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As a child, playing outside forms such an important part of growing up and it's really important for a child's development as well, both their physical development and actually developing things like independence and resilience. But for working parents in particular, it can be really difficult to try and find the time to play outdoors with your child. So today I'm joined by Shakira Akabusi, founder of Strong Light Mum. I'm gonna have a little chat about some of the benefits of exercise outdoors as a family and also how, as a parent, you can encourage your children to get outdoors and play. So Shakira, let's start off with what are some of the benefits of exercising for children and actually for the whole family?

So I think being outside gives us this really amazing opportunity where we can bond and play away from other distractions from technology and screens, you know, getting outside and doing something in the open air. And there's so much research behind the benefits of exercising outdoors, being outdoors together, and even just the colour green, how that can boost our mood and our wellbeing. And for children, being able to feel the floor underneath your feet can really help them to grow and develop with things like coordination and balance and just exploring the natural world. So it's just a really part, a good part of their overall wellbeing and growth.

And I once learned that if you ask a person their first childhood memory, the first thing they can remember, the majority of people will say something about when they're outdoors-

That's interesting.

because we tend to be happy when we're outdoors. So are your kids ever really reluctant to go outside and play? And if they are, how do you overcome that?

Yeah, so absolutely, I mean, all of my children enjoy being outside once they're there, but I think you hit the nail on the head, how do we get them out of the door. And so for me, I just set them a small little commitment. So I'll say to them something like, "We'll go outside for five minutes and then we can come indoors and get snugly," and then we can come indoor. Once they're outside, they're in the moment, they're enjoying themselves, more often than not, we're likely to stay outside for longer once we're there. And also, really encouraging them by making it adventurous, making it fun. You know, my children love treasure hunts. I can write little clues down or I'll say something like, "Let's go and climb a tree and see how high we can get. Can we get to the moon?" or, you know, and doing all these kind of games.

Making it high energy, making it exciting. Are there any other types of sort of games or activities that you recommend families can try or actually the children, we can encourage them to go out on their own-

To do it on their own.

have a go out.

So I think the more imaginative and creative, we can make an exercise. You know, maybe it's not a plank, maybe it's a train tunnel, you know, for children. And my middle son actually came up this great idea the other day. He said to me, "Mama, I want to do planet yoga," and he took us through all the different planets, and on the moon, we were jumping around and then we spanned like the rings on Saturn and, you know, bringing that creativity into movement and activity to make it fun for them and make it an adventure.

That's kind of imagination as well, isn't it? 'Cause I think, often children now, they are immersed in a video game or they're looking at a screen. and actually, for the brain to develop, using our imagination is really, really important. And it's not just about children, it's about us as well. There are loads of benefits for us as adults to exercising outside. Is that something you like to do and how do you find the time, having four children, to get outdoors and exercise yourself?

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, for me, being able to exercise as a mom, that's really where this deep love for exercise grew even more for me because often, you know, you mentioned I have four children, it can be busy, it can be noisy, there's a lot of demand on my time, and being able to get outside, whether it's just for a five minute stretch or a 20 minute walk around the block, it just allows me to sort of decompress and release some of those stresses that I feel, and then I can go back into parenting often feeling much more positive than I did before.

I can only imagine, four children, young children, how much noise and chaos that must be so...

It can be noisy, yes. You know, as for fitting in the time and when can we do it, for me, there's certain times of the day where I'll feel more energetic or, I love early mornings, so I can get up half an hour early. And I know, even though we might think exercise is gonna drain our energy, it can actually give us energy. So if I can get outside and go for a walk or a jog for half an hour, I'm gonna feel much more fueled and prepared for the day ahead.

Yeah. No, you're right, it does give you more energy but there's no way I'm getting outta bed a minute earlier than I absolutely need to. That wouldn't work for me. But I think, for me, you know, being busy being a mum of one, I'm very, very busy. I don't know how you do it. For me, I've had to make it a non-negotiable. I've had to make sure that exercise and spending some time outdoors go to the top of the list because it's so easy for that self-care to slip to the bottom of the list. But I know that if I'm doing that, even if it is a 10 minute walk around the block, like you say, it's not just good for me, it's actually good for everyone else who's around me as well.

