The family that lifts together sticks together.
There is no doubt exercising benefits not only your physical and psychological well-being, but it can also help families improve social and emotional development and management skills. When families invest time to exercise together, it gives them more opportunities to grow together and encourage each other to be more active in their daily lives.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that physically active parents were 10 percent more likely to have their children follow in their footsteps and live a more active lifestyle. As we see obesity levels continually rising globally, it has become more important for adults to present good workout habits to the younger generation in order to reverse the obesity problem, starting with our own communities.
However, just like some of us with our New Year resolutions, lifestyle commitments are a lot harder done than said. So what are some ways to find common ground so the entire family may enjoy working out together?
Well, although an immediate change in everyone’s attitudes may not be the case for all of us, we can help by keeping in mind a few things when choosing an activity as a family: 1) Include everyone when choosing a joint activity. This includes your youngest children as long as they are able to communicate. 2) Rather than choosing just one, maybe try a variety of activities until there is an activity that suits everyone. 3) Give clear explanations to everyone, whether they are children or adults. There is nothing more de-motivating than participating in an activity and being the only one not knowing what to do.
As our species continues to evolve, it’s not hard to see that with the awesome technology we come up with, many of us have become less active and more prone to being stuck to the sofa. But we also need to stop making excuses and start pushing ourselves in order for others to follow.
