Family Fitness: Tips to Stay Healthy Together.

It's been exactly 2 years since the pandemic hit. We have all been copped up in our houses enforcing Covid-19 regulations, has it been easy NO? Did we manage YES? With Covid-19 came a lot of changes among them the closure of gyms. This meant that for most people, fitness routines and goals had to be put on hold if not scrapped permanently.

Here are a few tips and tricks for you and your family's fitness journey.

Start with simple exercises.

It is important to start slowly and with simple exercises and build up into difficult ones. This is of course a means of motivating the whole family while at the same time gaining momentum. Before anything else, warm-up is a must! Proper warm-up before activities will increase blood flow to muscles and help loosen up joints. Warming up will also prevent injuries since your muscles will less likely to tear or rip when sudden movements occur or when extreme activities are performed.

Flexibility exercises, jogging, and jumping jacks are basic warm-up exercises.

Take a Walk.

Family walks can make all the difference. With chitchat as motivation and a new trail a daily or a few times, a week walk is a perfect way to reflect on the day and learn about what's going on in each other's lives. Finding ways to go on fun nature walks or allotting twenty minutes after dinner for a walk around the neighborhood will not only help you and your family members re-energize a bit before tackling homework, but it will improve heart health and digestion. A win-win if you ask me.

Mix Activities.

To avoid monotony, it is important to switch the fitness activities from time to time. This will ensure that everyone stays engaged and that motivation is not lost. Be creative by rotating each one of them. For example, you play tug of war this day, and for the next activity try a more exciting one like treasure hunting. If you play bowling or billiards this week, next week try playing tag or ball toss for a more interactive game. Dancing video games are also a fun way to get everyone moving. Physical activities don’t always have to be sports. The goal is to make everyone in the family stay fit and active.

Create competition

Inviting family members over for a little friendly competition won’t hurt. In fact, this only makes everything more engaging and fun. It also improves socialization and problem-solving skills. Children who play with peers help them regulate their emotions, which also unleashes a personal sense of identity. But with our current Covid situation, make sure you still follow minimum health protocols.

Restrict Screen Time

Screen time in this day and era is a big distraction for anyone. During activities, refrain everyone from using mobile phones or gadgets, unless there’s an emergency. Screen time breaks the bond and momentum, so make sure everyone appreciates the quality time by focusing on the activity.

A healthy family is a wealthy family, in the midst of the pandemic, we can all work towards not only staying fit with our families by doing fun activities,  but also eating right, and establishing healthy routines together.