The Ultimate Race
Work through worry!
Quick jumps:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | |
---|---|---|---|
Philippians 4:6-7 | Everyone worries | Pray about everything | Peace in action |
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
Running on hot lava
When the leader says “hot lava” everyone runs on the spot as fast as they can. When the leader says “stop” everyone does squats. Repeat until everyone is breathing heavily.
Rest and talk together.
Talk about a time when you felt anxious.
Go deeper: What were the consequences of this anxiety? How did you deal with it?
Day 1: Move
Superman
Lie face down on the floor or on a mat with your arms stretched above your head (like Superman).
Raise your arms and legs as far as you can. Hold for 3 seconds and relax.
Do 10 repetitions and rest. Repeat.
Go harder: Increase repetitions to 20.
Day 1: Challenge
Burpee time challenge
Choose four areas in your home or yard where you can all do burpees together. Start a timer, run to the first area and do 20 burpees. Complete 15 burpees at the second area, 10 burpees at the third, and five burpees at the fourth.
Stop the timer.
Go easier: Reduce the number of burpees per area to 8, 6, 4 and 2.
Go harder: Increase the distance between the four areas.
Day 1: Explore
Everyone worries
Read Philippians 4:6-7 from the Bible.
Paul focuses on one of the biggest problems in life’s race – anxiety. It restricts our capacity to think and act. It robs us of life. The solution is to pray with thanksgiving. As we trust in Jesus, we deal with the fear that produces anxiety. This gives us peace to go on with life.
Place 10 objects in a line on your floor in order of size to make a ‘worry scale’. Name some common activities that might cause anxiety. For example, going to the doctor or starting at a new school. Each person uses the line of objects to show their level of anxiety about that activity – small or larger worries.
Talk about the kinds of things that worry each person most.
Paul reminds us that while everyone worries, it doesn’t have to rule us.
Chat to God: Rearrange your 10 items into the shape of a cross. Pray that God will help you in times of anxiety.
Day 1: Play
Quick topic words
Sit in a circle. Select topics such as countries, names, sports or objects. Someone goes through the alphabet in their head until someone else says stop. Take turns to quickly say a word on the topic which starts with the chosen letter. Continue until someone cannot think of a word, then start a new round. Rotate the topics every round.
Optional: Make it competitive.
Health tip for living long
Drink water often.
Day 2: Warm-up
Follow the leader
Put on your favorite music. Run around in a circle.
One person is the leader and uses hand claps to communicate instructions:
- One clap – one plank
- Two claps – two mountain-climbers
- Three claps – three squats
Change leaders after one minute.
Rest and talk together.
What do you pray when you are feeling anxious?
Go deeper: Talk about how prayer changes your anxiety levels.
Day 2: Move
Superman opposites
Lie face down on the floor or on a mat with your arms stretched above your head (like Superman).
Raise your right arm and left leg as far off the ground as you can.
Hold for three seconds and relax.
Repeat with opposite arm and leg.
Do 10 repetitions and rest. Repeat.
Go harder: Increase the number of repetitions.
Day 2: Challenge
Sports challenge
The family runs together. One person shouts out a sport – for example, football. Everyone runs around pretending to play football. Do the same with other sports such as archery, tennis, and long jump.
Be creative!
Day 2: Explore
Pray about everything
Read Philippians 4:6-7.
Paul says we can bring every situation to God. Why is this comforting?
When we bring our concerns to God, we also bring our thanks. Why is thanksgiving so important?
Take a sheet of paper and write a big ‘Thank You’ in the center. Around the outside add your individual prayer requests to God.
Read about wheelchair racing and Daniel Lee.
Chat to God: Find a soft toy to hold and pass as you pray for each worry named on your ‘Thank You’ poster.
Wheelchair racing
Daniel Lee is preparing for the Tokyo Paralympics in wheelchair racing. Daniel wasn’t always an athlete. He was born with a brittle bone disease. He has lost count of the number of times he has broken bones. He had to be carried to school because his family couldn’t afford a wheelchair. Other children teased him. When he was 14 years old his father died suddenly. Although in a wheelchair, Daniel felt responsible to help as the only man in his family. Instead of being consumed by worry, he trusted in God and set about becoming more independent. He learnt to cook and get himself from place to place. He grew stronger and became faster in the wheelchair. A worrying situation became an area of growth and strength.
He lives by this creed, ‘we don’t all have the best start in life, but it’s how you finish that really matters.’
How does this story inspire you to run your own race?
How can your family learn from Daniel?
Day 2: Play
Catch in the middle
Gather three or four objects you can throw safely to each other.
Split into three teams, one on each side of the room or yard and one in the middle. The teams on the outside throw the objects to each other while the team in the middle tries to intercept and catch an object. Once all the objects have been caught, a new team comes to the middle.
Reflect: Which position did you like best? Was one harder than the other? Why?
Health tip for living long
Drink water often.
Our body is mostly made of water and needs to be continually replenished for us to be healthy. Average men need 3.7 liters per day and women 2.7 liters.
Day 3: Warm-up
Mirror warm-up
Stand with a partner. One person decides actions such as high knees running, squats, superman, lunges, and so on. The other person acts as the mirror and follows the actions.
Swap roles after 60 seconds.
Rest and talk together.
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘peace’?
Go deeper: Talk about a time when you had a sense of God’s peace in a difficult situation.
Day 3: Move
Superman hold
Lie face down on the floor or on a mat with your arms stretched above your head (like Superman).
Raise your arms and legs as far as you can. Hold for 10 seconds and relax for 10 seconds.
Repeat 10 times.
Go easier: Hold for 5 seconds.
Day 3: Challenge
Global superman challenge
How long can you do a superman hold for?
Each family member does a superman hold and is timed (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?
Day 3: Explore
Peace in action
Read Philippians 4:6-7.
Mime words like worry, conflict, and anxiety. Now mime words like peace and rest. What did you notice?
We often think of peace as the absence of conflict – a passive thing. However, Paul describes peace as active. It guards your heart and mind.
Why does your heart and mind need guarding?
What are you worried about right now? How can you take action?
Chat to God: Play quiet music. Now pray for what is worrying you and allow God to bring peace into your life.
Day 3: Play
Thanksgiving toss
Give everyone a piece of paper and a pen. Write or draw something you are thankful for and something you are worried about. Then crumple up the paper.
Place a trash can or basket in the middle of the room. Start two meters away and try tossing the crumpled balls into the can whilst shouting, “Thank you God for hearing my prayer.” To make it more challenging increase the distance from the can and throw again.
Who can throw the furthest?
Tip for parents
Teach children about drinking water regularly. Model it so they know parents think it’s important too. Take drink bottles when you go out.
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