NATIONAL EXERCISE WITH YOUR CHILD WEEK

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National Exercise With Your Child Week (August 4-10) is observed the first full week of August! Good health should be a family affair. When you practice a healthy lifestyle, your children are more likely to follow. Starting young is the key to developing healthy fitness habits. Good exercise habits also give your child a head start for Physical Education in school, sports and other activities. Encouraging each other to stick with an exercise program also helps you stay fit. A healthy body is a key to a healthy mind.

Use #NationalExerciseWithYourChild in social media.

Tip 1: Get into the child mindset: Fitness as FUN instead of a chore!

If you have kids of your own, you know that they are ALWAYS on the move enjoy every minute they spend motoring around. Take a cue from your child’s mindset and start seeing fitness as fun instead of a chore. When was the last time you went to the playground? Enjoyed a game of tag? Played hop scotch? All of these activities count as exercise!

In addition to having unlimited energy, kids have an unlimited imagination. Tap into this and make up names for different exercises or even household chores (because why not get a little work done with your workout?) to make them more fun. Name moves after their favorite cartoon or story book characters or add the adjective “princess” to any idea and take the “work” out of your workout!
Tip 2: Friendly family fitness competitions

As long as you keep your fitness competitions friendly, they can be a great way to celebrate National Exercise with Your Child Week. Head out to the track to see who is the fastest in your family. Get a referee to see who can complete the most push-ups or jump rope the longest. Or simply go on a hike together and make the adventure into a scavenger hunt. Competition can greatly increase anyone’s motivation for movement.

Tip 3: The “World’s Cutest Workout Buddy” as your new accountability partner

Little ones can be great accountability partners. Whether you want them to help you exercise more or make sure you’re eating half a plate of veggies at each meal, get your kids on board and you’ll be surprised at how good they can be at this job! Even if your kids are too young to help remind you to get a move on, getting active and eating healthy now will help you be an amazing positive role model in the future.

Have a fur child? You’ve probably heard the saying that dogs are the world’s cheapest personal trainers. If the child you’re exercising with during National Exercise with Your Child week is a fur baby, you definitely have an accountability partner there! Try to up the time you spend on your walks or check out a new park to keep things fresh and fun.

Tip 4: Look for family fitness offerings around town

There are many great fitness options for families. Vermont is one great resource. Choose the mountains or the lake or look for toddler yoga, or other classes. Check your local library, community center, and parks for similar programs for your family. If you find something cool, don’t forget to share it!
Tip 5: Dance the night away

Whether you want to teach your kids to rock out to Aerosmith or enjoy some Wii Fit Zumba, dancing formally or informally is a great way to burn some calories while having fun.

If your children takes dance classes, why not ask them to teach you some of their moves? I bet they will be more than happy to do so!

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