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A GUIDE:

HOW TO GET ACTIVE AS A FAMILY

Getting up and out for a daily workout is hard enough, but doing it with your kids? That can, at times, be the real challenge. But with clever planning and a little imagination, you can create a fun family fitness session that everyone will love, and NEXT is here to get you kitted up with the latest sportswear that is built for performance, support and comfort.

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Keep kids entertained with different fitness activities

We all know that kids’ attention spans can be on the unpredictable side, so keep them on their toes with a pre-prepared list of activities, designed to fit into any busy weekday or weekend; when they lose interest in one, simply move to the next on the list. “Luke is always finding ways to make it fun for the kids as motivating them to stay active can be challenging, but it’s important to make time for it,” Debbie says. “Whether that’s after-school clubs, football in the garden, fun games in the park or family walks. Mix it up!”
If you're planning a selection of activities, make sure the family is ready for anything with sportswear for all types of fitness. Men’s joggers and women’s leggings deliver stretch and support where it counts. Lightweight tees for boys and breathable tops for girls keep comfort dialled in—rep after rep, step after step.

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A GAME TO TRY:

Create a little family competition with this sprinting game:
“Give them a target (like a tree) and make things fun. Everyone puts their hands in the middle and when the last hand goes in... sprint!”

Help kids practice their timing and coordination

Sporting activities are the perfect way for growing kids to practice their timing, coordination and spatial awareness, so make sure family fitness sessions are filled with games that really test their skills. There might be a lot of bending, stretching and leaning involved, so keep them comfy with sportswear essentials, including boys’ tracksuits, girls’ hoodies and leggings that are designed for unrestricted motion and all-day wear. Let them choose their fit, their colour, their way to move. For adults, lightweight men’s T-shirts and women’s tops keep you ready. Add a hoodie—because conditions change, but focus stays.

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A GAME TO TRY:

Help kids build up their coordination skills with Debbie’s simple catching game: “Stand close together, and every time you catch the ball, you take a small step back. The moment anyone drops the ball, everyone performs an action: sprint to the tree and back, do two press-ups or get down into a plank for 20 seconds.”

Make LISS and HIIT a part of your family workout routine

LISS (Low-Intensity Steady State Training) and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) are both excellent styles of fitness, and can easily be incorporated into a family workout. LISS involves maintaining a lower level of exertion over an extended period of time through activities including running, walking and cycling, while HIIT is the opposite — fast and frequent bursts of exertion (like sprinting) in between short periods of slower exercise. Running and cycling are the best ways to form LISS and HIIT workouts outside, so make sure everyone has the right gear. Boys’ and girls’ trainers support growing feet through every stride. Men’s shorts keep comfort high on the saddle, while women’s sports bras deliver focused support when the pace picks up. Engineered for outdoor effort. Ready when you are.

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A GAME TO TRY:

It's time to put the kids in control. Let them mark out a running lap of any size and follow it together as a family. Adults can run or jog, and kids can keep up with their scooters and bikes. “Let the children dictate the pace,” says Debbie. “When they go fast - so do you! When they go easy and just chug along - yep, you do too! Be warned… kids find being in control of when their parents sprint hilarious.”

Explore new ideas to make workouts fun

Games consoles, TV and mobile phones; fitness has some pretty fierce competition when it comes to keeping kids' entertained. So what's the secret? It's all about making it fun; fill your car with our sports equipment collection, including skipping ropes, scooters, yoga mats, pop-up goals, balls and frisbees. Debbie agrees: "Sometimes it helps to have something that’s portable, cheap and has a wow factor to it. We bought this enormous octopus kite online and tell the kids to try to catch its tentacles. It’s a huge amount of fun and gets them running and jumping about for hours. Always let them have a go at flying the kite too. It’s a skill after all!"

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A GAME TO TRY:

Bring a selection of items such as cones, hoops, balls and ropes and use them to plan out a mini assault course for everyone. Let every family member go through the course one by one, with someone else timing them on a phone or stopwatch. A little prize for the fastest will go a long way too.