Everybody needs exercise to remain fit and healthy. But if you can’t go to the gym, that’s no reason that you can’t get exercise. There are tons of fitness activities that you can do at home. Exercising is important for men, women, and children of all ages. Children need exercise to develop their motor skills and burn off their excess energy. As people get older and their metabolism slows down, regular exercise stops them from gaining too much weight. The elderly should also exercise to maintain their health and fitness. Physical activity will make you feel happier and more relaxed. You can have fun exercising indoors or outdoors with your whole family.
Staying Active Inside
- Find a jump rope and see who can jump rope the fastest and the longest.
- Have a dance contest with you and your family members as you try out cool moves while listening to your favorite songs.
- Start your morning with a calming yoga session.
- Go rollerskating or rollerblading in your garage or in your basement if you have a concrete floor there.
- Stretch your muscles to keep them flexible.
- 12 Kid-Friendly Yoga Poses
- Five Stretches You Should Do Every Day
Getting Outdoors for Exercise
- Take a jog around the neighborhood, or take it slow and walk for a mile or two before returning home.
- Set up an obstacle course in the backyard.
- Plant a family garden. Then, everyone can take turns watering and weeding the garden. You’ll harvest the rewards of your hard work while bonding and getting fit.
- Set up a basketball hoop in the driveway. You can play pickup basketball games, one-on-one, or H-O-R-S-E.
- Have a water balloon fight on a hot summer day. The cold water from a burst balloon will cool you off after you’ve been running around in the heat.
- 11 Fun Basketball Games Besides H-O-R-S-E
- The Best Water Games to Beat the Summer Heat
Senior Fitness Ideas
- Resistance band workouts like the leg press, the bicep curl, and the band pull-apart are simple exercises that can be integrated into your daily schedule.
- Build arm strength with dumbbells.
- Play tag with the grandchildren. Give their parents a break and run after your grandchildren to stay in shape.
- Play fetch with the family dog.
- Work out with moderate Pilates exercises. They’re fairly safe, so you’re unlikely to strain or pull a muscle.
- Resistance Band Exercises for Seniors
- Beginner Pilates for Seniors
Health and Fitness Resources for All
- Eight Benefits of Biking as a Family: Biking is a great activity that the whole family can do together. Younger children can ride their tricycles, and older children and adults can push themselves to the limit. Elderly family members can bike at their own pace.
- Go on a Hike to Get the Family Moving: Pack some healthy snacks and water and take a day to climb a few hills and take in the sights and sounds of nature. A family picnic in a spot with a nice view is the perfect way to end a long day of hiking.
- Nature Scavenger Hunt: Find a wooded area and give everyone a list of interesting flowers, leaves, and nuts to find in nature. They’ll burn calories as they walk around searching for the items on the list while building awareness of the world around them.
- Visiting Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers: Who cares if the pool’s closed? Lakes are free from chlorine and chemicals, and you can still swim laps or do water aerobics.
- Five Tips for Family Fun on the Water: Kayaking and canoeing are exercises that build confidence and strengthen your arm muscles.
- Double Dutch Jump-Roping: Double Dutch is the two-rope variant of standard jump-roping. Avoiding the twisting strands of two jump ropes takes energy and concentration. With two ropes, two or more people can play at the same time.
- Backyard Soccer Training Drills: Split the family up into two teams and work on your soccer skills together, then set up cones at each end of the backyard to play a game.
- How to Build a Tree House: Building a tree house from scratch can be tough work that gives you a workout, but the results can be well worth it.
- Ultimate Frisbee: Tossing a Frisbee back and forth is actually good exercise. You’ll improve your precision the more you practice, and if you miss, running after the Frisbee will burn calories, too.
- Touch Football: A safer alternative to tackle football, touch football is a sport that can include everyone in the family.
- Ten Activities for Your Own Backyard Olympics: Choose four or five activities that everyone in the family can do. Then, turn it into a competition and give out prizes for the best athlete in each activity.
- Zumba: Zumba is a fast-paced, intense workout.
- How to Play Duck Duck Goose: Younger children will enjoy this easy game. The person tagged “goose” has to catch the tagger before the tagger can steal their spot in the circle.
- Make Shoveling Snow Your Workout: Clearing the driveway in the winter can be a family chore and a way to exercise, too.
- Advanced Jumping Jacks: Jumping jacks are fun exercises in which you move your arms and your legs.