3.5.18: The Family That Plays Together

3.5.18: The Family That Plays Together

One of the hottest fitness trends of 2018 is family fitness classes and competitions, meeting the rising demand for families to be more active together.

More parents are encouraging their kids to exercise with them, because they know it leads to healthy habits, and mitigates screen time. Technology is often blamed for creating a sedentary generation, as many youngsters prefer to control a character running in a video game than actually break a sweat themselves. More parents are finding that if they want to get their children away from their devices, its “do as I do, not as I say.”

It’s a trend that may help to fight rising childhood obesity figures. Increasingly, schools and parents are called upon improve children’s diet and physical activity levels. Today’s kids have lower levels of cardiovascular fitness than previous generations – both here and worldwide. It’s an issue with a strong gender bias,too. By age 8, fewer girls are already taking part in athletic activities than boys, and by 14 to 15 years old, boys are twice as active as girls. The lack of female role models, social norms about femininity, lack of confidence and negative experiences in school PE lessons all played a part. It also found that the biggest influence of all on a child’s activity levels is their own family.

Parents are increasingly wising up to that fact, with family runs, swims and bike rides becoming more popular than ever. Many studies have shown that when children enjoy exercise when they’re young it sets them up for life. Children often end up associating exercise with PE classes, which they might not enjoy – or they may feel uncomfortable with, so they need to be given opportunities to find a form of exercise they love in a safe setting. Working out together can also transform a family dynamic. As with adults, exercise puts children in a better mood because of the endorphins released. Kids will carry on their day in a happier frame of mind and feel better about themselves. Exercising together can also help the family bond and teach children useful lessons about working together. An effortless way to move together is to integrate the Flashfit app into your family fitness routine.

Flashfit is an easy, fun-to-use app providing aerobic and strength-building exercises in one-minute bursts. Your school can build teams and groups, compete and gamify to increase student engagement and reward participation. No special equipment needed – kids can move their bodies anywhere. #jointhemob

Sources:

UK Telegraph, Brit.co, USA Today