Getting our Family Fit

OUCH!  I have learned a few things over the past several weeks.  Number 1, I am getting old and I am out of shape.  Number 2, my kids are out of shape. Number 3, getting in shape can be fun – but painful.  When we found out that we were going to get to use and review Family Time Fitness, Fitness 4 Homeschool Curriculum, I wasn’t exactly sure how intense this program was going to be.  I have never actually taught physical fitness / exercise to my kids.  We have always had either a co-op or gym membership or sports activities to fill that need.  With the ever-sinking economy, we had to cancel our gym membership several months ago.  The kids were not interested in playing a sport this year, and the phys. ed. teacher at our co-op was not someone they wanted to take a class from. So, in a very short time, we had all become ‘couch potatoes.’

     Family Time Fitness is a complete fitness program for kids in grades k-8.  It is designed to be used as a family fitness program, complete with all sorts of neat extras like a daily food diary, grocery list, meal planner, nutrition log, tracking calendar, and assessment tool. Packed with 260 daily lesson plans, Family Time Fitness is a thorough program with more than enough information and activities to get a family not only through a school year, but also through a lifetime.  Lessons are laid out in 2 ways.  First of all, after downloading the lesson files to either a computer or portable device like a tablet, you will need to read the introduction.  This set of 13 pages gives you suggestions for how to use the program, links to the assessment tool and the other extras listed above, and a list of the basic equipment needed for the program. Unlike other fitness programs that require expensive equipment, Family Time Fitness uses common equipment that most families will already have around the house.  Equipment like bean bags, tennis balls, music, playground balls, cones, and hula hoops are some examples of the equipment needed.  Also, there are many times when you can substitute things for the suggested equipment.  For example, one of the activities in Lesson 21 is the Hot Potato Toss.  This activity requires tossing a bean bag back and forth.  We misplaced our bean bags, so we used a rolled up pair of socks. 

     I think one of the most valuable aspects of Family Time Fitness, for me, is that in each lesson links are provided to demonstration videos of the activities / exercises.  Sometimes, just reading the instructions for an activity isn’t enough for me.  If I can see the activity being completed, however, I can implement it.   I found that going through the lesson plans and demo videos in advance, then printing the one page lesson summaries, was a good system for me.  The lesson summaries contain just enough information to jog my memory of what the activities need to be.  Lessons for each day, including optional outside activities, will total approximately 60 minutes.  It is recommended to complete 5 lessons per week, although you can customize the program and use it as many days per week as fits into your school schedule.  Activities include movements to teach mobility, coordination, rhythm, strength, flexibility, agility, and balance just to name a few.  Some of our favorite activities have been “Cross the River” and “Hopscotch.”  I think the hands down least favorite (and most sore muscle producing)  activity for us has been “Squat Jumps.”  Just picture doing 30 frog jumps starting with your hands on the ground then extending up and jumping.  I thought my thighs would fall off! 

      One fun part of Family Time Fitness has been the entertainment factor.  When I have been exercising with the kids, they have definitely been entertained.  It’s not often you get to see a 47 year old lady doing a bear crawl!  More times than I care to mention, our fitness sessions erupted in uncontrollable giggles and many pictures taken of mom doing the workout (none of which will ever be seen by human eye!).  I have taken some video of the kids working out – and as soon as I figure out how to actually download, upload, whatever load the video – it is going to be posted.  (Sometimes, you just need some teenagers to help with this pesky electronic stuff!) I won’t say that a fitness program has been their favorite curriculum of all time, but, this one does rank right up at the top.  It has gotten them moving in a, most of the time, fun way.  They have taken some of the games and played them with their friends – not realizing they were getting in shape while doing it.  I am seeing less couch time and more active time.  I feel better overall and I can tell they do.

     Family Time Fitness is available for a one-time cost of $57 for the entire program.  This price absolutely floored me!  We paid more than this for one month at the gym and didn’t get nearly all of the benefits.  For value, thoroughness, flexibility, and fun, Family Time Fitness is number one in our home.  We will be using this for many years to come.

     To read other reviews of Family Time Fitness, visit our Schoolhouse Review Crew blog page.

**Disclaimer:  As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received Family Time Fitness at no cost to me for purposes of review.  No compensation was received.