This post is sponsored by Fitivities. All thoughts and the story are all my own. 

Before my daughters were old enough to exercise with me, I would go to the local aerobics studio three to four times each week. I worked out regularly because it felt good. As my daughters grew older, the workouts decreased. Motherhood and homeschooling was changing for me, and I didn't know how to do the things I was used to doing along with my new responsibilities of teaching my daughters. 

Now we are at a place where exercise isn't only important for me, but it is also a priority for them. It's my goal to help my daughters make it into adulthood healthy and not overweight (this is subjective). In order to do this, I had to put myself aside (it's easier for me to exercise alone) and think about our needs collectively. 

Paving the Way to Intentionally Move Each Day

Choose a time of day that works for the majority

Exercising for us is best in the morning. My oldest daughter loves her morning showers; once she's dressed, exercising to break a sweat is no longer on the agenda unless we choose to go for a late evening walk. Exercising in the morning also works well because it gets us ready for the day as a whole. Exercise is known to help clear the brain and give an energy boost. 

Not only is the time of day important, but also putting exercise into our plans several days of week also helps create routine. Currently, I write down exercise with my daughters in my planner for three times during the work week, and on some Saturday mornings we enjoy family exercise with dad. By writing it down, I am setting exercise as a priority. 

Start with familiar exercises

Are you uncertain about which exercises to do? Not knowing what to do is one of the top reasons for people to not complete a task. My advice is to start off simple. I am not an exercise guru. We aren't doing strenuous activities or running marathons. Our exercise routine includes walking a few miles several times a week. We all know how to walk, and we can walk far to get our hearts pumping. For muscle specific exercises, we use the Fitivities task cards.  We do a card or two after our morning walk while our heart rates are still up. The cards are a great way to activate muscles we don't often use. The cards include exercises that we are familiar with like jumping jacks, and exercises we're getting better doing like helicopters. 

Keep exercise fun and not a chore

The first step to incorporate fitness into your homeschool is MOVING. Don't overthink or complicate the process simply tell yourself and your children, "Today we will intentional move even if it is only for 15 minutes."