Help my children wont go out for ANY exercise since lockdown

[Nicolabuoya]

I'm at the end of my tether. I have 5 children oldest is 17 then 14 then 12. The younger two are fine. The older ones have only been out for 'walks' only about 7 or 8 times since school closed. I am sick of nagging them to get out and get exercise, they only end up going when I've had a proper rant at them. I am sick of telling them it is for their physical and mental health, they don't seem bothered and happily sit indoors. They are doing schoolwork most of the time, but ive told them fresh air is just as important. Shall i continue telling them or just give up?

Do you go with them? Can they meet up with friends?

Mine don’t like going for walks so we don’t go. Not gonna force them.

My teenagers won't leave the house either. And if I force them they moan like hell and make the experience wholly unpleasant for everyone involved.

Don't know what to do really. I even got one of the teachers to call them but they still refuse to leave the house.

They don't want me going with them. I haven't stopped them from meeting friends, they just don't.

True about them moaning, just gets me upset every time

No exercise, no screens.

Lock up screens then. They come out when chores are done, teens are up and washed, and they've had exercise. No compromises. Its for their mental health. Staying inside is the fastest route to depression.

What DamnYankee said!
Unless you're in a four storey townhouse, and they're up and down stairs all day then there's no way being in the house for ten weeks is healthy.

Mine are similar ages. I Forced them out yesterday and despite bickering most of the way they actually seemed to enjoy it. We’re going again tomorrow. It’s hard though, dh says he remembers his dp’s trying to force him and his db outside as teens when they didn’t want to go and it’s just a teenage thing. It just seems so much more important to get them outside because of the long time frame they’re going to be at home - if it was just the summer holidays it wouldn’t be so bad but I honestly have visions of many kids turning into those couch potatoes on wheels like in Wall-E!!

Can you send them out to the shops or to post letter?
Some kind of dancing game on a gadget?
Fundraising by walking or running?

Screens off and that includes everyone.

Thanks everyone im appreciating the suggestions. Going to start tomorrow!

Hows it going?

We have the same thing. It is really hard to do screens off when they have schoolwork to do by particular times (which requires access to screens) and DH and I are both working FT from home...

Rain in newcastle today, they are going later with my husband! Just got to be persistent and nice i think.....

I think maybe i need to change my approach regarding this issue with them.
Do i need to take a chill pill and maybe just go with the flow??

My 13 year old has barely been out of the house since lockdown. Can't force him and I'm not going to, pick your battles. This time won't last forever even if it feels like it.

Tell them if they won’t go out they’ll need to find a way of exercising indoors (YouTube video or whatever)

mine are same age.

We said that wifi goes off if they don't go out for some sort of exercise.

But we gave them plenty of options.

they have gradually foudn a way, the youngets go out after dinner, to cycle or walk the dog, or (shock horror) to run!
The first week was a fight, then it got easier as it ebcame habit. Harder since the rain started though.

But 17 yo is self motivated, he was weight lifting and joggin to keep fit (he regularly went to the gymn at school) It is pretty much impossible to convince him to do anything he doesn't want to do, so if he wasn[t keen, it would be a waste of time trying to persuade him.

I used the vitamin D argument. It is (they think) key in fighting COVID-19. So - 20 minutes in the sun or 40 minutes inf the cloudy daylight to get your viatmin D in case you gte ill. It seemed to work!

Can't they be responsible for taking the younger ones out sometimes ? Most teens won't play football, hide and seek etc by themselves but mine can certainly be persuaded to entertain their younger cousins (when it's not lockdown)

Tbh I don't like going out for a walk without a purpose and I'm an adult!

I think the better thing is to get them to cycle on errands eg to the post office (socially distancing) or walk to get something specific from a shop or collect a pizza or walk the dog. Sometimes "bribing" them with a "pick up yourself an x, y or z on the way home" can help ... .

My nearly 17 yr old DD runs and keeps a note of her times on some sort of running app on a group with five friends with whom she was going to run a 10k (which was cancelled) but they have kept up the training individually. Like the pp though, I wouldn't have been able to persuade her to do this if she hadn't already been doing it.

Look out for socially distanced exercise sessions in parks in the future too - or maybe teens will be able to get together and organise some if there are none in your area?

Get them to download the Strava app, it records running, cycling etc and lets you know how fast you go. It motivates my dc to go out more as they like knowing how many miles they have done each week and month and if they are getting faster.