An Unschooling Fitness Challenge

Do you ever worry that your kids aren’t getting enough exercise? Maybe they spend a lot of time doing sedentary things such as playing computer games or reading books. Are you tempted to say, “Go outside and get some fresh air!”?

Years ago, I was always looking for ways to include some activity into my kids’ days. We’d go for walks and do scavenger hunts along the way. Before we left home, I’d write a list of things for us to look out for: a black cat, a red car, a picket fence, a bike, a Banksia bush.

Or I’d organise obstacle courses in the park for my children to run around: “Run to the big tree, climb up the ladder, slide down the slippery dip, skip to the picnic table.”

I didn’t really need to organise these activities because my kids were active enough just playing in the garden. Most days, they’d disappear out the back door and not return for hours. By the time evening arrived, my kids would be all out of energy (and very happy).

But what if we’re not comfortable letting our kids play for hours each day? We might think they should be doing something more valuable (in our eyes) with their time. What if we sit them in front of the computer or encourage them to read or write or do other things which could be good but not very active? Will we end up discouraging them from racing around outside playing imaginary games or chasing each other or riding their bikes or climbing trees? Will we find ourselves saying, “Go outside and get some fresh air!”? Maybe we are part of the inactivity problem.

As kids grow, they could become less active. Some children might get to the point where they no longer want to play outside or go for walks. What if they don’t want to exercise? After trying to force a teenager to leave her books and do something that raises the heartbeat, I learnt that it’s impossible to force kids to exercise. If they don’t want to do it, we’ll end up frustrated and angry. So will they. It’s much better if our kids decide for themselves that they want to be fit because this is a healthy and enjoyable thing to do.

So should we just hang around waiting for the day to arrive when our child might say, “I think I’ll go for a run… join the gym… go swimming… take up a sport”? Or is there something we can do?

We could be a good example for our kids. We could make fitness a natural part of our days. We eat, we breathe, we exercise. It’s something we all do and enjoy, an essential and natural part of life.

We often want our children to do things we’re not prepared to do ourselves. We want them to be fit and healthy, but we make excuses for why we can’t exercise. Sometimes those excuses are valid. We might not be in good health, or we’re overtired because we’re up late at night seeing to the needs of our babies and toddlers, or we can’t fit another thing into our day. But sometimes we can do more than we think. Perhaps we need to do some creative thinking. Can we go for a run rather than wait in the car while our kids have music lessons? Instead of going to the gym, can we walk with a baby? Do we need an exercise buddy? Or is recognising that we need to be a good example enough to motivate us to start moving?

For many years, fitness has been a big part of our family life, but there have been times when we’ve lost our enthusiasm, and we’ve had to reassess what we’re doing. That’s where I am at the moment. You might know that I used to run each day with my daughters. Then they got busy with their own lives and their work, and they also decided that they’d prefer to go to the gym rather than join me for some early morning exercise. Just recently, I’ve got fed up with heading down to the bush tracks for a run on my own. I feel like a change.

Yesterday, after doing a lot of googling, I signed up for a free trial of the Walk at Home app. Walk rather than run? That sounds like less work, doesn’t it? After previewing a few videos, I think I’m going to get lots of heartbeat-raising exercise! The workouts involve strength training (which I need), and they look like fun (which I also need). There’s a different workout for each day of the month (Sundays are rest days), so I shouldn’t get bored. And I can still run sometimes if I feel like it.

So, I’m challenging myself to get fitter and stronger. I want to regain my enthusiasm for exercise. I’m doing this for myself and also for my kids.

Something Extra

I’ve written other blog posts about exercise. I’ve also made a few videos and podcasts about kids and health and fitness.

Here is episode 88 of my Stories of an Unschooling Family podcast: Can We Force Kids to Exercise?

So, I’m wondering:

Do you exercise as a family? What kind of exercise do you enjoy the most? And if you haven’t been exercising regularly, will you take up the unschooling fitness challenge?