Exercise with the family

So, the summer holidays are here and the question of how to entertain the children comes along? 6 weeks of fun? Madness? Shouting? Expense? “Roll on September” parents across the land shout!

Facebook and other social media outlets bombard us into what we should be doing with our children, and inform us of the virtues of good old-fashioned fun outdoors and not letting the angels stay inside watching TV or playing X box for hours at a time.

For many children finishing school for summer will have seen them come home with an activity book from “change 4 life” based on a travelling with Disney characters around the world over 6 weeks, the aim to encourage youngsters to be active daily throughout the summer break.

How easy is this though now?

My own memories of the school holidays were of endless days playing out all day, until late with all the kids from around the block, one day would finish leaving a giant game on pause until next morning when we could all start up again. When your parents took you away for the family holiday it actually was unwanted, because you were going to miss out on two weeks of playing out with everyone!

My children are now reaching the age whereby they can play out, together in friend’s gardens, and call for their friends to play, however it is not as easy now, with many of their friends staying at grandparents, or a day care schemes, or choosing to stay in watching TV, playing computer games or surfing the world wide web.

The result being: the playing out all day is not readily available.

So, the big question then....

How do I get and keep my kids active?

This starting as an aim for the summer but hopefully also a love of being outside develops which grows and continues with them, enjoying exercises and activity, to set the pace for a healthy lifestyle as fun and not a chore.

When we asked the boys what they wanted to do for their holidays, the answer was clear, “can WE play outside, play football and play on our bikes!”

That is where the key I believe lies. If you want your children to be engaged in healthy activities and sports I believe it works better and engages them longer term if you are also engaged in that activity. When the sport or the game becomes a shared hobby or passion, it becomes so much more than health and fitness and the association of fun with sport grows.

Recent research from the university of Bristol has found that by the age of 9 two thirds of girls have turned their back on exercise, and by then age of 14 only 12% of girls are getting the recommended weekly activity level.

For boys, the participation levels remain higher but also follow the drops at pre-teen and teen years.

When looking at many of the top sports stars of the moment, many of them site the role of family participation and involvement in general sports and the active lifestyle was a family and sibling activity.

So how do we get involved?

In busy lives and with budgets often at a premium, the choice of activities for families to participate in together may be daunting. But not all healthy activity needs to be an expensive sport. Walking can be turned into great treasure hunts or map leading challenges with younger ones and progressing to orienteering or geo caching with older children. Running is the obvious quick, cheap and easy for all to join in activity or kicking a ball around the local park for all the budding HTAFC premier football stars.

Most councils now offer swimming to all ages, as well as fun swims, and many of the larger sports have also tried to encourage family involvement as a means to recruit but more importantly retain players and participants of the future. This is certainly the case for cycling, tennis and rugby.

And how do we stay involved?

This is where we the grown-ups come in. It is our participation and more importantly our enjoyment that makes the healthy “outdoor stuff” something fun and not a chore. The magic then occurs, once we start enjoying it, then it no longer feels to be a chore to us either, as a means of getting the kids outside but a fun energy and fat burning, heart racing, muscle strengthening activity for all. That 5-min kick about with the football becomes an afternoons tournament.

And, surprisingly often this parental engagement with their youngsters, not only fosters a love for being outdoors or participating in sport, but also re-ignites a passion again in the adults, who can feel guilt free about keeping fit and also enjoy spending quality time as a family at the same time.

A win win all around.

So, the sun is shining, and if it’s not playing in the mud is always fun, the summer is here. Put down the phone or lap top, grab your trainers and, with or without children, get outside and have some fun and enjoy the free benefits of exercise and the great outdoors.