Before kids, it was much easier for us to be active. Now that we have kids, we really have to plan and prioritize our workouts. This is especially true because we both have large goals we are working towards: I am training to be a yoga teacher and Ryan is training for a marathon (well technically a 100 mile run).
Being active isn’t only important to us as individuals but is also important for our healthy family lifestyle.
We want our girls to enjoy being active and build it into their life skills and habits. Therefore, we are always trying to find activities that things to do that get them to be active, and even better if we can all be active together!
This past weekend, it was beautiful here in MN (finally!!) so we took full advantage. We were outside as much as possible the last three days soaking up the sun, being active and enjoying time with family.
Here is a list of things this past weekend to be active with our kids:
- Go on walks! This is one of my favorite things to do for exercise and it is easy to take the kids along. My youngest will usually ride in the stroller whereas my older daughter walks with me, which makes for more fun exploring! This past weekend I went on a few walks with my girls. One walk was even at 6:30 am with my 21 month old! We were both in grumpy moods to be up that early so we went for a walk and both of our moods were instantly lifted!
2. Visit the Zoo! The zoo is always fun for kids to visit because they get to run around and see animals. I love it because I get exercise by walking around (and chasing the kids). We are lucky in our town where there are two zoo options. This weekend we went to the MN Zoo where they had baby farm animals, which were super cute! And they had pony rides, which my 4 year old LOVED!
3. Go to the park! Kids love the park and we are lucky that there are several close options by our house. It is fun to explore around the city and try out new parks too! My girls are the age where they still think it’s fun for me to play with them at the park so it is a great way for me to be active as well. Word of warning though: know that things aren’t as easy as they used to be when you were young……(I may have thrown my back out swinging on the monkey bars the other week and I am still suffering from it).
4. Get dirty! Kids tend to love playing in the mud, water + dirt is pure joy. My girls love dirt and this weekend was no different. The girls were entertained in the dirt for about an hour which gave me time to do yard work. Another warning: as you can imagine, this activity does tend to result in a bath night.
5. Play Sports! During Easter celebrations with family, we made time for running and kicking a ball around the yard, despite the girls still being in Easter dresses! 🙂 Playing sports when kids are little can be as simple as kicking a ball around, playing tag or riding a bike. I also like these because the parents can join in on the fun too!
These are just some of the things we do to incorporate an active lifestyle into our daily family life. Being active as a family should be fun! Finding things that everyone enjoys or trying new things together are always great ideas. Think outside the box sometimes to find activities. Also realize that the most simple activities (e.g. exploring on a nature path) can lead to the most joy, especially in a child’s mind!
What are fun things you do as a family to stay active?
