Believe it or not, losing weight and improving your health can be a great family activity. If you want to get fit, why not get the whole family involved? It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend some time together, and to show your kids how easy and enjoyable it can be to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise is the perfect way to start. Exercising for weight loss doesn’t mean hitting the gym for hours every day. In fact, the more creative you are with your exercises, the more fun they’ll be, and the more you’ll be likely to stick to them. Get the family on board (or even involved in a family competition!) with these great exercises, which you can try with your partner or one of your kids:

1. Squat medicine ball throw step backs

Start position:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing your partner. One partner holds a medicine ball tightly at chest level. Stand approximately three steps away from each other.

Movement:

At the same time, both perform a squat, and as you both come up, each take a step back while the partner with the ball throws it to the other. With each repetition you should be slowly moving back. When you are approximately ten metres apart, work your way back in.

2. Push up claps, head to head (either do on knees or toes)

Start position:

Both start in a push up position, head to head, either both kneeling or both up on your toes, making sure there is a small gap between you.

Movement:

At the same time, perform a push up, and as you both come up out of the push up, lift one hand off the ground and clap it against your partner’s lifted hand. Ensure you clap diagonally opposite hands so you have to reach across the body slightly. Switch hands with each push up.

3. Towel row, face to face

Start position:

Sit on the ground, facing each other, with your knees bent up in front of your bodies. Sit with enough space so partners can interlock at the ankles. Make sure your knees aren’t bent up into your chest too much. Each of you should grip one end of a towel or resistance band.

Movement:

Using your back muscles and arms, one partner performs a row and pulls the towel into their chest while the other creates resistance by pulling in the opposite direction. Perform the row until the partner resisting has straight arms, then go in the opposite direction, switching roles backwards and forwards.

4. Sit and drag

Start position:

One partner sits on a mat or even a cardboard box (something that will slide) holding onto a towel. The other partner stands in front, facing them, holding onto the other end of the towel.

Movement:

The standing partner runs backwards, using their legs as much as possible, dragging the other partner along. Drag for the desired distance, then go back in the other direction. Swap roles.

5. Wheelbarrow walks, multi-directional

Start position:

One partner starts in a push up position with their hands on the ground underneath their shoulders, while the other holds onto this partner’s legs at the ankle. Ensure the person in the “wheelbarrow” position maintains good posture with a straight body.

Movement:

The standing partner walks the “wheelbarrow” forward five steps, then backwards five steps to the start point. They then move sideways five steps to the left and back to the start, then sideways to the right five steps and back to the start, and then finally backward five steps and forward to the start.

6. Medicine ball sit up and squat

Start position:

One partner sits down in a sit up position, holding onto a medicine ball at their chest, while the other stands on this partner’s feet.

Movement:

The partner on the ground performs a sit up, throwing the medicine ball as they rise up. The standing partner catches the ball as they perform a squat. The partner performing a sit up should remain up at 45 degrees while the other partner performs a squat. The squatting partner then throws the ball back to their partner, who catches it and lowers back down from the sit up position.

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7. Push and body pick ups

Start position: Stand facing each other, with one partner’s hand on the other partner’s shoulders. The partner touching the shoulder is the “pusher”.

Movement:

The pusher pushes the other partner backwards; the other partner should push back against the pressure. Once the pusher has pushed them about five metres, they stop, bend, wrap their arms around their partner’s waist, and lift them straight up, driving with their legs. When they lower the partner back down, they should return their hands to that partner’s shoulders and push them back another five metres. Repeat five times and then swap roles.

8. Swiss ball tackles

Start position:

Using a Swiss ball, both partners stand on opposite sides of the ball and perform a bear hug around the ball, holding it as tightly as possible. One person becomes nominated as the “stealer”, the other the “keeper’.

Movement:

For ten seconds, the stealer has to try and steal the ball away from the other person however they can, using their legs and arms. Whoever’s arms come off the ball receives penalties. If the stealer can’t take the ball away from the keeper in the time limit, they receive penalties.

Tip: Penalties can be whatever both agree on, eg ten push ups.

9. Down up medicine ball throws

Start position:

Start standing facing each other, approximately six steps apart. One partner holds a medicine ball tightly at their chest.

Movement:

At the same time, both partners get down and perform a push up, then jump back up to their feet. On the way back up to standing, the partner with the ball throws the ball to the other. Both then lower back down and perform a push up again. Repeat, throwing the ball backwards and forwards each time.

Tip: Both partners have to work together so they move in tandem.

10. Lying leg raise and throw

Start position:

One partner lies on the ground with their legs out straight, and the other stands behind. The partner on the ground should bend their arms above their head and hold onto their partner’s ankles.

Movement:

The partner lying down raises their legs all the way up off the ground, keeping them straight the whole time and bringing their feet towards the standing partner’s hips. The partner standing then catches the lying partner’s feet and pshes their legs back down towards the ground. The lying partner uses their abs to stop their legs from hitting the ground again, and raise them back up. Repeat.

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By Sally Symonds, weight loss coach and author of 50 Steps to Lose 50kg…And Keep It Off, 50+ Recipes to Lose 50+kg…And Keep It Off, and 50 Ways to Weight-Loss Motivation. Visit www.sallysymonds.com.au for further information about Sally’s range of products and services, or follow Sally on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sally.symonds