's time to dust off your bicycles and find an area riding trail. It's inexpensive and provides great exercise.

7. Walk: It sounds simple, but walking is really an easy activity families can do together. Walk around the neighborhood or go to an area park. If you get ambitious, try hiking.

8. Television: Use the television to your advantage by buying a fitness DVD. There's plenty on the market to choose from and you can do it as a family.

9. Hold one another accountable. Create a chart to track your family's progress. If it's out in the open where everyone can see it, you are more likely to encourage one another to succeed.

10. Reward yourself. Set a goal and once you achieve it, do something to celebrate. For example, if your family makes a pledge to exercise five out of seven days for the next 12 weeks, reward yourself once you reach the end. But remember to reward your family in healthy ways. Spend the night at a hotel with a pool. Plan a special hiking trip. Go to a hands-on museum.


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