Fitness & Equipment Guides > How Keeping Active Affects Your Children

How Keeping Active Affects Your Children

29th Mar 19

Exercising regularly, along with other healthy habits, can positively influence many aspects of your life. There are a lot more benefits than you realise, ranging from physical well-being, such as helping you manage health issues, to mental health and improving quality of life. As adults, we spend a lot of time looking at how keeping active helps us, but why start younger and see how keeping active can affect your children?


Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.

Physically Healthier

It might seem too obvious to say, but one of the primary ways that keeping fit affects your kids is that you are setting an excellent example for them. They will see your behaviour as the norm and strive to achieve that for themselves.

This will create long-term positive habits, which a lot of adults struggle to achieve once they decide to improve their fitness! This is so unbelievably important because it’s going to really make a difference in their growth and development, as well as reduce the risk of health issues.

Adopting healthy habits from an early age will also help reduce the risk of childhood obesity!

Safer & Stronger

woman and child keeping active

Not only are you physically healthier together, but the increased physical benefits that you’ll feel will do even more for your children. On one hand, you’ll be able to keep up with them and all the wild, active things they might get up to.

On the other hand, exercise can be the perfect learning platform for children. From the playground to your front room, you’ll be able to join them and encourage a fun and safe learning environment that will allow them to thrive. This a great way to introduce your children to the concepts of teamwork, structure and leadership. They will also benefit from a source of healthy stress, which will, in turn, create resilience and tenacity in your children.

Mental Benefits

woman and child doing yoga poses to keep active

Keeping fit affects your children in ways outside their physical health. It’s been proven time and time again that exercise has fantastic effects on your mental health. It releases endorphins and gives you a good outlet for you to deal with any other emotions as well. Exercise can help you build a forward-looking attitude by making positive changes in your life.

Not only can your children also benefit from this throughout their upbringing, but they’ll also see the benefits in you as a parent. You’ll be happier, which will make them happier. Anxiety and depression are becoming more prominent among young people, particularly teenagers. Exercise is one of the healthy habits that can positively influence those issues. It can also lead to more confidence and improved relationships in children and teenagers, so it’s a win-win situation.

Increased Levels of Energy

man and boy using dumbbells

Staying with the mental benefits of a healthy lifestyle, the increase in positivity from your attitude will go further than just how you feel. The chemical reactions that exercise causes will lead to a considerable increase in your energy levels, too.

You’ll feel a lot more active, and this has a direct impact on your children. You will be able to do more activities together, stay on their level and get the most out of life for both of you! And luckily for you, exercising will be the perfect outlet for the energy that children naturally possess. This means that you won’t have to worry as much about finding ways to keep them engaged all day.

Improved Relationship

Ultimately, one of the best benefits of introducing your children to an active lifestyle is that you will be able to spend more time together. In turn, this will allow you to better your relationship with them. Exercising does not come down to only being in the gym. Most activities will involve some type of workout, from running and swimming to playing sports or even simpler childhood games.

Making time in your day to be active with your children will also ensure that they get to socialise with the whole family. And if you keep this up, you can be sure that the parent-child relationship will also be a healthy one!


Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.

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