Family fun activity times....!! How to involve the kids in your workout :-)

As we all spoilt our 'Daddy dearest' yesterday for Fathers day, it was a great sight to look around and see many young families out and about going for walks, playing cricket on the beach or bike rides along the many bike paths in our lovely cities.
It did make me wonder however, why does it have to be a 'special occasion' to get ourselves outdoors and active?
If only everyday saw you throw on some runners, grab the pram and the kids and have a 'family active session' at the local park!!
Countless studies have shown the benefit of having a positive role model in a parent when it comes to remaining active later in life, as does healthy eating. Taking your kids out for some family activity time will also help to create more of a bond between you all and teach your children that play time can be fun outdoors!! It is so sad to sit at a café or even hear from a friend who babysits children regularly that our kids are growing up learning to use computers and I-pads in their spare time! Bring back cubby house building and hours of tiggy in the backyard!

- There are many 'Mums and Bubs' outdoor and gym based group fitness sessions available all over Australia, and the world for that matter. Many gym's offer child care facilities and even classes structured to be able to bring your littlies into the room to join in or at least have a play area to keep them entertained while you work up a sweat.
- As daylight savings draws nearer, take the family out for a walk after dinner or a for half an hour,
- Never under-estimate the power of street or backyard footy/cricket/basketball; you will never grow too old!!
- Take the kids for the first 10-20minutes of your run when you get home from work. They will love feeling like a grown up with Mummy or Daddy, and will surprise you how fast you have to run to keep up with them (even if they collapse in a heap after 10 minutes!!!), Speed work anyone??!
- Combine a jog around the oval with some push ups, sit ups and lunges while your kids participate in footy/netball/soccer training ; hey,, time is precious!!
- On a rainy day, turn up the radio while you sing and dance around the house with your kids. you'll probably laugh until your stomach hurts, which is a great ab workout in itself!
- Instead of going to the movies on the weekend, take the kids for a bike ride. Pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it. (Many local bike paths are easy to find through council and state government websites).
- Opt for holidays where you can be amongst the great outdoors to have access to the water, bush walks, mountain biking, flying fox, canoeing........,
-Think about having kids birthday parties doing an activity such as ice-skating, indoor rock climbing, flying trapeze, bike ed., swimming, giant playgrounds, trampoline or gymnastics centres...),
- Throw the kids on the playground while you jog around the edge of the grounds and complete 'station activities' on the playground equipment,
- Learn to surf or play golf together (there are lots of schools and clubs around that offer all ages lessons in a wide range of sports),

The amount of memories I have of my parents taking us out for a morning swim, run, walk or hit of tennis when we were little have stayed with me forever, and have created a life-long pattern of physical activity.

Sometimes it is simply an awesome solution to stop the screaming matches or tantrums coming from the back room!!
Get those kids and your perfect families active Gorgeous Girls! Xxx