Get Your Entire Family in Shape: Start a Family Fitness Challenge

Nowadays, Americans are obsessed with getting fit and losing weight. There are so many shows out there promoting fitness, plus the new Wii Fit is making it more fun for families to get in shape together.

Making a family fitness challenge will help push your family to achieving your goals and becoming a healthier family. How does one create a family fitness challenge? Below are suggested steps to doing such a thing.

First, you will want to sit down with your family and set some fitness goals. Figure out how much you want to exercise each week and set that goal. For example, if a family of four sets a goal for each member to exercise 30 minutes three times a week, which would be a total family fitness goal of six hours. Not a bad place to start.

Next, you will want to make a chart and post it in a location where everyone will see it daily. We have ours on the refrigerator. An easy way to create the chart is to put blocks, or some other design, with each one representing 30 minutes of workout time. Make one for each week and as each week comes around try to increase the amount of time you exercise. Or you can even add something else, like amount of water each member drinks, number of vegetables consumed, and so on. As you create each week's chart, be creative as a family and add things that will fit your fitness goals.

Once the chart is posted assign each member of your family a color and as they accomplish their goals they get to color a symbol in. This will show your family who is achieving their goals for the week and may encourage others to get moving and catch up.

You can even make a contest out of it. Such as one week have a prize for the person who exercises the most during the week. Or who drinks the most amount of water. You get the idea. Be creative and make the prize something healthy. No ice cream treats.  

Courtesy: www.associatedcontent.com