Fitness & family: how to combine family life and sport

It is often difficult to find time for a workout and therefore time for yourself in everyday life alongside your job, family and children. It is important, especially in stressful phases, that you try to consciously take time for yourself and do something for yourself and your health. We therefore have a few tips for you on how to combine your family routine with your fitness programme, depending on how it best fits into your daily routine.

Want to get your little ones moving in a playful way? With sport with children at home you can easily include them in your daily workout. For example, you can do extra yoga exercises with children or dance with them to their favourite songs. This way you can show them that exercise is important and get them sweating at the same time. It also has a positive effect on the development of your little ones**, as exercise increases their *concentration* and strengthens bodily functions such as the cardiovascular system, metabolism and immune system. Other options depending on the age of your children are, for example, baby swimming or parent-child gymnastics, where the needs of both the little ones and the parents are taken into account.

Especially if you still have children of toddler age, long walks with strollers are a good idea so that you get enough exercise and can skip a workout or two. Otherwise, sporting activities that are also fun for your little ones are the ideal solution for after work or at the weekend. Depending on their age and the time of year, there are lots of different activities to choose from and family sports will keep everyone fit.

Here are a few examples of how to playfully bring exercise into everyday life and keep the whole family fit:

• Inline skating or cycling
• Climbing or bouldering
• Swimming pool, especially in summer the outdoor pool is very popular
• Water sports such as canoeing or stand-up paddling
• Hiking in the countryside or on children's nature trails

If you have enough space in your own four walls, you could think about setting up your own home gym. This will save you a lot of time travelling to the gym and you can still keep an eye on your children. In addition to saving time, the home gym offers you many other benefits. You can decide which fitness equipment you would like to equip your home gym with: whether rowing machine, treadmill, cross trainer, ergometer or rather a vibration plate - here you can decide what you enjoy the most and which equipment best supports your sporting goals.

Taking the baby to the gym? Many gyms recognise the problem of balancing family and sport. That's why you can now find some gyms that cater to the needs of parents and offer childcare. This way, you can enjoy a relaxed workout and your children are sure to have fun playing with their peers - a win-win situation, so to speak. If you are unable to complete your workout while your children are at nursery or school, for example, a gym with childcare may be a suitable solution for you. You can then pursue your fitness programme in peace and quiet.

One option to ensure that you don't miss out on family life, your job or yourself is to focus on short training sessions. For example, try to use your break for a short, crisp workout while you are in the home office. Your children may still be at nursery or school during this time. Then you can really burn off some energy. Alternatively, use times when they are with their grandparents or when the little ones are having a nap. You're sure to find a free minute or two to dedicate to your fitness. For example, try activating several muscle groups at the same time in short workouts - HIIT is ideal for this.

As you can see, there are many ways to integrate your workout into family life and stay fit. See what works best for your situation or try out different options. You're sure to quickly find the right sporting activity for the whole family.