While the headline may be a cliché, families do tend to bond when they share common experiences. And, with the obesity crisis in our society, exercising is a good experience for families to share.
Parents can play a key role in encouraging their children to be active by setting an example.
“If parents enjoy being active, their children will likely view being active as fun and want to join in as well,” said DeAun Woosley, fitness director for the Texas A&M University Department of Recreational Sports.
Ideally, exercising as a family should begin when your children are babies. This can be done by walking or jogging while pushing a jogging stroller, biking with your child in a child seat attached to your bike, enrolling in “Mommy and Me” classes, forming neighborhood exercise groups or even walking together.
As your children get older and more physically able, exercise activity can include games, backyard volleyball, basketball, baseball, tennis and other sports. Woosley emphasized that regardless of the activity, your children will be learning that fun physical activity is an important part of each day.
Another way to get your family involved with physical activity is to join a family-friendly health club or YMCA. An added benefit of these programs is the accessibility of fitness instructors who can help guide each family member on how to make the most of each type of exercise.
As a family, you can also participate in benefit walks, fitness fairs or other events. Seeing other families participating in fun physical events may motivate your entire family to be active.
If you didn’t exercise as a family when your children were younger and now they resist physical activity, don’t despair. Avoid referring to physical activity as a way to help your children lose weight or bribing them to participate, as these approaches provide little incentive and set the stage for failure. Instead, try referring to activities not as “exercise,” but as time spent together.
As you walk or do other activities, ask your children what they did that day or what they think about various issues. Most likely, your children will begin to value the exercise time as a special time that you’ve set aside to be with and listen to them.
A little competition may also be helpful. For example, you could get pedometers for family members so they can challenge each other to see who can walk the longest distance.
The information in this article was provided as a courtesy by Texas
A&M University Department of Recreational Sports. As with any form
of exercise, consult with your health care professional to determine
if you’re able to do physical activity. 
H.E.A.D.s Up is a monthly column that features articles on a wide array of Health, Exercise And Diet issues. Information for these articles is provided by health and wellness professionals from throughout the A&M System. If you have questions or story ideas for this column, email Ruth McMullan.