Ten Ideas to Get Your Family Active and Moving
If you want to get your family active and moving, sometimes coming at them with just one idea and forcing it upon them is not a great way to start. People always like when they are given choices. When it comes to family, having more choice will more than likely equate to having more success.
1. Take your entire family's personality into consideration. There may be an uneven number of males as compared to females in your family and you need to take gender, personal preference, and opinions into account. Before descending upon them with your new-found desire to become an active family, think about everyoneís individual needs and desires.
2. Have a family meeting. Do not try to take this upon yourself because if you do, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Try to picture the conversation beforehand and have some answers ready for any complaints or negativity.
3. Let everyone take responsibility for their own choices. Let everyone in your family come to the table with their own choice of activity.
4. Take a vote. Once the initial conversations are over, take a vote on the most popular family activity, and begin planning.
5. Try a little bit of everything. Wouldnít it be fun to try each family memberís idea or activity on a rotating basis? Here are some ideas:
* You could go bowling every Thursday night, for example, for one month.
* Alternate the following month with a round of volleyball at the beach every Saturday.
* For the bicycle lovers, choose bicycling every Sunday over the summer. Bicycling is a great family outing and gets you and your family active and moving willingly.
6. Do not be afraid to try something new. If one of your family members suggests ice skating and you are the only one who does not know how - well, maybe it is time to learn. You can take a lesson or two while they skate circles around you.
7. Suggest a camping trip. Put forward this idea while unwittingly knowing that you are going to get your family active and moving by incorporating a nice mountain hike into that trip. Let them be involved in the purchase of equipment.
8. Show that you are enthusiastic and committed. By showing and keeping your enthusiasm, you will keep the positive energy alive. While they may not have a say in the matter of whether or not they will stay active and moving, they do have a say in what they do. Once the momentum starts rolling, it will be hard to stop.
9. Follow up. By having regular meetings incorporating the theme of family fitness, you will set the bar high by letting your family know that this is an ongoing commitment to family fitness and not just a fad.
10. Join a club. By joining a club that offers family activities with something for everyone, you offer everyone the chance to exercise together in the same facility while exercising apart. It is still a fine way to incorporate family activity.
