Exercising with your Children: Healthy Habits to Last a Lifetime

Angela Jenkins

| 2 min read

Regular physical activity isn’t just great for adults – kids need it, too. When children are active on a daily basis, the benefits are just as amazing as they are for adults.

The Perks

  • Healthy weight
  • Improved mood and attitude
  • Increased sleep quality
  • Lower risk of developing ADD or ADHD
  • Better self-esteem and self-confidence
  • Socialization skills are stronger
  • Lower risk of getting sick
  • Better grades
  • Building muscle strength
  • Developing fine motor skills
These benefits are reason enough to get our kids to be physically active with us. It is our job as parents to be great role models.

Lead the Way

Our children love it when we are involved and interested in what they are doing – and physical activity is no exception. If you are willing to participate in an activity with your children, they will more than likely be willing to try it and continue on by themselves. Not only that, but when kids are active at a young age, the habit tends to stick throughout their lifetime.
A successful and healthy child is more in our control than once thought.
Start with something familiar: It is good to start with activities that both you and your child know how to do. Participating in activities your child is comfortable with will build their love for being active and give them confidence so they will want to continue.
Keep it competitive: This challenges everyone to give the activity their all. If you are swimming – for example – see who can do the most laps in a certain amount of time. Be sure to keep the competitions friendly and positive. Negative words and actions can turn a child off very quickly. Winning isn’t the goal – having fun as a family and getting exercise is our goal.
Variety: Kids also get bored easily, so doing a variety of activities throughout the summer will alleviate that and keep the kids (and you) interested in staying active.
Try something new: Trying a new activity as a family strengthens the bond because everyone is experiencing something together as a family. Everyone is in the same boat.
Also, here are 99 Tips for Family Fitness. What is your favorite family activity?
Photo credit: eyeliam

A Healthier Michigan is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
No Personal Healthcare Advice or Other Advice
This Web site provides general educational information on health-related issues and provides access to health-related resources for the convenience of our users. This site and its health-related information and resources are not a substitute for professional medical advice or for the care that patients receive from their physicians or other health care providers.
This site and its health-related information resources are not meant to be the practice of medicine, the practice of nursing, or to carry out any professional health care advice or service in the state where you live. Nothing in this Web site is to be used for medical or nursing diagnosis or professional treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other licensed health care provider. Always consult your health care provider before beginning any new treatment, or if you have any questions regarding a health condition. You should not disregard medical advice, or delay seeking medical advice, because of something you read in this site.