Celebrity trainer Latreal Mitchell shares her top workout tips for getting children active
Michael Strahan's personal trainer recommends making fitness fun for kids.
— -- Celebrity trainer Latreal Mitchell shared some of her favorite workout moves you can do from home to help get the whole family in shape on "Good Morning America" today.
Mitchell, who is the personal trainer for "GMA" anchor Michael Strahan, is also the founder of the non-profit organization Fitness Bunch, which aims to fight childhood obesity.
Mitchell, a trainer on E!'s “Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian,” said one way she recommends making exercise fun for children is by turning it into a game, so that they may not even realize that they are working out.
Here are her top-3 tips to help get the whole family moving and active in the new year.
'GMA' grab bag workout game
This fun workout game can help get children moving even while they are just watching TV.
Simply fill a bag with pieces of paper that are each labeled with a simple workout move you can do from home. During commercial breaks, ask children to draw a piece of paper out of the bag and then do the workout move listed on the slip of paper continuously until the commercial is over.
Some fun workout moves Mitchell recommends including are a simple drop kick (or semi-squat) to front kick, and twist hops (or hopping and twisting your body from side to side).
Work out with a partner
Having a good workout partner is also one of Mitchell's key tips for getting in shape. A workout partner can help hold you accountable for every workout, according to Mitchell.
One fun move that is great with a partner are partner planks and hop overs.
To do this move, have one person hold a plank, and then have their partner step over their body. Swap positions and repeat.
Dance party workout
The final way Mitchell recommends turning fitness into fun for the whole family is to do a dance party workout.
Mitchell says this can be done anywhere, and the only rules are to not stop dancing during the entire time a song is playing.
Some fun dance moves Mitchell recommends throwing in to work various muscle groups are the running man, the bird, the lasso and the water sprinkler.
Mitchell's top-10 health and fitness tips for children and adults
The celebrity trainer also broke down her top-10 tips for staying healthy in the new year, emphasizing the importance of sticking to your health goals in the long term, saying, "Living a healthy lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint."
1. Cut out soda and juices! Supplement those drinks with sparkling water infused with fresh fruit, water and caffeine-free teas.
2. Make better snack choices. Instead of chips and cookies, go for the veggies with guacamole or hummus and fresh fruit.
3. Be careful of “sugar free” stuff. Most of those products contain artificial sweeteners that you want to avoid. Read the labels!
4. Do something active every day! Take a walk, have a dance party or do the “GMA gym grab bag," but move!
5. Set a weekly plan with the family and post it on the fridge with the person who should be in charge of the activity. This way kids and parents will hold each other accountable for their daily activities.
6. After dinner, instead of screen time, do something active like take a walk around the block.
7. Don’t buy junk food when you go grocery shopping -- if it’s not in the house you will not be tempted to eat it. Make it an activity to go get a treat if you want it. ... Work for it!
8. Avoid fast food and start cooking healthy meals at home.
9. If you have a bad day, don’t quit. You and your family are worth it!
10. Lead by example and start making one healthier choice a day. Living a healthy lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint.
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