You know exercise is good for you
but how do you make it fun for your family? Try out these great tips I do with my own!
10.) Dance Dance Revolution. DDR (or Dance Dance Revolution) is a great way to bring all family members together. Even when it’s not your tun on the mat, you can practice the moves behind the family member who is currently participating! Kids of all ages adore this game, and parents too can have a blast with it.
9.) Add music! Do you have a favorite family CD that everyone loves to listen to? Get the kids together and tell them to make up their own exercise moves to it (the sillier the better!). Your children will try to outdo each other in making them laugh…which will make them exercise more. 
8.) Go to Family Swim. Do you have a local YMCA? If so, did you know there’s family swim every day? My family goes there at least once a week and has a blast splashing in the kids’ pool with their parents.
7.) Make an Obstacle Course in your home. We live in a ranch house that has a staircase to the basement on either sides. I’ve set up obstacle courses that had things to jump over in the basement, things to dodge in the hallway, and things under which to crawl in the living room (you can hang a pole over two chairs for that, or use a bo-staff if you’re into martial arts). One by one, I’ll let the kids dash through the course, while their siblings cheer them on.
6.) Do a Family Walk! Back when I was starting my get-healthy plan, I began walking 2.4 miles around my home. Then I figured, why not have company? So I brought my kids along. The side benefit to this is that we have an hour of solid family time together, where we can talk about many things that happened during the day.
5.) Take karate as a family. Besides being a great skill for all kids to master, it’s a wonderful way to keep active. I’m the only mom who takes it with my kids at my dojo, and they’re quite proud of me. Never mess with Samurai Mom!
4.) Go roller skating. Talk about zooming! Roller skating is great tame fun (especially if the music is from the 70s!). And the added benefit is when summer rolls around…your kids will already have the skills to roller skate on the boardwalk.
3.) Put on fun exercise DVDs. Think Billy Blanks is just for adults? Your kids will try to outdo you in any exercise DVD you put on. My kids want to tell Billy, your DVDs are very painful and we love them. Gotta love kids.
2.) Have silly competitions. How many pushups can YOU do? How many jumping jacks will level your children? Challenge your kids to the last one standing; you’ll be surprised how far they’ll push themselves.
and the number 1 fun family exercise tip is:
1.) Be creative! Ask your kids for what they’d love to do if computers didn’t exist. Then see if you can recreate it at home. Quite often with a little bit of big huge minds, you’ll be able to make it happen as a family. The family that laughs together, lasts together.
Enjoy!
Barbara
ps – need some great exercise DVDs?