070 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK SEPTEMBER 2019
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
BY OUR RESIDENT OLYMPIANBY JO PAVEYWhat are some ideas for
family fitness activities?
Rather than heading out
on my own for a run, we
regularly go together to
beautiful locations such
as a forest, a canal or to
the coast. My husband
and I run while our son,
Jacob, who’s nine, and our
daughter, Emily, five, enjoy
riding alongside on their
bikes. Jacob will often do a
bit of running with me, too.
It’s great if you can get the
kids active while making it
a fun day out. In the forest,
we mess around on the
bike track after the run, as
well as play in the woods.
Wherever we go, we often
end up in a playground
afterwards. If we’re near
the coast, we’ll head on to
the beach and play games
and go paddleboarding.
There are also plenty of
events that you can enter
as a family. We recently
took our children to the
Simplyhealth Great Bristol
Family Run and they had
a fantastic day, really
feeding off the positive
atmosphere. It was so
uplifting to see so many
kids and parents running
together and enjoying the
experience. A parkrun or
junior parkrun are also
brilliant events for families
to take part in.
Of course, it’s nice to
enjoy simple activities
in the garden or local park
with your kids, such as
ball games, tag or frisbee.
It’s fun to make up games,
too, such as treasure hunts
and obstacle courses.
Involve your children in
deciding on an activity that
the family can do together
so that they feel like they
are contributing to family
fitness ideas.It’s so important to find time to encourage
our kids to be active. It improves their
physical health and also has a positive
impact on their mental health, boosting
their confidence, making them feel
happier, less stressed and more able to
focus at school. Children who exercise
regularly are also more likely to keep fit
and make healthy lifestyle choices in
adulthood. The government recommends
that children have at least 60 minutes of
physical activity a day; however, a YouGov
poll found that 91 per cent of children fall
short of this target.
All of us who are parents and runners
have the opportunity to be good role
models for our children. It’s a huge
motivator for me to be able to enjoy
quality family time by being active
together. We like to encourage our
children to try different activities, too.
My son, Jacob, loves swimming and
running, so he was keen to go to a surf
lifesaving club, where he gets to do both.
My daughter, Emily, enjoys the run-a-mile
club at school. Active clubs give kids the
chance to socialise as well as boost their
fitness levels; they also learn life skills,
such as working as part of a team. Ask
your children what they are interested in
trying. It’s nice for them to feel like they’re
making good choices for themselves.
It’s important to find activities that they
enjoy – you don’t want your child to find
exercise a chore. Encourage them by
heaping on praise for a good attitude
and remind them that the most important
thing is that they are enjoying it.How can I encourage my children
to be more active outdoors?
PHOTOGRAPHS:^PHILIP^ VOLKERS,^ HELLOLOVE;^ THEGREATRUN^
COM
PANY/BENHUGHES.
*PLEASE^ NOTE:^JOPAVEY^ IS^ UNABLE^ TO^RESPOND^
DIRECTLYT
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QUERIE
S
Jo has joined
forces with
Simplyhealth
to encourage
families to
exercise and be
more active
together. The
Simplyhealth
Active Plan helps
pay towards
the cost of a
range of health
treatments,
such as gait
analysis, health
assessments,
physiotherapy,
chiropractic
treatment,
acupuncture
and dental
treatments.
For more
information, visit
simplyhealth.
co.uk/health-
plansPlan of
actionRUNNING IN
THE FAMILY
Jo with her children,
Emily and Jacob, and
husband Gavin