Raising Fit Kids Without Losing Your Mind

Raising Fit Kids Without Losing Your Mind

If you want your kids to move, the first step is simple: you move.

Families, especially dads, who tend to have the loudest megaphone in the house, set the tone.

Eat clean, hit a workout, go for a run, or knock out some push-ups in the living room.

Let them see you doing, not just preaching.

Start small.

Give your kids bite-sized goals, for example 20 push-ups, 20 air squats, and 20 pushups and 5 laps around the house (specifically my 10-year-old son’s new nightly regiment to get stronger for soccer).

Then, celebrate the hell out of their wins. Confidence grows faster when it’s noticed.

Screens are the biggest rival. Get them outside as much as possible, yard games, bike rides, hikes, even helping with chores. Fresh air beats Roblox or Mindcraft.

Organized sports are gold for teamwork and learning how to be coachable. Don’t let “I don’t feel like it” derail them; a little (and sometimes a come to Jesus) push on sluggish days teaches grit.

And don’t forget to make it fun. At the end of the day, they’re kids.

Tag counts as cardio. Family bike rides beat solo treadmills. If fitness feels like punishment, kids won’t stick with it. But if it feels like play, they’ll keep coming back.

Raise active kids by modeling it yourself, giving them goals, and turning movement into a lifestyle, not a lecture.