Install fitness in children when not fit yourselves

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Weekend family hike every single weekend. Pick a day (say - Sunday at 9:30) and make it a priority for everyone. Treat it like an adventure, let your kids pick the places your explore, and pack fun (healthy ish) snacks.

A family walk/hike on the weekend and occasionally walking around the block isn’t going to make sluggish teens fit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need a family reset personally. Are your older kids watching their K age sibling every day ? That’s not fair. Can either of you do anything to go into work earlier and get home earlier?

Sorry kinder is in ext day — they get recess and play in aftercare as well as do red sports in weekend.

It’s just once you hit middle school — no recess, some gym, and lots of unstructured afternoon time. Sports at school were an easy pick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need a family reset personally. Are your older kids watching their K age sibling every day ? That’s not fair. Can either of you do anything to go into work earlier and get home earlier?

Sorry kinder is in ext day — they get recess and play in aftercare as well as do red sports in weekend.

It’s just once you hit middle school — no recess, some gym, and lots of unstructured afternoon time. Sports at school were an easy pick.

Why can’t they do sports after school/through school now? A different one than whatever they got cut from

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need a family reset personally. Are your older kids watching their K age sibling every day ? That’s not fair. Can either of you do anything to go into work earlier and get home earlier?

Sorry kinder is in ext day — they get recess and play in aftercare as well as do red sports in weekend.

It’s just once you hit middle school — no recess, some gym, and lots of unstructured afternoon time. Sports at school were an easy pick.

Why can’t they do sports after school/through school now? A different one than whatever they got cut from

They don’t like what is offered. I don’t want to accept this excuse; spouse is like whatever they weren’t ever going to be an athlete so doesn’t really matter. But I think this kind of fitness habit should start young (we are already too late, probably).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need a family reset personally. Are your older kids watching their K age sibling every day ? That’s not fair. Can either of you do anything to go into work earlier and get home earlier?

Sorry kinder is in ext day — they get recess and play in aftercare as well as do red sports in weekend.

It’s just once you hit middle school — no recess, some gym, and lots of unstructured afternoon time. Sports at school were an easy pick.

Why can’t they do sports after school/through school now? A different one than whatever they got cut from

They don’t like what is offered. I don’t want to accept this excuse; spouse is like whatever they weren’t ever going to be an athlete so doesn’t really matter. But I think this kind of fitness habit should start young (we are already too late, probably).

I wouldn’t accept it either. You don’t need to go dictator on them, but find some incentive that could motivate them to participate

Work on your kindergartner now. Kids love sports when they are good at them and can see successes and improvements.
They can’t get that if they don’t stick with it. Start your kinder in sports, preferably individual type sports (or at least one if they are doing a couple) they can’t be cut from and they can participate in year round and flex in and out of as they want

[Anonymous]

What's stopping you from going for a walk and making DD come with you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need a family reset personally. Are your older kids watching their K age sibling every day ? That’s not fair. Can either of you do anything to go into work earlier and get home earlier?

Sorry kinder is in ext day — they get recess and play in aftercare as well as do red sports in weekend.

It’s just once you hit middle school — no recess, some gym, and lots of unstructured afternoon time. Sports at school were an easy pick.

Why can’t they do sports after school/through school now? A different one than whatever they got cut from

They don’t like what is offered. I don’t want to accept this excuse; spouse is like whatever they weren’t ever going to be an athlete so doesn’t really matter. But I think this kind of fitness habit should start young (we are already too late, probably).

I don't think it's too late. Plenty of adults take up running and biking as solo activities, for instance. I did in college after being relatively sedentary on weekdays in high school. I don't really think you can force a high schooler into daily athletics that you don't do, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's stopping you from going for a walk and making DD come with you?

I work till 6, then start making dinner, cleaning, and ferrying kids to music lessons, math tutors, helping with homework. Do you know any working parents???

If I go to the gym it’s at 5am or 10pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's stopping you from going for a walk and making DD come with you?

I work till 6, then start making dinner, cleaning, and ferrying kids to music lessons, math tutors, helping with homework. Do you know any working parents???

If I go to the gym it’s at 5am or 10pm.

NP. So basically it’s not a priority for your family. Everything that is suggested, you have a come back to.

