SanTan
FAMILY FUN
August 1 - August 14, 2015
1
Experts: Parents, kids should workout together By Alison Stanton
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In some families, parents and kids rarely exercise together. Mom might go out for a jog while the kids are in school, dad maybe hits the treadmill after work and the children are dropped off at soccer and swimming practices. In honor of National Exercise With Your Child Week from Aug. 2 to Aug. 8, Brandi Summers, a trainer at Orangetheory Fitness in Chandler, wants parents to know that there are plenty of reasons they should work out with their kids. “There isn’t really a downside to exercising together,” said Summers, a Chandler resident. “Obviously there is a health benefit because exercise helps to release endorphins and when you do it you feel better and have more energy. But Ania, Ben and Jason Kubicki enjoy working out together. Submitted photo for parents, you are also setting a good and healthy example for your kids, and 11-year-old son, Ben, at Vibetality, a showing them that exercise is something Chandler fitness studio. that is good and fun, and not a chore.” Ania said Vibetality, which advertises Lauren Lescio, a health and fitness 15-minute workouts using whole body coordinator at the Chandler/Gilbert YMCA, vibration, has been a fun way for them to said the sooner kids start to exercise, the exercise as a family. earlier it becomes a healthy “By working out together habit. it shows Ben first hand “If parents and kids that we take our health exercise together it creates seriously, that we appreciate a healthy home life for our bodies and see it as our everyone. I feel like parents responsibility to take great don’t always do enough with care of them,” Ania said. their kids, and exercising can “We discuss the exercises help to bring families closer.” that were hard for us, the ones that were easy and how our bodies are so different. Family work out ideas Ben was able to observe that After noticing how many we too have to work hard to kids would sit in the lobby keep up with a pace and that and watch their parents work nothing is gained without out at her facility, Summers Brandi Summers said parents working toward it.” decided to teach a class for can come up with their own Ania said she and Jason kids and parents. family-friendly exercises that hope that by working out The weekly class is held they can do at home with together now, Ben will at 12 p.m. Sundays for kids their kids. Submitted photo grow up to be an adult who ages 8 to 13 and at least one also sees the importance family member. of having a fitness routine for the entire “It’s a fun opportunity for families, family. and it’s great to see the parents take “The huge benefit for us as parents on a coaching role. We do a modified is the added accountability. We have to Orangetheory Fitness routine and the learn more because we know Ben will be parents will help their kids count and keep discussing it at the dinner table later that track; it’s really neat to see,” Summers said. day.” Harold Shea, executive director of the Chandler/Gilbert YMCA, said his organization offers a wide variety of classes that are designed for parents and their children. Choices include open swim time, karate, and Zumba. In honor of National Exercise with Your Child Week, Shea said anyone who comes in between Aug. 2 and Aug. 8 can get a free two-week pass. Ania Kubicki said she and her husband, Jason, enjoy working out with their
“We do situps, pass a ball back and forth and do pushups facing one another and give each other a high five after each one. Or we do burpees facing each other and give high fives, or do lunges that are the distance across the living room,” said Summers, about the exercise also known as squat thrusts. “When parents watch television with their kids, they can also all get up and do something during the commercial breaks, like crunches or leg lifts.” Lescio said going for a bike ride, walk or enjoying a rousing game of Marco Polo in the pool might seem old-fashioned, but the important thing is that it is getting parents and kids together and exercising as a family. Parents who are training for events can still workout on their own, Summers said. “If they are training for something, parents can exercise with their kids on their rest day or easy activity days. This way, they are still getting their rest and recovery time and are still getting some exercise in and setting that great example for their kids.” Alison Stanton is a freelance writer who lives in the East Valley. She can be reached at alison@santansun.com.
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Parents can find plenty of ways to exercise with their kids outside of a gym, Summers said. “They can just go for a bike ride, run or walk,” she said. Summers said she and her daughter, 9-year-old Alaina Mowery, enjoy doing a mom-daughter partner workout inside their home.
www.valleyymca.org/location/ chandler- gilbert-family-ymca www.ymca.net/family-time www.ymca.net/healthy-family-home www.orangetheoryfitness.com www.vibetality.com/