Be Active With Your Kids!

I just spent the last few days skiing in Utah with my family - my 3 kids and husband.  It is one of my favorite things to do each year!!!  For 3 days, the 5 of us spend our time together as a unit.  We spend our days skiing together, at times racing each other down the mountain, laughing at funny mishaps and falls, and chatting on the lifts as we ride up the mountain. No one goes off and skies on their own - I just love that we stay together!  For years I brought up the rear because I wanted to make sure they all got down the mountain NOW I bring up the rear because they all pass me but they always wait for me.  LOVE that!  And every so often I push it and surprise one of them with a come from behind surge. BUT this weekend really got me thinking about the importance of being able to be active with your kids!!

We all have different reasons for wanting to get fit BUT one very important one should be your kids!  Being fit and being able to keep up with your kids especially as they grow up is HUGE!!  You want to be able to play with them, run around a park and keep up with them and as they grow older being able to do physical activities with them can be a bonding experience that can bring you closer together.  There is nothing better than taking a hike, doing a 5K together or spending the weekend skiing together. :)

In this busy world we live in where our kids are rushing off to practices, school events, doing homework and hanging out with their friends being able to take the time connect with them through a shared a common experience is precious!!!

I never would have thought 10 years ago when we decided to take the kids skiing (my youngest was 2 at the time) that this tradition would become so much of who we are as a family.  At the time, I thought we were crazy - our kids were so little, skiing is so expensive - and just getting them all dressed to go skiing was exhausting! BUT now I can't imagine not doing this every year!

How many activities can you spend "doing" with your kids, sharing the experience together?  Not many especially as they get older, unfortunately!!  It's these shared experiences with our kids that help those bonds continue to grow.  Skiing is one of those things we do as a family BUT it can be as simple as taking a hike together, a bike ride, a yoga class, doing a 5K together, surfing or golfing.

Living a healthy active lifestyle is what my kids know, NOW.  I used to sit on the sidelines but now I get to join in and play with them because I chose to take back my fitness and stay healthy and active. Every year we have a big 5K run in our town for our Education Foundation and for years I would walk down and watch my kids and even my husband run.  I could not imagine running that with them.  The last 2 years all 5 of us ran and even though we didn't  stay together past the starting line but it was a fun thing to say we all did and to share our experiences out on the race course.

The example you set for your kids by making that choice to be active is huge . . . they will view exercise and eating healthy as a lifestyle NOT a choice they have to make, it will just part of their life!

It's never to late to start taking back your fitness and get active again! Not only will you feel better BUT your kids will love that you are joining them.  Sitting and watching is not nearly as much fun or as bonding as doing is!!!