Five ways to make wellness a family sport

Guest blog by Exos Fitness Coach Tracie Michalkiewicz

August is recognized as Family Wellness Month. We know a lot of our members have little ones, parents, and others to care for at home. Exos Fitness Coach Tracie Michalkiewicz provides a few ways you can get the whole family involved in your active lifestyle.

• Involve the kids in meal/food planning, especially fruit/veggie choices, as much as possible.
  “We’ll ask if they want carrots or green beans for dinner, strawberries or a banana for breakfast, etc. I’ll even ask them what items they’d like me to pick up when I go grocery shopping, or bring them with and let them pick certain items. I think giving them the autonomy to choose what they’re eating (with limited choices) makes them feel in control and more likely to eat what they chose.”
• Encourage the kids to participate in your workouts when they can.
  “When I do body weight exercises at home (squats, jumping jacks, burpees, etc), they like to do the exercises with me. When I do lateral shuffles, we have a fun game where we meet in the middle and give each other double high-fives.”
• Engage them in conversations about their day.
  “Open-ended questions about what they did, what they liked, what they didn’t like, how they felt about certain things, etc. Since they’re still pretty young, it really helps them open up and talk through their feelings.”
• Give each kiddo their own water cups to keep filled up and accessible throughout the day.
• Prep fruits/veggies right after buying them – washing grapes/blueberries, cutting melon/pineapple/carrots, etc. “When my kids want a snack, it’s easier to grab the containers of pre-washed foods and let them dig in versus prepping individual servings each time. I find I’m more likely to feed them those items for snacks when they’re already prepared.”