How To Finally Make Fitness Fit Into Family Life

Contributed post.

Trying to balance family life with fitness isn’t always easy, and it might even feel impossible when you take into account the school runs, work, cooking, cleaning, and the endless list of other things that have to be done - the idea of making any time for exercise just doesn’t come into it. 

But that doesn’t have to be the case, and fitness really doesn’t have to be a chore that fights for your attention - you can just make it a natural, even enjoyable, part of everyday life. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more about how to finally make fitness fit into family life. 

Rethink What Exercise Looks Like 

One of the reasons why people struggle so much to stay consistent when it comes to exercise is because they think fitness has to look a certain way, with gym memberships, personal trainers, or getting up to do a run before the sun comes up. But the truth is that moving around (because that’s basically what exercise is) can be a lot easier to fit into your day, and a lot simpler to do. 

For example, you could walk or cycle to work or school instead of driving, or do some jogging on the spot while you’re cooking dinner, or perhaps go on a family hike at the weekend, and so on. As long as you’re moving regularly and consistently, it’s going to count, and when it becomes part of your routine, it’s not really going to feel like a lot of effort anymore. 

If you want a bit more structure but you’re still looking for flexibility, local weight loss classes could be the answer because they’ll give you support, accountability, and professional guidance without needing you to completely change your life to make them work - you can find sessions that fit into your week rather than having to move things to make them fit. Plus, the encouragement from others makes a massive difference when you want to be more motivated. 

Involve The Whole Family 

The easiest way to make fitness more of a regular thing is to make it something everyone in the family enjoys, so instead of seeing it as your time away from the family (which can be tricky in some cases), turn it into something you can share. 

There are loads of things you could do - you could have mini dance competitions, for example, or walk the dog together, or start weekend activities like swimming or cycling, and so on. The truth is that even a trip to the park can double as exercise if you do it right. 

The point is, when movement becomes part of your family time, you’ll stop having to fit it in or make sacrifices to make it happen because it’s already part of things. On top of that, you’ll be showing your kids that exercise is fun and positive, and not a chore or punishment that has to be endured. 

Let Go Of The All-Or-Nothing Mentality 

Sadly, a lot of people actually end up giving up on fitness because they think if they can’t do it perfectly right from the start (or at least pretty quickly) it’s just not worth it. But in reality, missing a workout or choosing to have a rest instead of going running, for example, doesn’t mean you’ve failed - it just means you’re human. 

The point about progress isn’t that you have to take it to extremes for it to happen - you just need to be persistent, and when you are, you’ll move forward. After all, some weeks you’ll have time for proper workouts, and other weeks you might just need to do a few short walks if that’s what you can manage, but you should see that both of these things are progress because you’re still doing something. And remember, if your form of fitness is just adding stress to your life, it’s not helping, and it’s better to find something else to do. 

Focus On Energy, Not Appearance 

When life is busy, as it often is, it’s easy to focus on the wrong goals, like trying to get to a certain number on the scales or comparing yourself to others online, and so on. But the truth is that the real value of exercise isn’t about how you look - it’s about how you feel. 

It might sound strange, but regular movement actually helps you manage stress better, and it improves your sleep, boosts your mood, and gives you more energy for everything else you need to do. When you shift your focus from how you look to how you feel, you’ll find motivation doesn’t get quite so lost. 

Plan For Real Life, Not A Fantasy Schedule 

When you think about it, your fitness plans don’t fail because you don’t care, but it’s because what you’ve planned just doesn’t work in real life. For example, if you’ve got young children, work long hours, or there’s a lot of unpredictability in your life for whatever reason, having some kind of strict workout schedule is only going to make things harder and more frustrating. 

So what you need to do instead is work with what you’ve got. If mornings are tricky and busy, try exercising during lunchtime or in the evenings, for example, and if you can’t get to the gym, find online workouts you can do at home. Even ten minute videos can do a lot of good if you do them on a regular basis. 

The key is really to make it part of your normal day rather than an unusual event that you need perfect conditions for. 

Take The Pressure Off 

One of the best ways to make fitness sustainable is to stop expecting it to be life-changing right from the very start - it’s not going to be. In fact, starting small is the best thing you can do, perhaps by taking a short walk after dinner, for example, or stretching before bed, and so on - that’s how it’s going to become normal, and not something to stress about. 

And if you miss a few days, don’t overthink it, just pick it up again when you can.