Hiking with The Kids – Making Fitness Time Family Time

There is often a general sense that once your family begins to grow, fitness needs to take a back seat. After all, with children depending on you, it isn’t always easy to find time to get to the gym or take off for a run whenever the mood takes you.

For most parents with a larger family size, it can often seem impossible to think about keeping up with their own fitness regimes when they have so many other responsibilities to be looking out for. But, what if you didn’t have to compromise and you could all keep fit together?

Fitness Can Be a Family Affair

Whenever I hear such stories, I always ask what these families do together at the weekends. Most often, they tend to chill out and spend time together that they wouldn’t necessarily do during a busy work and school filled week. Whilst this time spent together is great, there is no reason why a family can’t head outdoors, regardless of the weather, and hike together.

Hiking is a much better phrase to use when you have children, as opposed to walking! Suggest going for a walk with the kids and the chances are you will receive stony faces all-round! However, suggest going for a hike and the differences are clear cut. Hiking is usually on routes and steeper inclines. What kid doesn’t enjoy climbing and getting dirty and pushing the limits of what they can achieve?

Make Hiking an Exciting All-Round Family Experience

With so many family friendly routes to be found, hiking can offer so many benefits for everyone. From planning and tracking to discovering, the numerous incentives which a family can derive from this activity are as fun as a family can make them.

  • Find and organise a route together. Let the kids see and plan with the adults.
  • Pack up a backpack with all essentials, possibly with a printed map so the kids can lead the way.
  • Make sure you take plenty of drinks and energy snacks.
  • Let the kids get involved in the process and explore the area, as safely as they can.

Hiking Can Increase Fitness Levels Through Fun

Through a successful hike, not only have the kids reaped the health benefits, but so have you. The point is, the kids have probably not even begun to think about the fitness aspect of the hike! If the day is a success, why not think about making it a regular trip, perhaps every weekend.

For quality family time out in the fresh air whilst improving all family members fitness levels, what better way to spend a day than hiking with the kids?

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