how to get kids motivated to exersise with mom

scrapmom123

I am looking for any suggestiions on getting my boys to want to exersise with me, or any activities that would make exersising fun for them. All ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

jrich1

Find out what they like to do, and build off of that, kids I have seen by nature want to be active and they are going to want to do something.

morefitmom

My girls like to go swimming, bike riding, and hiking. I agree it has to be something that they enjoy.

sjbland_

Turn it into a game!

crystalmichelle82

My daughter Alexis loves to do ChaLean Extreme w/ mommy & sometimes on her own. Its cute. She looks up to me and wants to be like me. I would say just set a good example and do it and invite them to do it w/ you. Talk to them about why being fit & healthy is beneficial for them in kid terms.

AmberBarrios

I take my kids with me jogging. We go to the riverbed a few blocks from our apartment and I let them ride their scooters. I recently started having them actually run with me a couple days a week and I race them. If they win they get to ride their scooter the next time. We also, just last week, started riding bikes from the apt. to the riverbed instead of driving. We go to the park and play soccer.

Their favorite thing is racing mom, cause they think that I can't beat them, (insert evil laugh here) but little do they know mom can beat them by a long way! LOL

Oh almost forgot. They also love to do Turbo Jam with me and My son loves doing Insanity too.

I really think it's just about setting the example and saying no to things that you see as unhealthy habits. As parents we really have the power to shape the rest of their lives and to make sure that they have healthy habits in the future. Parking in our neighborhood is absolutely horrible!! So now that we have bikes we really have started utilizing them a lot!

EmilyQC

My son is turning three this month and he loves to run with me, we have little races around our block. We also like to play soccer together and jump on our trampoline together. Make it fun for them too. For older kids you can make or buy (from the dollar store) awards of achievement or ribbons. Make them feel good about being active. Also nature walks are great, they learn and get exercise.

SpaceMarkus

I have several clients doing Tubro Jam and Hip Hop Abs. They're always telling me that their kids have to jump in and dance with them. Find something like that, that is upbeat and fun.

kmtetour

I see a lot of kids that will ride their bike while their parents jog. I used to LOVE going on walks with my dad when I was 9 and 10. It was amazing I could keep up with him since he's 6'5"! I also loved my mom's old Jane Fonda work out video. As long is it's not super hard, they actually love it. Also, teams sports and dance classes are good ways to get them active on their own, as long as they're willing.

PuzzleGirl65

I've been walking around the neighborhood for exercise and my son likes to ride his bike. He'll jets up ahead and then come back, when we pass a school parking lot, he spins around in there for a while. We kinda stay together but not really and it's just a residential neighborhood so it's safe for him. I just ordered some "Walk at Home" DVDs and I'm pretty sure my 10-year-old daughter is going to want to get in on that. :-)

BJPCraig

Depends on what kind of working out you do. Boys of that age might get a charge out of a "kickboxing" type of workout. They also would probably enjoy walking/running or riding their bikes.

RedHotRunner

When it comes to my kid, it's more like me exercising with her, rather then her with me. We do kid things like bike ride, scooter, swim, play tag, kayak, jump rope, hula hoop and there's a terrific trampoline gym close by that is an excellent work out for anyone.

ChantalGG

Swimming burns a lot of calories. any type of ball sport is great.

livehappe

When I am on the treadmill, I turn on the music and get the kids dancing along while I run. I compliment their dance moves, and they try to outdo each other. Then, I play a half-hour of soccer with them. Burns a ton of calories with all the stops and starts, and they love it. Every weekend, we go for a walk, bike, or hike too!

I also have a little poster board that I put together with all their names and different activities that can be timed so that it is like a game. 50 m run, 100 m run, 25 m swim, situps in a minute, basketballs in 3 min, and each week, I record their time, or the number they got completed within the time. They love trying to improve and beg me to take them out for even more timed competitions.

Benji49

My sons always needed a destination and a purpose. You can gell them you're going for a walk around the neighbourhood and you get no response. Drive them to a trailhead - tell them there is a waterfall 5 miles in - try to keep up. They love being out of the city and into nature. Most cities have nature trails around them you just have to look for them.

elsham

When I go running outside i take my brothers on their bikes/skateboards/scooters/whatever the hell they want to take. They enjoy it b/c they get to ride for some distance on a real path and see badgillions of other cyclists and boarders who they want to be like. I think age matters too, I don't know if younger kids would enjoy it. My brothers are 14, 11, and 9.

rrsuthy

Do you have a Wii? There are all kinds of fun exercise games on there. Some are: Just Dance, Biggest Loser, EA Active Sports, Outdoor challenge, etc. If not, you can still play games with your kids so that they are moving. One thing I've learned is that if you try to make everything about exercise, they'll rebel and not want to do it. So, you can ride bikes, go outside and play soccer, baseball, go swimming, go geo-caching, etc.

If your kids are competitive, set up games around the neighborhood. You can set up an Amazing Race game, obstacle courses, biggest winner competitions (e.g., who can do the most push-ups in 1 minute, etc.).