The Ultimate Race

Value others in the race!

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
Warm up 512

Day 1: Warm-up

Grab the tail

Everyone wears a scarf or small towel as a ‘tail’ tucked in at the back of their pants. The goal is to collect as many tails as you can, while protecting your own. If you lose your tail, do five push-ups and continue the game. Have fun.

Play Video

Rest and talk together.

When did you last say, “I want to …” or “I don’t want to …”?

Go deeper: Do you spend more time talking or listening?

Move 512

Day 1: Move

Basic plank

plank trim

Put hands and feet on the ground and keep your whole body straight like a plank. Support your weight on your elbows for five seconds.

Do 20 repetitions and rest. Repeat.

Go harder: Increase the number of repetitions.

Challenge 512

Day 1: Challenge

Plank laughing challenge

plank trim

Family members take turns to do a plank while timed with a watch or phone.

Other family members not planking make funny faces to try to make them laugh.

The person who planks for the longest time wins.

Play Video

Go harder: Do another round or try to improve your time.

Explore 512

Day 1: Explore

Serving yourself?

Read Philippians 2:3-5 from the Bible.

Paul is writing a letter of love to the church in Philippi. He is writing from prison in Rome. His words are encouraging and direct, like a coach preparing a team for the game. He talks about valuing others.

Discuss what different phrases in the verses mean. Play a quick game of “You Can’t Say YES or NO”. Take turns around a circle to ask questions to the next person. Each time they answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (or nod or shake their head) they must run around the circle.

How did you feel when you succeeded in getting someone to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’? How do you think the other person felt?

Paul said: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” What does this mean?

Chat to God: Take turns again around the circle with each person praying for the next person after asking, “How can I pray for you?”

Play 512

Day 1: Play

Ideas jar

Think about a fun activity someone else in the family would like to do with others this week. For example, play a sport or board game, family movie night, or a picnic. Remember, do not think of what you want but what someone else in the family might like to do. Each person writes their idea on a piece of paper and drops it into a jar.

Each day pick one suggestion to do as a family and guess the person the activity was designed for.

Reflect: Were you happy with what was picked? Why or why not?

Health tip for living long

Eat meals together.

Warm up 512

Day 2: Warm-up

Hand touches

Stand upright in a push up position facing a partner. Try to touch the other person’s hands while you are protecting your own.

How many touches can you make in 60 seconds?

Play Video

Rest and talk together.

Share with your family the things that really interest you.

Go deeper: What interests do you have that are not shared by others in the family?

Move 512

Day 2: Move

Up-down planks

up down planks_1 900

Start in the plank position on your elbows and toes with your body in a straight line. Shift your weight and press up so you are supported on your hands – left hand then right hand. Then go back down to elbows.

Do 10 repetitions and rest. Do two rounds.

Play Video

Go easier: Keep the same technique from your knees (instead of your toes) or on a chair.

Go harder: Do four rounds.

Challenge 512

Day 2: Challenge

Sit-up / push-up tabata

push up, sit up

Listen to the Tabata music.

Do sit-ups for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Do push-ups for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds.

Repeat this sequence. Do eight rounds.

Play Video

Go harder: Increase the number of repetitions in 20 seconds.

Explore 512

Day 2: Explore

Put others before yourself

Read Philippians 2:3-4.

Why is it good to value others and put their interests before your own?

Line up facing one way and put your hands on the shoulders of the person in front. Give them a shoulder massage. Now turn and face the other direction and massage the new person in front of you.

What did you notice about this activity?

Chat to God: Each person names an interest of another member of the family and prays for that person.

Pole vault

Pole vaulting is a courageous and awe-inspiring sport. Competitors fling themselves up to 5 meters high on the end of a flexible pole to clear a bar and land on a mat below.

In the 1936 Olympics, only one American and two Japanese competitors remained in the pole vault competition. Eventually, the two Japanese athletes, Shuhei Nishida and Sueo Oe, were competing for the silver and bronze medals. They both jumped the same height. They were close friends and asked if the competition could be stopped so they could share the honor. The officials said the competition must go on. Later, after review, one was awarded the silver medal and the other the bronze. But they had a creative solution. They cut the medals in half and made two new ones, both half silver and half bronze. They have come to be known as the ‘medals of friendship.’

Play Video

How does this story inspire you?

How can your family put others first?

Play 512

Day 2: Play

Giving is better

Each person needs 5-7 small stones (or seeds or paper balls). Stand in a circle together. Hold the small objects in your open left hand. When the game starts each person takes one stone at a time from their own hand and puts it on another person’s hand. Play for 2-3 minutes. The game will get faster.

The winner is the person with the least number of stones because in this game ‘it is better to give than receive’.

Play Video

Reflect: How difficult was this game? How can you put this into practice and give more to others this week?

Health tip for living long

Eat meals together. Relationships are important and a busy family needs to find ways to connect every day. A family meal is an ideal place to reconnect, value each other and share ideas.

Warm up 512

Day 3: Warm-up

Move to music

Put on some favorite music. Repeat these moves until the music ends:

  • 20 running on spot
  • 5 squats
  • 20 high knees running
  • 5 squats with hand clap above head
Play Video

Rest and talk together.

Who are some of the people you look up to in your community?

Go deeper: Who has inspired you recently?

Move 512

Day 3: Move

Mirror planks

mirror planks 790

Work in pairs. Get into a plank position facing a partner. One person in each pair will be the mirror and will need to copy everything the other one does. Hold each plank for at least 20 seconds. Rest and repeat. Have fun.

Play Video

Go harder: Increase the time to one minute per round.

Challenge 512

Day 3: Challenge

Global plank challenge

plank trim

How many seconds can your family do a continuous plank for?

Each family member does a plank for a maximum of 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?

Explore 512

Day 3: Explore

Jesus put others first

Read Philippians 2:3-5.

In verse 5 Paul goes on to say why we should put others first – because Jesus did. Jesus showed us how to value others. We need his mindset. Discuss Jesus’ mindset.

Make a list of people you think need to be valued more in your community. How can you see them like Jesus does?

Chat to God: Imagine how Jesus might see each person in the community and value them. Choose one or more people on the list and pray for them.

Play 512

Day 3: Play

Count to ten

Stand in a circle with heads bowed and eyes closed. As a team, count to 10 in order (1, 2, 3… 9, 10) but do not go around the circle consecutively. If two players call the same number at the same time, start counting from 1 again. It will take a few attempts to be successful.

Repeat, but this time stand in different parts of the room with eyes closed. Try counting to 20.

Reflect: How did you find the challenge? What did you have to do well to get to 10 without starting over again?

Tip for parents

Make eating together important for kids. Train them in conversation. Ask everyone questions like ‘Tell us about your day’ or ‘What were you grateful for today.’ Talk about something in the news.

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The family.fit team