Fit , Infants

Sports, if you are with family, much better

Leyla Serrano

23 August, 2017

When we have a child we are in charge of good will but fatherhood is not as idyllic as we imagined and often stop doing sport due to lack of time, energy, or ... or because we think we will steal our little time . Sometimes we forget that the good habits we want to instill in our children begin in one's own, parents are the mirror where our children are reflected, and it is very important to educate with the example.

Being a father or a mother is no longer an excuse for not practicing sport, but it is a great opportunity to get in shape and, at the same time, share a great deal of time with the family.

Few weeks after the birth of a baby, the mother is already prepared to return to the usual practice of sport. Post-part classes, yoga, Pilates, swimming, hiking ... are some of the activities that can be done with the baby and, if the other parent is involved, even better. In this way parents receive all the benefits that physical activity brings, and the baby, although during the first months it will not participate much, it will benefit from a sensory and motivational stimulation while creating security and trust links with the parents.

Recommended activities from 0 to 3 years
In the case of newborns (0-3 years), we can also talk about the benefits that are provided by activities such as swimming, psychomotor classes or dance. These activities can be done in families in sports centers or breeding groups and, in addition, they help each other to strengthen their family ties and to experience sensations that are hardly feasible at home. Being part of these groups helps parents to have self-confidence in raising their children, knowing other families that are in the same stage that they generate security and motivates them to continue doing the activity later. These beginnings in the practice of sport can make both parents and children become authentic sports fans who have practiced as a family.

Until three years it's easy to find clubs or civic centers that offer sports activities in the family, but what happens from here? It is very common for the boy or girl to continue practicing their "sport" and testing new to extra-curricular classes, but that does not mean that parents are excluded.

Beyond 3 years
Many sports centers are already incorporating activities for parents who want to continue doing sport with the whole family, such as swimming classes, zumba, aquagym, yoga, tennis ... Participating in these activities benefits both adults and children. The joint participation is much more enriching because, as well as being a source of physical health (cardiovascular improvement, prevention of diseases such as diabetes or obesity, improvement of resistance and muscle strength ...) and psychological (increases the Self-esteem, improves psychomotricity, strengthens social relationships ... It favors that the whole family spend moments of fun, collaboration, relaxation, game and bond that will help after the way of doing and being at home.

Take advantage of the good weather
With the good weather, we go to the streets and with it, bicycles, skates, skateboards ... It's time to teach them on a bicycle or maybe learn to skate. Excursions are the ideal excuse for a fun day at weekends, whether for the city, the beach, the mountains or places prepared like the greenways. Little by little the children will achieve greater challenges, more distance, more time, more difficulty, and in this way they will learn the value of the effort and the parents the one of the patience and the confidence. In addition, these excursions encourage family members to have fun and important dialogues at the same time.

Adolescence is a stage of life in which our children can feel insecure, have a lack of self-esteem, low academic performance due to lack of concentration ... it is a great time to practice sport if It is not yet incorporated in family routines. You can already participate in many activities such as swimming, running, pedaling, skiing ... at the same pace as your parents. Preparing some sporting challenge in the family such as a paddle championship, a popular race, a mountain bike or a bicycle trip can help boost them and cohesion the family. The preparation involves many hours of training together, relaxed conversations, words of encouragement and confidence, and in the past we fight the sedentary lifestyle and stress and reaffirm the habit of sport for the future.

In short, if you still do not sport with yours, run! Put on your shoes, take your spoons on the bikes, look for the bath cap, go to a gym, go on a trip ... your family will appreciate it.

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