Family Workout Ideas

Multiple days off in a row, they say. Work from home, they say. Wear sweatpants every day, they say. More bonding time with your kids, they say. It’s almost impossible not to slow down when the situation is anything but normal, which is certainly the case right now. But setting up some type of routine to stay active and burn off extra energy might just be the solution to get you through this downtime. So, with gyms, beaches, parks, and recreational facilities all closing, how do you work out or have PE time with your family?

Today I want to give a few tips and ideas on ways to get it done from home.

1: Relay Races:
The simple competition of a relay race is a fun way to increase heart rate and burn calories as a family. Your relay can be anything from a short run or shuttles to fuller workouts involving squats or pushups. The best is everything can be done either inside or outside. Simply pick how many times each team must complete the given task, then load up the losing crew with extra house cleaning afterwards!

2: Scavenger Hunts:
Parents vs Kids, or Girls vs Boys. Pick a list of 8-10 items or give each team tasks to complete. Set a goal time to have everything wrapped up. This will have the family moving quickly from one room to another, elevating everyone’s heart rate. As a bonus, come up with fun exercises – mixed with household cleaning tasks – to keep the game fresh and competitive.

Examples:

• 50 squats each team
• Each team must clean a bathroom
• Run around the house 5 times
• Make a tent only using blankets and pillows

3: Family Cross Training Workouts:
Love a good Crossfit workout, but don’t know how to get the kids involved?

• Simplify the workouts. Kids’ attention spans might only last for 5 minutes. So, instead of an AMRAP for 30 minutes, try to make workouts that are 5-7 minutes long. It also helps to make the exercises different every time.
• Use your bikes and pick neighboring houses as stopping points for family exercises. If you have small children, use them as extra weight for your exercise at each station.
• Use incentives. If you have teens that can work out with you, reward them if they finish the challenge. “If you beat me on this workout, you get to choose what we have for dinner, or what movie we watch tonight.”
• Use a deck of playing cards. There are 52 simple and fun ways to work out inside every pack of playing cards. Each number on the cards represents the reps to complete. Each suit represents a different exercise. Hearts = Burpees, Clubs = Squats, Spades = Push Ups, Diamonds = Sit-ups.For example: 9 of Hearts = 9 reps of Burpees. Queen of Diamonds = 10 Sit ups

These are just a few examples of ways you can keep your family moving while homebound. Remember to have fun, mix it up and push through this craziness as a team!