Absolutely. And if you can't, you know, find the time to get outside without your children, go out as a family and have that time all together.

Yeah, brilliant advice. Thank you.

Exercise is so important for young people to thrive when they're young, but also we know that being active when you're young means you're more likely to be an active adult. Today I'm joined by Shakira Akabusi, founder of Strong Like Mum, and we're gonna be talking about some tips for how parents can encourage their children to be active and engage with exercise. So, Shakira, why is exercise so important for young people and also how can families benefit from being active together?

So I feel like this is a really crucial time, because this is where we're gonna lay those healthy habits that we're gonna take forwards with us into adulthood. And this is for the whole family to engage in exercise. It's not only a bonding experience, but actually, it also allows us to have a goal, achieve something, learn about focus, persistence, getting that hard work ethic in, and particularly now for young adults, teenagers, getting that sense of community outside of the home in a new sporting environment can be really confidence boosting and a great way for them to explore a little bit of independence as well.

Yeah, I think there's something about exercise. Obviously it's great for physical health, it's really important for mental health too but it can build that resilience, it can build character. I know for me as an individual, I think, getting into exercise really helped with confidence and actually becoming competitive has a knock-on effect that it really helped me with my academics as well. And we know that being active can help children focus and concentrate and therefore help them attain better goals.

Absolutely, and it's great, it also helps us sleep better and achieve this better sleep pattern. And that's gonna help us feel more energised, more focused throughout the day, particularly if you're looking at exams for example, being able to relieve that physical tension that we might have. And also just to boost our brain focus and our energy is always fantastic.

It's also been linked to less challenging behaviour. So I think I can get all the kids through.

So how can parents encourage their children and teenagers and I think teenagers in particular, often they just wanna say no to whatever their parents are suggesting. So how can parents overcome that and, I guess, support their youngsters to get active?

So, firstly, I think, a lot can be done just by having these healthy habits and demonstrating these healthy habits ourselves.

So, role modelling.

Role modelling it, yeah. And just using positive language around sports. So focusing maybe on how it makes you feel and not referring it to yourself as being boring or draining or, "Oh, I've got to go to the gym." You're making it seem fun and exciting when you're discussing it in front of your children, and then I think we can help to encourage them in so many other ways by letting them explore what they're passionate about. Often we can have a sport we really enjoy, and try to push that onto our children, but actually letting them explore their natural, where they naturally want to go with it and giving them that freedom.

I think part of the, and what can be a really challenging part of parenting teenagers is that sort of stepping back from being the problem solver and the giving ideas and coming up with the solutions and letting them come up with their own solutions and ideas and really supporting them with that. It's a really important part of them growing up, becoming more independent and making decisions for themselves.

That's it. So what are some good ideas then of, I guess, things that the kids and teenagers can actually do to be active?

So there's so many great ways we can keep active as a whole family. You might want to create a rounders game. We did that all the time growing up playing family rounders. It was so much fun and really brought the fun into it for me. And then it might be that you can be a little bit competitive within your family and maybe that's gonna motivate some people and trying different things. Maybe we can incorporate being active into a hobby that your child already has. So if they're into gaming, maybe we're gonna get a game where we're standing up and we're being physical with it. If they are interested in painting, maybe you can hike with them to a beautiful view so that they can paint something from a different perspective. And just finding different ways to bring movement into their day-to-day.

I think sometimes it's a bit about planning as well, isn't it, wherever you're going. Say for example, you're going for a day out as a family and you're gonna stop in a field and have a picnic, just for an example, making sure there is a ball or a Frisbee or something there, that enables that physical activity in a fun way.

Exactly.

All right, well thank you so much. I think the key message here is that it's so incredibly important for young people to be active and that's what encourages them to become active adults as well. And sometimes it's about thinking outside the box, but really, really encouraging and supporting them when they are being active.

Absolutely.