Why isn’t homework done by the time you get home? Why aren’t your older kids doing something to help get dinner on the table?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Instill. If it was install, I’d have purchased 3 already.

LOL.
*INSTILL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's stopping you from going for a walk and making DD come with you?

I work till 6, then start making dinner, cleaning, and ferrying kids to music lessons, math tutors, helping with homework. Do you know any working parents???

If I go to the gym it’s at 5am or 10pm.

NP. So basically it’s not a priority for your family. Everything that is suggested, you have a come back to.

Why isn’t homework done by the time you get home? Why aren’t your older kids doing something to help get dinner on the table?

All I’m saying is I want the kid fitness to happen after school before dinner — any suggestions of how to get that to happen?

My kids do help with dinner, but they are in hard classes and spend a lot of time on homework.

[Anonymous]

This is something I think about. My 6th grader is not athletic at all. He is uncoordinated and due to medical issues lacks indurance.

I think small steps are easier - you will have to make this a priority.

The weather is getting nicer. Come home from work and do a 15 minute family walk. Just do it. If they don’t go with you, go alone. It is 15 minutes. GO. Rain or shine. You can do 15 minutes. My 6th grader goes with me. We’ve been at this a year now he will ask for walks on the weekend occasionally.

From there I’ve added random classes at the Rec centers. Once a week on the weekend he has some random class that requires movement - even private swim or yoga. Like the poster above - he chooses or I do. Usually I do. He must do the class before screen time. During the summer there will be even more classesto try. Kayaking, fishing, hiking, your kids are old enough for adult classes.

I workout everyday. I get up at 6am and do a workout video. My kids see me do that. I am not skinny but I am trying and my kids see that.

Seriously, start small - 15 minute walks. Turn off the Wi-Fi. You can do it.

We had a lot of stuff this weekend to do. But I prioritize those walks. Sometime we don’t even talk. We just walk. Today, 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. It is better than nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is something I think about. My 6th grader is not athletic at all. He is uncoordinated and due to medical issues lacks indurance.

I think small steps are easier - you will have to make this a priority.

The weather is getting nicer. Come home from work and do a 15 minute family walk. Just do it. If they don’t go with you, go alone. It is 15 minutes. GO. Rain or shine. You can do 15 minutes. My 6th grader goes with me. We’ve been at this a year now he will ask for walks on the weekend occasionally.

From there I’ve added random classes at the Rec centers. Once a week on the weekend he has some random class that requires movement - even private swim or yoga. Like the poster above - he chooses or I do. Usually I do. He must do the class before screen time. During the summer there will be even more classesto try. Kayaking, fishing, hiking, your kids are old enough for adult classes.

I workout everyday. I get up at 6am and do a workout video. My kids see me do that. I am not skinny but I am trying and my kids see that.

Seriously, start small - 15 minute walks. Turn off the Wi-Fi. You can do it.

We had a lot of stuff this weekend to do. But I prioritize those walks. Sometime we don’t even talk. We just walk. Today, 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. It is better than nothing.

Do your other kids go with you to? Getting all 3 to go at any random time is not trivial -- lots of pushback, busy with homework, hungry for dinner, etc -- getting home from work is the worst part of my day and now coaxing 3 kids to walk rather than eat dinner will be interesting.

Its a really nice idea, but everyone keeps saying "do the exercise at the worst part of the day" -- is that really the only option??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's stopping you from going for a walk and making DD come with you?

I work till 6, then start making dinner, cleaning, and ferrying kids to music lessons, math tutors, helping with homework. Do you know any working parents???

If I go to the gym it’s at 5am or 10pm.

You wonder why your kids don’t exercise when you don’t exercise yourself. 🙄

Stop making excuses. There is absolutely 30 minutes in your evening for a walk. You just don’t want to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's stopping you from going for a walk and making DD come with you?

I work till 6, then start making dinner, cleaning, and ferrying kids to music lessons, math tutors, helping with homework. Do you know any working parents???

If I go to the gym it’s at 5am or 10pm.

NP. So basically it’s not a priority for your family. Everything that is suggested, you have a come back to.

Why isn’t homework done by the time you get home? Why aren’t your older kids doing something to help get dinner on the table?

All I’m saying is I want the kid fitness to happen after school before dinner — any suggestions of how to get that to happen?

You are the parent. Make it happen. Stop whining that it’s impossible.