We all have a little angel and a little devil on our shoulder. The little angel tells us the “right” thing to do. When it comes to our health, she tells us to buy the healthy food, drink more water and exercise. The little devil talks us out these things, helps us justify our excuses and tells us we’re doing our best (even when we’re not).

With my family, the angel wants me to “get in the game” and have fun with the kids, but the devil tells me that I deserve a break. For example, if I take the kids to the park the angel says, “You brought them to the park, and this playground is pretty darn cool. Get out there and make up an obstacle course and see who wins.” But, the devil says, “You brought them to the park, didn’t you? Just tell them ‘go play’ and go read your book under that nice shady tree over there. Keep an eye on them and yell if they go up the slide the wrong way.”

To my credit, I ride bikes with my daughter, I’ve been doing lots of swimming this summer and our first mini-vacation was a hiking trip to Turkey Run. If you were at Skateland Indy for the FitCity Challenge last week, you probably saw me trying to keep up on roller skates. I was the one with the triangle on my back – you know the triangle they put on the back of slow moving vehicles!

I still want to do more because it’s important that kids see their parents as fitness role models. In fact, guess what’s #1 on this list of tips for creating a healthy family lifestyle? Lead by example.  What a coincidence: That’s what the little angel on my shoulder keeps telling me to do, too.

How do you set the example for your family?

Tags: family fitness, family health, motivation

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