My favourite exercise is cross between a lunge and a crunch…
I call it lunch
Exercising can be a great way for the entire family to get active and happy together. Even babies can get involved as long as they can hold their head up on their own and you are careful. Why not give this a go, with some of our favourite exercises to do with children and this can go well into their teens!
Get yourself a fitness timer either from the app store, or physically, and try to aim for 40 seconds of exercise with a 10 second rest. Alternate your exercises until you have racked up about 30 minutes and give yourself a well deserved break!
1) Stair workout
Imagine you are in Rocky and challenge your little ones to a race up the stairs. If it’s a race, its so much more fun for kids and they will want to do it. This is particularly good for children about 7 and above. Make a big deal when your kid beats you (YOU HAVE TO LET THEM WIN!)
2) Hill Sprint
This is very similar to running up stairs, but easier for little children. With this one, choose a finishing point that will probably take about 10-20 seconds to run to and race them there. Again, the point of this is to lose to your child! Otherwise they won’t want to exercise with you!
3) Run to the end of the street
This one doesn’t have to be a race as its longer to get to, but run to a local landmark, such as a post box, or big tree. Run there and back to your house with your kids.
4) Hot lava
If you didn’t trash your mother’s furniture when you were a kid playing this game, then what were you doing! The aim is that the floor is lava and you have to jump from ‘safe zone‘ to ‘safe zone’ to avoid being killed! Use this as a standing jump workout with your kids, changing the placement of the zones to build up a sweat.
5) Lunges
Lunging with a kid can be a two-pronged attempt to get them to join in exercising. Either you can both step forward and bend your front knee to a 90-degree angle, performing a lunge, or make it a weighted movement by carrying a small child in each arm and lunge as you walk across the room. This can also be done by holding them to your chest.
6) Star Jump
This is a firm family favourite. While standing tall, jump explosively into the air, using your arms and legs to form a large ‘X’. Be sure you say “I’m a STAR” when you do it with little children.
6) Sit ups
This one is a brilliant one to do with children. Get them to hold your feet down for support. You can do the same for them, but if they aren’t available you can tuck them under a sofa!
7) Push Up
This one is good if you have a little baby. Place them beneath your head, and have your arms either side of them. When you release yourself down, kiss your baby, blow a raspberry on their tummy, just engage with them. Try to do about 10 of these.
8) Squats
Children love to squat, and this can be a fun family challenge . You can challenge them to see who does the most squats in a minute, or who can get the deepest squat. Make sure your feet are shoulder width apart and you aren’t hurting your knees.
9) Planks
This can be a fun exercise for the family. Holding elbows on the floor and balancing on tiptoes, see who can last the longest with 30 seconds winning a gold medal! If you want a challenge, get your smallest child to sit on your back and see how long you can manage!
10) Bench Press
This is another exercise you can do with babies up to small toddlers. Lie face up on the floor with your knees bent, contracting your abs. Holding your baby securely above you, bring them down to your chest. As your baby gets bigger, their weight will increase your muscle size. Try and do about 10 reps with cuddle time in between!
