Simple Ways To Keep You and Your Family Active

While many of us are stuck at home and unable to go to gyms, yoga classes, or sporting events, it’s important to find ways to keep yourself and your family active. Even though you’re stuck at home, there are plenty of things you can do to keep some activity in your family’s life.

Here are some of the best ways that you can keep your family active, even when you’re cooped up inside.

Household Chores

At first, you may not see how household chores are a way to keep your family active, but it is. If your kids are sweeping the floor, tidying their room every day, and cleaning their bathrooms, all the time it takes them to do that each week is time they aren’t sitting on the couch watching TV.

Instead, they are moving around and contributing to the family’s well-being. While this isn’t going to be what makes or breaks the number on the scale, it is a way for kids to get up and do something while taking some responsibility for their living space.

Backyard Fun

Playing in the backyard is an excellent way to keep your child active, even more so than helping out around the house. This can be through playing sports like throwing a baseball, football, or frisbee around. If you have a pool, swimming regularly is a great exercise. You don’t realize just how many muscles you’re using to swim until you’re out of the water. If your family isn’t into sports, there are still plenty of games to consider, like tag or hide and go seek among siblings.

When you do play outside, just be sure to remind them to play safely and carefully. Ankle sprains in an uneven backyard ground can happen easily and although most can be treated at home, it’s worth encouraging them to try and be careful. Thankfully, should something happen, the average waiting time in an urgent care is about 30 minutes, so you shouldn’t wait too long if you have to go in.

If your family has a dog, make sure you or the kids are taking the dog outside and playing with it. This is a great way to gets some movement in your day and not necessarily realize it because you’re having fun with the dog. However, this doesn’t have to be limited to the backyard. You can take your dog or just go as a family for a walk around the neighborhood so long as you bring your masks and practice social distancing.

Home Gyms

Last, but not least: make a home gym! As many as 58 million people go to a gym or health club annually, so having a gym at home during this time would be beneficial. It doesn’t take much: all you need are a few weights, some space to move around, and an exercise video. You can perform plenty of workouts that will keep you in shape with only a few pieces of equipment.

Staying active while stuck at home can be a challenge, but it is far from unattainable. Look for simple ways to get you up and moving rather than sitting around as a start. For a more active lifestyle, dedicate time specifically for exercise and more strenuous activities. It may seem like a challenge, but the more you do the easier it will become to stay active on a regular basis.