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简体中文 The Ultimate Race
Life is like a race!
Quick jumps:
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Acts 20:24 | Run for the good of others | Run the race to the finish | Run to win the prize |
Warm-up
| |||
Move  | |||
Challenge
| |||
Explore
| |||
Play
|
Watch the family.fit five steps
Getting started
Help your family to be active this week with three fun sessions:
- Involve everyone – anyone can lead!
- Adapt for your family
- Encourage each other
- Challenge yourselves
- Don’t exercise if it causes pain
Share family.fit with others:
- Post a photo or video on social media and tag with #familyfit or @familyfitnessfaithfun
- Do family.fit with another family
Day 1: Warm-up
Drop to the ground
Run around the room or yard as you do this activity.
One person is the leader. When the leader shouts out a body part such as elbow, knee, back, or ear, everyone must put that body part on the ground.
Rest and talk together.
Talk about some of the races you have competed in.
Go deeper: Tell of a time when you thought winning the race was not the most important outcome?
Day 1: Move
Basic sit-ups
Lie on your back with legs bent and feet firmly on the floor. Curl your body towards your knees to “sit up”. Return to start position.
Work with a partner. One person does sit-ups while the other holds their feet down. Do five sit-ups and swap places.
Do five rounds.
Go easier: Complete three rounds.
Day 1: Challenge
Tower challenge
Work in pairs with six cups per pair. One person holds superman while the other does five sit-ups. After each round place one cup to build a tower. Swap roles. Continue for three minutes. How many 6-cup towers can you build? Rest for three minutes and try again.
Day 1: Explore
Run for the good of others
Read Acts 20:24 from the Bible.
The apostle Paul says a life of serving Jesus is like competing in a race. Paul is in this race. In fact, all followers of Jesus are in the same race. We can learn a lot about following Jesus by thinking about life as a long race – a marathon.
Find a space to run some three-legged races. Stand in pairs side by side. Each pair uses a rag or stocking to tie their inside legs together. Now run!
How important was it to think about your partner as you ran your race?
Think about your life’s race. What is the race like?
Read Acts 20:24 again.
What was Paul’s main task in life?
Paul considered the things of life as nothing compared to helping others know the good news of Jesus.
Chat to God: Take your rags or stockings and help each other tie all your hands together. Thank God for giving you the opportunity to run life’s race together as a family.
Day 1: Play
Swamp walk
Find a partner and get two sheets of paper. Pretend the ground is a swamp and the sheets of paper are the only dry land. Choose a destination across the room or yard. One person places and moves the papers on the floor to help the other person step across the swamp. Swap places and guide the other person across safely. Who reached the goal the fastest?
Reflect: Was this hard or easy to do? What helped you reach your goal?
Health tip for living long
Eat lots of vegetables.
Day 2: Warm-up
Junkyard dog
One person sits on the floor with legs out to the front and arms out to the side. The others jump over the arm, the legs and the second arm. Everybody jumps two rounds and changes places, so everybody gets to jump.
Rest and talk together.
Does anyone have a medal, trophy, certificate or ribbon for finishing a race? Get it and tell the story.
Go deeper: Tell of a time when you gave up and didn’t finish something. Why did this happen?
Day 2: Move
Weighted sit-ups
Find an object around your home that has some weight to it such as a bottle of water or a big book.
Do 10 sit-ups while holding the weight close to your chest. Be sure to squeeze your core when doing the sit-up.
Rest and repeat.
Go easier: Perform without weights.
Go harder: Do five rounds.
Day 2: Challenge
Crazy clock
You will need a plastic bottle and signs with the numbers 1 to 12.
Place the numbers on the ground like a clock face and put the bottle in the middle.
Take turns to spin the bottle. The whole family does that number of repetitions to any movement they choose. (For example, seven squats or three sit-ups.)
Play for five minutes.
Go easier: Only play for three minutes.
Day 2: Explore
Run the race to the finish
Read Acts 20:24.
How long can you hold your breath? Each person estimates a time and takes turns to try and achieve their goal. The rest of the family cheers during the attempt. Stay safe!
Did it get more difficult as you neared the goal time?
What makes the race hard sometimes? What can stop us or delay us in a race?
Read about the marathon and John Stephen Akhwari on the next page.
Chat to God: As your family is running in the race this week, talk about opportunities to share Jesus’ story with others. Pray together for God to give you the boldness and confidence.
The marathon
At the 1968 Mexico Olympics, John Stephen Akhwari from Tanzania started the 42-kilometer marathon well. At the halfway mark he fell heavily and dislocated his knee and shoulder. Did he stop and give up? No, he kept running, even though he couldn’t win the race. He ran as the sun set and the course went dark. He ran on alone. He walked when he could no longer run. He ran after the winners had received their medals. He ran into the stadium and across the finish line as the few remaining spectators applauded. He ran to finish the race.
After the race he was asked why he kept running when he had no chance of winning. He replied, “My country didn’t send me 5000 miles to just start the race, they sent me 5000 miles to finish it.”
How does this story inspire you to run your own race?
How can your family show courage and perseverance like John Stephen Akhwari?
Day 2: Play
Wheelbarrow obstacle course
Assemble an obstacle course which includes some turns. Work in pairs to move through the course in a ‘wheelbarrow’ race.
Time each team. Swap places and do it again.
Health tip for living long
Eat lots of vegetables every day. Experts suggest having five or more servings (handfuls) each day.
Day 3: Warm-up
Move to music
Put on some favorite music. Repeat these moves until the music ends:
- 10 running on spot
- 5 squats
- 10 running on spot
- 5 squats with hand clap above head
Rest and talk together.
What is the key to winning a race?
Go deeper: How does knowing there will be a prize change the way you run in a race?
Day 3: Move
Sit-ups with rotation
Lie on your back with legs bent and feet firmly on the floor. Curl your body towards your knees to sit-up then twist to the right and touch the floor with both hands by your right hip. Return to start position and repeat for the left side.
Complete six repetitions, three with a right twist and three with a left twist.
Complete five rounds.
Go easier: Complete only three rounds.
Day 3: Challenge
Global sit-up challenge
How many sit-ups can your family do in 90 seconds?
Each family member does as many sit-ups as they can in 90 seconds. Combine the scores for the family total.
CLICK HERE to input your family score.
CLICK HERE to look at the weekly leaderboard to see your country’s progress.
Which nation will be our family.fit champions?
Day 3: Explore
Run to win the prize
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24 from the Bible.
The race of life is different from other races. There isn’t just one winner. All those who keep running and finish the race, win the prize of God’s approval and eternal life. Therefore, like an athlete, we must persist in running life’s race and finish well.
How is your life like a long race?
What helps you run the race?
Find items in the house to build a tower. As each piece is placed, name one way that helps us to run the race and win the prize.
Chat to God: Think about your local community. Who needs hope right now? Make a plan to ‘run’ alongside this person. Pray for them together.
Day 3: Play
Don’t get caught
One person is leader. They turn their back to the rest of the family. The other family members do an exercise while the leader is not looking (high knees, skipping in place, jumping jacks, and so on). When the leader turns around, everyone must freeze. If someone is caught moving, they become the new leader.
Tip for parents
Make eating vegetables fun for kids. Cut them and serve them in different ways. Make shapes and use colors to arrange the vegetables to make them attractive to eat.
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