If you’re like most Americans, your life is busy. Whether you’re working sixty hours a week, going to school in pursuit of your dream job, or taking care of a family full of young children, life is hectic. Unfortunately, this often means that two of life’s most important aspects – fitness and family – don’t get as much attention as they should. Right now, you’re probably nodding your head in agreement; you would love to make more time for your home and health, but how can you when there are only 24 hours in a day? By combining them! Combining family and fitness is easier than you think when you find a gym that offers family fitness options. Your family will be able to fit in a workout. With fitness activities geared toward the whole family, you’ll find that it’s easy and fun to spend time together – there’s no pressure to decide on an activity; the gym does it for you!
Choose Yoga for Your Family
Not all group fitness classes will be a good fit for your family, but once you find one that works, you’ll be hooked! Yoga is a good starting point. Teenagers can definitely keep up with the yoga workouts and providing them a great foundation for stretching and becoming more flexible will be valuable as they get older. With many styles and levels of yoga available, it’s a fitness class that the entire family can enjoy together. Most yoga instructors will help modify poses for younger students while adding extra challenges for fit adults.This means that you, your partner, and your children can all enjoy the perfect workout for your individual body types in the same class.
Get Zealous about Zumba
Zumba, a dance-based aerobics class, is another family favorite. It’s more intense than yoga, but again, there are many modifications available. Adults and children alike often complain that exercise classes are boring – not so with Zumba. From the warm up to the cool down, you and your family will have a great time with this high-energy workout that allows you to enjoy great tunes and fun dance moves. And if your children are two young they can always play in the child care area while you get your exercise.
Turn Family Activities into Fitness Fun
Even if you can’t find a fitness class that’s right for your family, your fitness time can still be family time. To start placing a priority on fitness in your family’s life, you simply need to change the way you think about what makes a worthy family adventure. So the next time you go out for your favorite health and fitness activities as a family, try to implement some goals that will help you get the biggest fitness benefits – such as swimming longer or walking faster. Also, add going to the gym next to a night out on the town on your list of activities for family fun. This is especially helpful for teenagers who think family activities might not be the most enjoyable activity, we even have an article on teen workout recommendations. You might be enjoying fitness classes while your children play in the kid’s club, but at least you’ll be together. Head out afterwards for a healthy snack and talk about the benefits your body will reap from your workouts.