Healthy parents

There are many ways to stay fit, even if you can't make it to the sports club or gym. Even small steps count, it doesn't have to be a sweaty affair. The secret is to build more exercise time into your daily routine. The following tips will give you some ideas:

• Walk as often as possible: walk your child to school instead of taking them by car. Walk to work or at least part of the way by getting off one stop earlier, for example.
• Do smaller errands such as going to the bakery, post office or supermarket on foot or by bike. It often doesn't take much longer than by car.
• Every step counts: Make an appointment with a colleague to go for a walk in the fresh air during your lunch break or meet up with a friend for a walk in the woods nearby instead of in a café.
• Leave the car at home more often and take the bike. This exercises your cardiovascular system and your thighs.
• Use every opportunity to strengthen your muscles and get your heart rate up: instead of taking the escalator, sprint up the stairs, visit your colleague in the building next door on foot instead of picking up the phone. Or do a few gymnastics exercises in front of the TV while watching the news.
• Give your child a variety of daily walks, for example with little competitions: Who is the fastest to hop on one leg to the next lamppost?
• Maybe you can manage to get up half an hour earlier in the morning? You can use this time to jog for 20 minutes, go Nordic walking or do a home workout.
• When you go to the swimming pool with your child: Don't sit on the edge of the pool, but get into the water yourself and do some aqua fitness exercises while keeping an eye on your child.
• Relaxation exercises such as yoga help to train muscles and at the same time deal with the challenges of everyday life more calmly. Free exercise videos are available on YouTube.
• A short morning meditation helps you start the day relaxed; in the evening, just a few minutes will help you sleep better.
• You can even exercise your muscles while brushing your teeth every day by alternating between standing on one leg and walking on your toes a few times.

Fixed appointments and rituals help you to exercise "properly" on a regular basis. Together, it is easier to overcome your inner couch potato. For example, make an appointment with a friend to go jogging or walking once a week. On another day, it's your partner's turn. If you prefer to exercise alone at home, you should think about a fixed time that can be easily integrated into your daily routine, for example a time slot of 30 minutes as soon as the children are in bed.

There are lots of ways to get your child moving again. Depending on the weather and your mood, you can play badminton in the garden, for example, or turn up the music in the living room and do some stop dancing. If you want to go for a jog, your son or daughter can accompany you on a bike. Or you can organize a sports lesson together in the children's room: first your child leads an exercise, then you - and so it goes on until everyone is out of breath.

The weekend is for relaxing - but not just on the sofa! Make family time as active as possible, preferably in the fresh air! Explore the surrounding area together on a bike ride or cycle to a particularly beautiful playground, go on a night hike with flashlights or take a long walk in the woods. Exercise with other families is particularly fun. Ask friends and acquaintances who would like to play a soccer or badminton tournament in the park. After such a "moving" weekend, you will start your day more relaxed and upbeat.

Active parents have active children: If your child sees you running after the ball, practising push-ups and doing everyday journeys on foot or by bike, they will benefit in several ways: On the one hand, they will be motivated to exercise themselves and, on the other, they will learn to take exercise for granted. So if you as parents are regularly active and set an example of the joy of movement, your child will most likely not grow up to be a couch potato.