GET FIT WITH YOUR FAMILY 5 Easy Ways to Get Everyone Moving
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. As a parent, you probably know exercise is important for your children’s physical development. It helps build healthy bones, muscles, and joints and reduces the risk of developing diabetes and other diseases later in life.
parents not to limit themselves to traditional forms of exercise. Instead, think of exercise more broadly as “leading an active lifestyle.” And remember that exercise can be fun and a great way to get in more family time.
Here are five easy ways to incorporate more movement into your family’s day.
1. Create a walking ritual. Start walking around the neighborhood before or after dinner each night. Aim for a 20-minute stroll. 2. Have a dance party. Clear some space in the living room, make a playlist with everyone’s favorite tunes, and boogie down for as long as you have the energy. 3. Turn chores into games. Dirt has invaded from outer space and must be eliminated. Set the scene with your kids, grab your tools, and get to work removing the enemy while having fun. 4. Incorporate simple exercises into screen time. Start by making up fun names for exercises like situps or jumping jacks. Then, challenge each other to see who can do the most during your favorite show’s commercial breaks. 5. Get fit in the great outdoors. Cleaning up the yard, planting and maintaining a garden, or just running around outside are all great ways to get in more movement.
But did you know that physical activity also has many mental and behavioral
health benefits? It’s been shown to improve children’s cognitive skills and concentration, boost their self-esteem, and reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.
One of the best ways to encourage healthy behaviors in your children is by modeling them yourself. Studies have found that more than 80% of adolescents and adults are not getting enough aerobic activity, showing that children often follow in their parents’ footsteps and that exercising together can benefit everyone.
You may be thinking it’s hard enough just to get yourself to the gym, but Stephen Virgilio, author of “Active Start for Healthy Kids,” encourages
3 M ore H armful T actics P arents W ith NPD U se PARENTAL ALIENATION
2. Spying and data mining . A parent with NPD may use the child as a tool to spy on a co-parent. By asking the right types of questions and paying attention to details, they can gather a significant amount of private information in a very subtle and sneaky way. This information can in turn be used to fuel more parental alienation and abuse against the targeted co-parent. 3. Disrupting planned bonding experiences or quality experiences. It doesn’t take much for a parent with NPD to undermine their co-parent’s planned shared parenting time — especially special events, trips, or other plans. The possibilities for abuse are endless and may include faking an illness, “accidentally” setting their cellphone to silent, or losing important documents.
We’ve discussed parental alienation in the past — it’s a form of manipulation in which one parent attempts to sabotage or undermine their child’s relationship with the child’s other parent. There are a number of tactics an individual can use, such as psychological manipulation and gaslighting. Essentially, this comes down to one parent using their child as a weapon against the other parent and their interests. Additionally, individuals who engage in these behaviors are often dealing with personality disorders themselves, particularly narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), which can be characterized as an obsession with coming out on top or, in the context of co-parenting, being the “better” parent. Here are three further examples: 1. Encouraging the child to break the other parent’s rules. “I know mommy doesn’t like it when you , but it’s okay. It’s just between you and me.” The parent will use any opportunity to establish a dynamic where they are on the child’s “team” and the co-parent is the supposed opposition.
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