Getting, and staying, fit and healthy is a serious concern for many women, especially those with a family. In fact, having a family and wanting to spend as much quality time with them as possible is very often one of their biggest motivations. It can be tricky, however, to find the time to devote to working out and again, this is particularly true for people with a family.
One way of achieving this juggling act is to get the family involved, so rather than balancing workout time with family time, explore ways of combining the two.
The challenges
These are some of the most common challenges faced when planning a family workout routine, and some ideas for how to overcome them.
- Different fitness levels and interests. A family workout routine needs to be inclusive, but the interests and fitness of a small child are rarely going to be the same as a grown adult. Trying to find activities that suit everyone can be difficult, so think about team sports with a range of different roles or games that can be easily tweaked mid-match to be made easier or harder. Different sexes need different support as well, and the right gear is essential to maximize comfort and avoid injury. Moms looking to play sports with their partners and children should consider a back brace for women, for example, as a women’s version will be specially design with female sportspeople in mind.
- Finding the time. The trick here is to make it a habit by building it in to your family routine: picking the kids up from school with their swimming gear so that you can stop at the pool on the way home, for example, or making Saturday morning the dedicated time each week when you go out for a run or on a hike together. As soon as it becomes routine, you can stop thinking about it and just get on with enjoying it. The more prepared you are, the more likely you are to do it without finding reasons not to.
- Boredom. This is perhaps the number one reason why people do not stick to a workout routine. Take your inspiration from the seasons to keep things varied and maintain interest across the whole family. If the sun is shining, get outside for a game of soccer or a bike ride. If it is cold, think about indoor sports that you all enjoy and make sure you keep a list of nearby venues, when they are open and their prices so that you can get something arranged at short notice if you need to.
Quality time
Working out can feel like a chore and something that requires you to sacrifice other activities, but spending time with the family you love should never be something you are made to sacrifice. Fortunately, with a bit of careful planning combined with consideration of everyone involved, you can fairly easily make exercise an integral part of your family life and the source of lots of happy memories together.