FIVE WAYS TO GET YOUR KIDS MORE ACTIVE
Choose carefully
Forcing your teenager to do something you like but they don’t will never work, says Faye Edwards, group exercise manager at Third Space studios (thirdspace. london). Instead, “find out what type of activity they would most enjoy. Whether it’s sportsspecific, such as football or tennis, or more creative like dance, determining what your child’s favourite way to exercise is, first, will encourage them to do more.”
Eyes on the prize
Introducing games or competitions helps to sharpen focus on success, and provides a greater sense of achievement once a goal has been achieved: “if your child completes three activities/ workouts per week, incentivise them with a reward,” Edwards suggests. “This could be a new pair of the latest trainers they can do more activity in.”
School run
If committing to classes feels like a chore, incorporate activity into your everyday routine, such as walking or cycling to school, instead.
Lead by example
Parents who demonstrate they live an active lifestyle will be a positive influence on their offspring. If you routinely swap swimming for a glass of red on the sofa, expect your children to use this against you. A lot.
Get competitive
“Tracking activity through mobile devices and linking them together with other members of the family and encourage more family fun,” Edwards says. With a growing number of child-friendly fitness devices on the market, diving into what every family member is doing – and just when they’ve been slacking off – can stop the couch potato-inclined from slipping into bad habits.