Top 10 Family Fitness Ideas in London

Want to do some sport? Great! But why train alone? Instead of going to the gym three times per week and training there until exhaustion, you may consider spending this time with your family.

Indeed, lack of sports training and lack of live communication are among the most popular problems people encounter today. If you start a family fitness tradition, you can kill two birds with one stone.

Improve your health

While doing sport together you can monitor the health condition of your loved ones. Even mild but systematic physical activity improves verbal memory and thinking, lifts the mood, reduces anxiety as well as the risk of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases (such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension and obesity).

Strengthen family ties

Family training is a great opportunity to spend time together and create memories for your kids to remember. It is also a good way to know your children better (what is especially important in the teenage age). Joint sports activity unites family members. They feel that they can trust and rely on each other.

The best way to make your child put his/her phone away is to do sport together. So stand up from your couch and take some notes on our Top 10 Family Sports you can do with your family.

1. Walking

As obvious as it can be. Walking does not require any sports skills so you can do it with children and elderly people. But it is a perfect bonding experience for the whole family. Make it a daily or weekly routine and you will see how great it is to spend time together outdoors. In London, you can walk in a park, on the riverbank, in the old part of the town.

2. Cycling

If walking is too slow for you, try something faster. A family bike ride is definitely an experience to savour! Embrace the scenery of your city while exercising at the same time. However, you should mind the distance. If you have smaller kids, they may be tired. But don’t worry, you can have a rest and enjoy a fancy picnic. Fly a kite or throw a Frisbee. In London there are many cycling routes to choose from. You can take a Wander Trail or dare and ride through Olympic Park.

3. Ice Skating

A perfect winter sport for the whole family. What is a better way to feel the winter joy in the city? This kind of activity is interesting whether you can skate well or not. Moreover, while skating you are training your legs, back and abdominal muscles without even noticing it. If you want to learn ice skating or teach your child, hire a coach and have fun on the skating rink. Try Winter Wonderland Ice Rink, Somerset House Ice Rink or one of many other ice skating rinks in London.

4. Bowling

A rainy day is not an excuse for skipping your sports routine. You can play bowling with your family in one of many bowling alleys in London. Make sure your kids do not take too heavy balls. Show them how to throw a ball or hire a coach for yourself. Praise your child for every effort. Start a family bowling tournament and find out who is the bowling master in your family.

5. Team sports

Playing team sports like football, volleyball, basketball, flag football and others can train different groups of muscles, increase endurance and teach your child teamwork and strategy. Play team sports whenever you have an opportunity. If you don’t have enough players, adapt the game for a smaller group. Why don’t you invite another family to play? Playing in one team develops real bondage and trust within the family.

6. Badminton, tennis or golf

If you are not a fan of team sports, take a smaller ball and serve it with a racket. You can play badminton or table tennis even in your backyard and booking an hour or two to play golf or tennis at your local sports centre will not cost you a fortune. Besides, you can play such games 1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2. Perfect games for a family of four.

7. Martial art classes

Doing martial arts is tough, no doubt. Somebody can be scared or not confident enough to join karate or tai chi class. But everything is easier in a company. Start doing martial art training with your children and you will see that it is much easier and more interesting to train together. You may monitor your child’s progress and set a good example of dedication and hard work. To do martial arts together you need to find a coach for personal training.

8. Water sport

Summertime is sports time. Water sports can be a great adventure for the entire family. Try canoeing, kayaking, diving or surfing. Show your family that sport doesn’t have to be boring, tiresome and hard. It can be exotic, exciting and memorable! Although, if you don’t have an opportunity to do water sports outside, water polo and swimming in the pool are still available for you.

9. Dancing

Another great idea is to join a dancing class together. This is another type of activity, where you can lose weight without pulling iron in the gym. While dancing you learn to control your body and feel the rhythm. Besides, there are indoor as well as outdoor dancing classes in London. So you can exercise in the fresh air too… and learn some skills that may be useful in the process.

10. Hiking

Teach your children to enjoy nature. Hiking is not only a good bonding practice. It is also a great physical activity. While hiking you train your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, lower legs and also increase your endurance. Besides, it is a great cardio workout. But for children it is mostly the adventure. Pack all necessary things, pick an interesting destination (a waterfall or a beautiful lake) and lay out a route. Be sure, your kids will remember their little “treasure hunt” with their parents.

Here are our Top 10 activities you can do with your family. Some of them are not considered to be a sport and for most of them you can’t monitor how many kilograms you lose. But remember: you are not doing it for the Olympic record, you are doing it for your health and for your family. 

To make family training even more effective choose a coach, who can create a special program for adults to train with their children. Choose your coach here.