Kids are glued to sitting for long periods of time be it in class or watching their favorite shows in front of the TV. This comes as no surprise that their movement is further narrowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, idleness is the root cause of less usage of motor skills that are required to keep the body healthy. Such a sedentary lifestyle is also common amongst most adults.

There might be a question popping up in your head, “How do I get daily physical exercise along with my kids during such times?” We get it, the struggle is real. But you need not worry! An exercise routine need not always include fancy games or challenges that eat up huge chunks of your and your kids’ time. Thinking of exercise as a regular active lifestyle with your children is the trick.

The fact that exercising at home with family does not involve checking schedules or postponing plans is a cherry on the top! 
So let’s dive straight into some creative ways to exercise with your kids to become healthy and have fun together!

1. Practice Yoga
Both children and parents face immense amount of pressure at their respective habitats. As a result, it is easy for them to get mentally and physically exhausted. Yoga, on the other hand, is another type of exercise that proves to be a great booster for the entire family as it relives the stressed mind and calms you down. Children can try to do simple poses and you can try those out too! Check out some great yoga poses for kids here.

2. Do Lunges
Exercises like push-ups may be difficult for children. To go with something milder, lunges can be a great fit for you as well as your kids. Instruct them to stand with their feet shoulder width apart and place their hands on their hips. Next, tell them to lunge ahead with one foot, keeping the knee and the ankle in alignment. Ensure that they don’t move their knee ahead the position of the toe. Help them squat down gently touching the back of the knee to the ground and slowly get back to their original standing position. Repeat the same with them by putting the other leg ahead.

3. Do High Jumps
Most kids enjoy jumping on a trampoline in an amusement park. They can get the same experience doing high jumps (on soft surfaces obviously) at home. No, we aren’t telling your kids to jump on the sofa! This jumping exercise can be done by adding fun elements such as asking your kid to try and touch you’re the palm of your hand held high up. Bonus points if they can do it! This exercise will help improve muscle co-ordination and balance.

4. Go for Walks
Exercise can be as simple as walking. You can go for walks with your kids in the neighborhood or just walk around in your house pre or post-meal time. Slow treadmill walking is also a good option if you own a treadmill at home. Having a walking schedule in place will help in burning calories and maintaining a healthy weight and also manage some health conditions. Exercise bikes are also recommended for adults to get fit.

5. Dance to Fun Music
What’s better than grooving to some good music with your family? Turn up some music and dance with your kids and we bet they’ll enjoy it. After all, dance helps the body to become functionally fit and flexible. The continuous body movements also help the heart to supply more oxygen throughout.

6. Turn Household Chores to Exercise
Shoot two arrows from the same bow! This idea will be a wholesome exercise as well as a cleanliness drive for your home. Turning chores into exercise games is a fun way to get fit. In laundry racing, you and your kids can gather each of your own dirty laundry from the room in one bag within a limited specific time. The one who gets their laundry bag first gets a prize! Another fun game can be room transformation, where you and your kids can go to each of your rooms and have a clean room makeover within a limited specific time. The one who gets it done quickly and returns back to the living room first wins! Such games help in body movement and flexibility. For more creative ideas on turning household chores to exercise games, visit here.

7. Go Cycling
Cycling is another wonderful aerobic exercise that can help both you and your kids. Go cycling to the supermarket or any nearby place instead of taking a taxi/cart. Cycling helps in building cardiovascular and muscular endurance along with giving you a high energy booster workout for overall stamina.

8. Turn Ad breaks on the TV into fitness workouts.
You can pick up some fun commercials and assign them an exercise. For instance, if an ad pops up, say ‘jump’ and everyone can keep jumping until the commercial ends. After assigning names to 4-5 advertisements, it can help kids do a variety of exercises instead of just sitting in front of the TV.

Not to forget, always incorporate the crucial element called ‘fun’ while exercising with your kids. It is important to make an exercise routine that is enjoyable in order to help them be consistent. Have a look at these ideas and you can also add some of your own! Do the best you can and the results will be great.