A guest post by Sarah Douthwaite

As a homeschooling mom, I have different opportunities to take care of my family’s health and fitness. One of the biggest differences we notice with our children is that if they are burned out from all the activities in life, they can rest.  It’s not that our children are around less people that they aren’t sick as much as other children.  It’s more that they can take the time to rest when they need it. Don’t get me wrong, it is very easy to get caught up in the rat race, but we can afford a few hours here or there in our week to let them just be.

For our family our fitness and health routine is a bit different since it is also our business and our children are very much a part of it.  We use herbs and supplements as part of our nutrition routine to keep them healthy.  As well, the children are often out with us as we teach our fitness classes.  They love to cheer everyone on or race them up the hills too!  We are an active family who loves bike rides, playing at the park, hiking, swimming, skiing, etc. Of course the children have their own activities too like hockey and swimming, but fitness is part of their every day life.

Some Basic First Steps to Take

What I recommend for incorporating fitness into your life is to start small.  Make a time commitment for each day that you will realistically be able to maintain.  It’s not enough to put your children in soccer twice a week and think they are getting enough exercise, we need exercise everyday.  For the parents trying to get back into shape or lose a few pounds even as little as 20 minutes each and everyday will make a difference.  Whether it be walking 10 minutes from your home and turning around to walk home just do it.  Take the kids, the dog, go by yourself.  I hear some people who hate exercise say they need to go lift weight or they need to run.  I really believe it is crucial to find something you enjoy (or at least don’t hate) otherwise you won’t keep it up.   Being consistent with your exercise and eating balanced meals is the key to a great family health and fitness regime.

This guest post was written and submitted by Sarah Douthwaite.  Sarah and her husband Craig own and operate BASICS Fitness, and Waite’s Wellness in Red Deer, Alberta.