I love Instagram

Friday 3 July 2015

Family fun and fitness challenge time! It's easy, fun and free!

Family fun & fitness, sound like something you want/need/are ready to do? I am!! We are!! Does something that is completely budget friendly (it is FREE!) and fun sound like it could be exactly what you need? It's what I need! I am going to be straight forward and say, I am not a fitness expert nor do I have any formal qualifications. I am just a woman who has tried everything, spent way too much on gym memberships over the years & I now know what is the only thing that motivates me. Fun. If it's not fun then I don't stick to it. I NEED it to be fun. So I am going to set myself daily challenges that are fun, pretty easy & things that the whole family can do. I know that many times over the years, it has been hard to find time that is just for me. So exercise was an afterthought. I have come up with a way to get the whole family involved so you don't need to find babysitters, or get up before the kids get up  & you don't even have to wait for the weekend. Some of these things may sound a little too easy but trust me, if you put 100% effort into it, they will work. Now I am not talking about losing 20 kgs in a week. I am talking about getting moving & feeling more confidant. I think that these simple activities will do that & will also give you more time with your family. Want to know what I am talking about? Here it is!



Just right click on the pic above & save it to your computer. You can even print it out & pop it on the fridge. Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this post before starting this challenge.

This fitness & fun challenge is all about moving. Getting moving is the hardest part of getting fit. Once you start & you have fun, you will want to keep going. If you are going to have a dance party, make sure you a pumping the music that makes you want to move. It has to be what you like or you won't feel the groove. If you are looking for inspiration, check out my spotify playlists. Spotify is a free app that streams music. The free version does have 30 second adds but you may need that break to catch your breath! If you want to keep going after 4 songs, do it! That's the same for all of the challenges. If you can keep going for longer then don't stop till you are ready. 

Walking for 30 minutes can be a walk around your neighborhood, walking the kids to & from school instead of driving them, walking to get the bread & milk from the corner store or even if you have a treadmill gathering dust, dust it off & use it. 

I have recently found little ways to sneak in small bursts of exercise that only take a couple of minutes but you really do feel them working. When I do the washing, I put my laundry basket a few meters away from the clothes line. I then walk up & do a squat to pick up a piece of clothing, hang it up & repeat. A basket of socks, bras & knickers will get you squatting more than you realize. And if you are sometimes caught with 3 loads to hang out, don't dread it......squat it!

Most of us sit down to watch a little bit of TV of a night time. Instead of fast forwarding the adds, leave them on & do a few easy exercises. You can lay on the lounge & do leg lifts. Have a planking competition & see which family member can last the longest. And don't worry if you only last 10 seconds while your kids last minutes. Each and every time that you do them, you will be able to hold it for longer. After a few weeks you will be holding your own with the family & they will be so proud of you. You can do some sit ups, lunges or anything that gets you moving.

If you don't have time to go for a 30 minute walk, try running/jogging/walking around the outside of your house 10 times. You may even find that you can do this a couple of times a day. It all adds up. We used to send my youngest out to run around the house when she was full of energy. Really we should have been joining in & running with her when I look back now! I might not have my ample sized butt that I have now if I had of joined in!

Kids choice activity. I have thrown that one in because their suggestions may surprise you. The only thing it has to include is moving. If you do this on the weekend then they may suggest going to the park, going to the beach for a walk/swim, or they may just want you to hula hoop/throw a ball/kick a ball/ride a bike/skip/short running races with them. This activity is more about getting them to make fitness for fun choices. You could even have everyone write a suggestion & put them in a jar. Then take turns on who picks the kids choice out of the jar for each day. Over the years, I have found that if kids (young or older) see you work out & have fun, they can't help but join in. That's where you get them doing exercise without even realizing it. My girls are teenagers & they will join in with me. You tell me what toddler will see their mum having a dance party & not want to join in. If you don't have kids, then you can still just come up with ideas for yourself. If you like to go for walks then plan to go on a bush walk on the weekend. Head of to the local beach/river & go for a walk/jog/ride along the waterfront. You can even do yoga. 10 minutes of yoga is a fantastic workout. 

Time to add a little something to the challenge. What I am going to do & what you might also want to do to is I am going to put $2 in a jar for everyday that I complete the challenges. Next week I am going to share some tips on how to find & where you can find really cheap exercise equipment. $2 is nothing, I won't miss $2 a day. I am sure that there may even be $2 coins floating around in my car, bottom of my handbag or under a lounge cushion. Whenever I get cash out through eftpos, I am going to ask for an extra $4 so I then have 2 days worth of payment to myself. 

I am doing this because I need motivation. I am currently sitting at my full term pregnancy weight that I was 14 years ago! It is time to get moving again. This is not only about weight loss for me but to be motivated to live a healthier life style. The last 6 months has sent me stress eat & go to the kitchen instead of moving my body. I want to get back to the fitter person that I was 12 months ago. I used to be adventurous, I used to chose activities that got me off the couch, I used to live better. If you are feeling the same way, need a little motivation then print off the challenge & get ready to start on Monday!  If you post pics on instagram of you & your family doing the challenges then don't forget to include the hashtag #ffchallenge & we can all motivate each other! I am going to give a daily update on what challenges I have completed each day over on the facebook page so feel free at the end of the day to join in & let me know what challenges you completed that day & if you found other things to do as well.  Let's do this together!!

*disclaimer- I am NOT a qualified fitness professional. Always consult a doctor before starting any exercise program. Always do things at your own pace. If something hurts or doesn't feel right, then stop immediately. This challenge is just a few easy things to get you moving & doing it with your family. I take no responsibility for any injuries/death suffered during or as a result of this fitness challenge. You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge fromjoswithlove.blogspot.com.au from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of fromjoswithlove.blogspot.com.au negligence.


From Jos with love. xx

No comments:

Post a Comment

Hi there!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
From Jos with love. xx