OFF THE BENCH

It's time for parents to get off the bench and become Fearless through engagement; breaking down social barriers by LISTENING; and finding positive affirmation through ENCOURAGEMENT. Our parent Fearless Program is designed with that parent in mind who seeks that extra push and guidance to encourage an enlightenment of physical activity and healthier habits with their child. Challenging both the parent and child along the way, The parent Fearless Program becomes a recipe for stronger family bonding, accountability, and respect.

Performance Modeling Activities

The Walk of Reflection – Set aside 30 minutes to walk with your daughter or son; just the two of you. Determine your path and set a timer for 30 minutes before you begin. During your walk, take turns reflecting on positive things that have happened in the past. As soon as one person reflects, the next person must reflect. If there is no reflection or either person speaks something negative, immediately stop your walk and both participants must do 10 jumping jacks. Continue the activity until the 30 minutes has expired.

The Walk of Perseverance – Set aside time to walk with your daughter or son; just the two of you. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Both you and your child will speedwalk for one minute, then regular walk for one minute. Alternate back and forth without stopping continuously for the total 15 minutes. Remember to emphasize the importance of consistent breathing, arm use, stride, and completing the task. If at anytime either person needs to stop, add an additional minute to the timer before beginning again.

The Walk of Mindset – Set aside 1 hour to walk with your daughter or son; just the two of you. In this exercise, let your son/daughter pick a topic. When you begin walking, allow your son or daughter to pick 1 word which relates to the topic of their choice. The parent then must say the word they heard and follow it with a word relating to the topic which starts with the last letter of the word their child said. Every time you come up with a word, your child has to stop and do 10 jumping jacks. If you cannot come up with a word, you complete the 10 jumping jacks. Repeat with your son/daughter picking another topic and choosing a word relating to the new topic. This time the parent must say the word they heard and follow it with a word relating to the topic which starts with the first letter of the word their child said. Allow your child to choose all topics and words; then the next time you walk, rotate the rolls.

Supportive Modeling Activities

Mirror The Plank – Both the parent and child will set a goal for how many minutes AND how many sets they will complete of planks. The parent and child will both be in the plank position, facing one another. When one fails, the other fails; therefore, supporting one another is crucial to complete the set number of minutes and sets. If one person falls, both fail.

Leap The Line – Place a rope or jump rope in a straight line on the ground. Set a number of jumps to complete back and forth. While facing your child, begin jumping on opposite sides of the rope. Make sure both participants land on opposite sides for each jump. Once you have completed the set number, place your inside hand closest to the rope to the other persons inside hand. Jump back and forth again, this time switching hands each jump. The goal is to make sure your hands touch each time. Anytime your hand misses, either start the exercise over or subtract a specified number from your total completed.

My Push, Your Up – Both the parent and child will set a goal for how many push ups total between the two you would like to complete. The parent and child should both begin on the floor; one in an up pushup position and the other in a down pushup position. As the child goes one direction, the parent goes the other direction. Practice going slow and steady instead of quick and off balance. Also remember when coming up to exhale through the mouth and when going down, inhale through the nose.

Retreat

Retreat and find a peaceful place where each moment has a growing opportunity to heal your faith. Find a reflection of hope in the person you just walked with. Remind them of their compass as they accomplished their Performance Modeling Activity.

Refresh

Refresh by taking a moment to reflect. Today's calm meets its inner peace at the whisper of your smile. The same way the water refreshes the body, may a calm touch the space towards the clarity unto which you walk today. Love is the bridge, but faith keeps it stable. Refresh your purpose knowing that complaining gives success to failure.

Renew

You will renew your day only when you find balance. Take control of your life, but be calm in your words towards others. Your habits today will renew the possibilities towards fulfilling your dreams tomorrow. You are the gift that renews hope.

Active Design Activities

Corner The House – Both the parent and child pick a time limit (i.e. 2 minutes). The child goes first and must run and touch as many corners throughout the house while keeping count of every corner he/she touches. When time is expired, the parent does the same activity and tries to beat the amount of corners. Parent and child can then do the same activity on the outside of the house being creative of what corners (straight, angled, colored, etc) and how much time is allotted. Turn this activity into a unique scavenger hunt involving speed and agility.
Who says running in the house is all that bad when there is purpose in the madness.

HECK (Healthy Eating Challenge Kick).. Why Not?? – As a parent, observing what your child eats means giving them some control of the cooking. Let your child put an every other day menu together. Parents should also fill in their menu for the alternate days. Then come together and revamp the overall menu. Look for consistencies in things that you both like, and agree to sacrifice 2-3 "unhealthy" items on each side of the aisle between the two of you. Set a night where you cook with your child and another night where your child cooks for you. Also gauge how many carbs in each meal. Discuss a eating calendar throughout the day which eliminates sweets and increases healthy organic foods. Create one night as a mystery night where you both make a list of 5 ingredients and then come together to make something with only those ingredients. Make eating healthy fun and rewarding at the same time. HECK...Why Not??

Drop The Yard – Train for a run (5k) or cycling (100 mile) milestone. Set a goal and prepare a schedule which includes completing the milestone with both the child and parent. Let the child create activities which help you both prepare to meet your milestone.