Start the New Year with a Resolution to Exercise Together as a Family

A common new year’s resolution for adults is beginning a regular exercise routine or increasing the amount of weekly exercise. At the beginning of this new year of 2019, please consider exercising together as a family. Not only will this promote a healthier family lifestyle, but it will also build many fond memories.

I know that you may think that finding time for just you to exercise is difficult, but including your children in exercise routines can be much easier than you may initially think. There are many articles online about adults and children exercising together. Some of these articles are listed at the end of this blog post to help you. What is important is planning.

What would you like to do for physical activity and exercise? Prepare a routine for different days of the week and seek your children’s input. Some exercises can be done inside at your home or gym, while others, outside, depending on the weather. Also, some family exercise activities will require spending money, such as buying bikes or special sports equipment, while others will simply require you and your children to put on sneakers, pack some water, and walk out your front door. It’s up to you to decide what you would like to do.

One online article has excellent tips on family walks and how to prevent children from complaining and whining. The key is to plan out your walk and make sure that you take time to enjoy what is happening around you, especially in nature, and talking with your children.

If biking together is what you would like to do, plan out the route to take from your home and back. Many communities have bike paths to encourage biking fun. Be creative. On a weekend or holiday, add a picnic in the park too.

The list of family exercise activities is long. Your children will love spending time with you and you will enjoy spending time with them. And, everyone is developing an important habit of exercising. To me, that is a win-win scenario for everyone!

Here are some websites that provide a wealth of information to help you with this new year’s resolution:

Helping Your Children To Make New Year’s Resolutions

It’s the beginning of a brand-new year and I’m sure that many of you have already sat down and written a list of resolutions to start off the year right. Some parents think that new year’s resolutions are just for them as adults. However, parents can help their children make changes and improvements in their behaviors and habits by encouraging and helping their children to make new year’s resolutions too.

In her online article 8 Ways to Help Kids Make New Year’s Resolutions, author Wendy Schuman gives some good advice. First, she encourages parents to be role models for their children in making and following through with resolutions. For example, if eating healthy is at the top of your list as a parent, make sure that you do your best to purchase healthy food and eat it. Include your children in making healthy food choices and planning healthy meals. And, ensure that there are plenty of nutritious snacks around, as we all know that kids love to snack.

Second, have your child write a short list of resolutions of just 2 or 3. Ask your child: “What is the most important improvements that he would like to make?” A long list can lead to frustrations when your child does not achieve every single item listed.

Third, be positive. Don’t look for every time that your child has not followed through on a resolution and nag about it. A nagging or criticizing parent can cause a child to develop a lack of self-confidence. Instead, if your child does not follow through, try to remind him of the many successes that he has had in the past. Encourage him to not give up and continue toward making the resolution a reality. Each day is a new day and your child can always begin again.

Fourth, develop a family ritual around resolutions. Get together as a family and share each person’s resolutions. Make them meaningful. Be kind and loving to each other rather than critical and judgmental. This is the beginning of a fresh new year that God has blessed you and your family with.

To read her entire article, CLICK HERE.