Why waste money paying gym membership fees when you can exercise at home with your kids. Most children are hyper-active and because parents have to be always working they never get enough time to be with them. You could play with your kids in your yard and get as much exercise as you'd have got at the gym but with the added advantage that you get to spend more time with your family. This ain't for the faint-hearted though. Some people are scared of being seen [by their friends] throwing a frisbee around.
Not everyone has a place where we can exercise, for example my place is really small, but even so I know what you mean, I can go to the park or other place. In fact I've been thinking a lot about that, to be fit we need to exercise and we should do it on a daily basis, one or two timer per week is clearly not enough so nothing like introducing exercise into our routines to live a healthier life.
Playing basketball or football with your kids seems like a good workout. If you can buy dumbbells at home, you will save money and time. You will have your cardio with your kids and you will get stronger with the weights.
Well, there's a simple answer as to why you would pay for a gym membership when you have children. First of all, you won't get the same workout with kids as you will at the gym. It's just impossible. You cannot work the same muscles with kids as you can at the gym, unless you have a home gym. Secondly, some parents want a gym membership because they want time alone, away from their children. It's natural.
I think it is a good idea to exercise with your kids. My brother and sister in law have always begun training their kids with outdoor activities. They even had little snow boards when they were like 4 years old! I think this has kept the entire family active. And the parents have never been bored. When they were babies they had baby back packs where they could take the kids hiking. And now that the girls are older (youngest one is 10), they have their own back packs to carry when they go on their hiking trips. They were never 'stuck' in the house with their kids and dyeing to 'get out' for a night. They always took their kids with them wherever they went.
The greatest gift a parent can ever give their children is to be with them. Just spend time with them because if you can't find time to be with your kids they'll think it's the norm. They too, will not have time for you when you need them most. So, yeah, playing or just hanging out with kids, be it indoors or outdoors not only helps you save money it's just one aspect of teaching children the value of family practically.
I never said that parents shouldn't spent time with their children. I said that parents do need their own alone time. Sometimes that may mean a date night here and there, where they hire a babysitter, but then again we also need a break from our partners every now and then. Which a quick trip to the gym can provide.
I do a lot of sports with my kids. We do zumba, play one on one basketball games and we even have our own talent show, I think working out with your kids keeps them motivated and builds bonds cause this shows the kids that you are in there with them. I think having kids is the best thing ever if you raise them right.
This is really a good idea. But if you workout intensely, this might work out well as you couldn't drag your children to the same intensity as you want your workout to be, otherwise they might just get harmed which you wouldn't want to happen as a parent in the first place.
When my girls were little we would dance and dance together, it was fun for all of us. We would play the music loud and it would have to have lots of beats and drums. We got our exercise, spent time together and had fun.
we have a good balance with out 3 year old for exercise activity. The YMCA had a stay and play. We get to workout for an hour and he gets to play in the stay and play. They have a playground for sunny days. Then in our neighborhood we have a park. Our yard it big enough to play and run in. In addition, we encourage running in the house. We play chase, dance around, and bounce throughout the house. Lots of energy us realized. Trust me being older parents, we totally get a workout and our son receives some social time with other kids outside the home at the Y. I think it is a good balance.
I have kids and no gym membership because I have no time. I'm definitely not ashamed of being seen throwing a frisbee or climbing up a jungle gym for that matter. I try to spend as much time with them as possible, but have never really considered playtime a workout. Now that you mentioned it though, I don't think I get enough playtime and think it's great idea to get more play in for the benefit of both of us. Thanks for the advice.
I think that a lot of people get their kids a membership because they don't really know what they are doing? Of course, I have always thought that kids sort of exercise on their own?? Most kids are a little hyper, and like to jump around and stuff. They dance. They're kids. I don't think it's really that serious to be enrolling kids into a gym membership lol. But to each their own.
I have to say that I haven't worked out at a gym since I've had kids. Playing baseball, frisbee, badminton, soccer, volleyball out on our side yard is a workout. My husband coaches most of our boys sports teams so he gets a good workout with the kids coaching and between swimming in the pool, going for bike rides and playing on our side yard, I feel like I'm keeping fit. It's such great family time as well. I'm making memories with my kids which is more important than working out by myself in a gym. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I don't see the need for a membership. Everyone is so over-exercised lol.. in an obese world, so funny. The point is using it or losing it.. not exhausting it, tearing the crap out of it, pushing it, throwing up from the overexertion. All that work to look not much different than the average, healthy human and the stress from it.. blah. The only times in history we needed so much "training" was when we were prepping for battle or something lol. What is everyone doing???? Just use it or lose it and calm down! lol. I take my kids hiking whenever we get the chance. Kicking around a ball, biking, skating, skateboarding, even just walking around aimlessly, it doesn't matter and it doesn't cost a thing.
I love this thread because it's so true! I have a 3 year old daughter that absolutely loves to workout with me! I put on an exercise video, and she gets so excited to be right beside me working out right along with me. She gets to get out some of her energy too. It's so cute and funny because she'll get tired and lay down and just watch me sometimes. The other day she said "my stomach hurts" when we were doing abs. Haha! I told her that's the burn! So funny. But I think it's really good for them to learn healthy living with exercise so it's important!
I think there is some truth in what you are saying. As a parent, my little one is not mobile enough to run around the yard yet, so my situation is a little different from those with kids old enough to do so. When my little one gets older I will certainly play outside in the yard and at parks with him. For now, I will take him for walks with me in the stroller. We go to local parks, nature trails, or the mall to go for walks. This also helps tire him out with all of the sites and sounds! That being said, I can see where @Annabell is coming from. Sometimes, I would like time to do a more active workout where I will not be interrupted, some "me time," if you you will. At such times, I will meet a friend for a workout class, or have a higher intensity workout with a workout video while my husband watched our little one.
That's actually a good idea, playing with your kids instead of going to the gym can save you money, plus you get to bond with your kids. If a person doesn't have kids but they have a pet, then it's advisable to just play with their dogs or cats instead of going to the gym, that way they can also bond with their beloved pets.
