Easy ways to workout with your kids

Many of you will continue homeschooling your children this fall and possibly all school year.  Working double duty as a teacher and worker doesn’t mean you can’t get a workout in.

About 20 percent of U.S. adults (or one in four adults) are meeting both the aerobic and muscle strengthening components of the federal government’s physical activity recommendations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination each week. The guidelines also recommend that children and adolescents be active for at least 60 minutes every day. 

There are plenty of ways to improve your fitness while working from home and homeschooling. How? The secret isn’t finding time without the kids. The secret is inviting the kids to workout with you.

Here’s a look at 11 workouts kids and parents can do together.

Put on a YouTube or other online video platform

Any workout is better than no workout. Put on a 10 or 20 minute video while your kids are occupied with a class or eating lunch. If you have an infant or toddler at home, try using nap time.

There are so many great videos online that include children so you can have fun together, but still get your exercise for the day. Often times we think of fitness as only being for adults, but if you’ve ever noticed, your kids will a lot of times mimic the exercises they see you do. They wanna be just like mommy, so they’re going to try and copy you. So, let them join in on all the fun and find some mommy and me workouts that you can do together.

Include your kids into your workout

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There are a lot of fun ways to include your children. Partner workouts with you holding your child’s feet or ankles for sit ups and then vice versa or doing simple workouts that they can do right by your side, it can be fun for both of you.

If you have little ones, your child can be your resistance weight by lifting them up and down to work your arms or carrying them in a baby carrier as you do squats.

Go outside with them

Expel some of that bottled energy that kids have an endless supply of. Instead of watching them play, get out there with them. At the park, you can use the monkey mars or kick around a soccer ball. Play a game of tag or race them to see who is the fastest.

Make a home gym

Home gyms aren’t just for the rich and famous. You can build a workout space in your home by investing in some dumbbells, kettlebells and resistance bands.

If you have more room to transform a garage or room in your house, check out the equipment at Fringe Sports. They have barbells, weights, kettle bells, weight benches and more.

Invest in a treadmill or elliptical machine

You can purchase a new treadmill or elliptical machine from Walmart and other big box stores. You also can find a local sporting goods store that resells used equipment.

Buy a Peloton bike

A Peloton bike will provide you with a workout of a lifetime. You can ride liev with the instructors or catch one of the rides on demand. Pick your music genre and you’ll find rides to get you moving in the comfort of your home.

Go for a walk

Not all workouts have to happen inside the gym. Go for a walk around the neighborhood. As long as you are moving you are burning calories.

Have a dance party

Throw on some music and have a dance party. A little dance break in the middle of the day or after dinner is a great way to burn some calories and get a workout in at the same time.

Stretch it out

If dancing is not your thing, get down on the floor and stretch it out. With their natural flexibility, many kids are good at yoga. It also can help relieve stress, so it’s great for mom and dad, too.

There are a lot of benefits to stretching daily. It doesn’t even require a lot of time.

Take a family bike ride

If your kids have bikes, why not take a bike ride with them? If you don’t have a bike or you would rather get in a more vigorous workout, run alongside them while they ride their bikes.

It will allow you to get in a really good workout while they enjoy getting outside for some fresh air and allows them to expel all that energy they have.

Get in some hoops

Basketball is a great way to have fun, expel some energy and possibly get a little competitive without even thinking about the workout.

You can work out with your kids

Nobody is going to be scarred from the 30 minutes a day you take to exercise. As a mom there’s never going to be “the right time” to work out, especially when there are children involved. Accept it, move on and get going.

Working out at home is possible, even with children! Follow the above tips to help improve your fitness while home with your kids.

What’s your favorite way to get a workout in with your kids around?