Looking to inspire your family to be more active? A challenge may be just what you need.

What if you could combine togetherness, fun and a bit of competition into something that would benefit every member of your family? Would you want to do it? Those are just some rewards you can reap when you create a family fitness challenge.

Deciding you want to create a fitness challenge among family members can be very motivating while also shining a spotlight on how fun physical activity can be. There's no one right way to create this type of challenge—the details can be as unique as each family and should meet the goals, needs and interests of everyone who will participate.

Here are 5 tips for creating your own family fitness challenge:

1. Think about what you want to accomplish. Are you…Setting up a challenge to have some fun together? Looking to encourage kids to get off the couch and stop playing video games? Hoping to inspire family members to try out a new activity? Preparing for a fitness-related event? The answers to these questions will help you define the goals of the challenge.
2. Come up with ideas. Once you know your goal, ask everyone to think about ideas that would work for the challenge. Have a family meeting to discuss the ideas together and to come up with the one idea that appeals to the most family members.
3. Specify the details. A fitness challenge works best when it includes measurable achievements that can be tracked. Whether your challenge includes performing an activity for a particular amount of time (such as being able to run for 30 minutes 5 days a week) or reaching a specific accomplishment (such as being able to do 50 push-ups), spell out the details of the challenge so each person is aware of the goal.
4. Decide if you're competing against each other or working together. This choice will depend on your family and what you hope to get out of the challenge. If your goal is to spend more time together as a family, you may decide to work towards a singular goal, such as all being able to run a 5K. If competition is more your speed, the challenge may pit one family member against another to reach a desired goal (such as being the first person to bike 50 miles or complete an obstacle course).
5. Keep it fun. Family fitness challenges can be a great way to inspire kids to be more active. They can also create positive associations between family time and physical activity. Although these challenges are designed to get family members to strive towards a goal, make sure the competition doesn't take the fun out of the activity.

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Date Last Reviewed: April 18, 2023

Editorial Review: Andrea Cohen, Editorial Director, Baldwin Publishing, Inc. Contact Editor

Medical Review: Andrew Overman, DPT, MS, COMT, CSCS

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