Where You Should Exercise With Your Family :: Birmingham Fitness Ideas

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Hallelujah! Spring is here, we’ve gained an extra hour of daylight, and my body is craving fresh produce and physical fitness after hibernating all winter. ‘Tis the season for refreshing thoughts and healthy activities. Fortunately, the Magic City has plenty of magical, unique, and FUN opportunities to exercise together as a family unit. Of course, these fitness opportunities are powerful because they are not only a chance to burn a few calories or wake up a few sleeping muscles; these opportunities are modeling behavior we want our children to mimic for the rest of their lives. Here are some awesome options for sweating and giggling your way to better health, for your entire family.

Hike Birmingham

Did you see this fabulous post by Beth on the Best Family-Friendly Hiking Trails in Birmingham? Do not miss this awesome resource! It is ridiculous how fortunate we are that Oak Mountain State Park, Red Mountain Park, Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve, and Moss Rock Preserve are our neighbors, and trails like Jemison Trail, the Irondale Furnace Trail, and Boulder Canyon Nature Trail are right here in our midst. Bonus: if you are interested in meeting up with other moms and kiddos for hikes around town, check out the “Hike It Baby Birmingham AL” Facebook page.

Hiking . . . one of our favorite past-times. Literally PAST times because now little missy is too fidgety in that backpack.

Bike Birmingham

It is past time I get the baby bike seat I received for Christmas in 2017 mounted on my bike. Once I do, I look forward to gliding along Railroad Park, The Lakeshore Trail, Oak Mountain trails, or even down my street with the wind flying through my hair and my toddler grinning ear to ear. Find area information on family-friendly biking here.

Climb Birmingham

Ok, how impressed will your big kid be when you take him rock climbing for the day? There are multiple climbing gyms in our city, and each one offers drop-in day passes or classes, as well as monthly or annual memberships. Check out High Point Climbing and Fitness, Birmingham Boulders, or First Avenue Rocks.

Stretch Birmingham

I cannot say enough good things about our toddler yoga experience at Villager Yoga. The instructor takes what could be mass chaos and turns it into the most flexible, creative, age-appropriate, PRECIOUS yoga class there ever was. While awesome yoga studios are copious in the Birmingham area, Villager Yoga takes a family approach to the business offering pre- and post-natal classes, toddler/parent classes, and classes for kids, teenagers, and adults. I cannot wait to try their family yoga class held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in warmer months!

Throw your hands up for toddler yoga!

Dance Birmingham

Ah ha! Here is the perfect “exercise” class for the eager mamas with the tiny babes. The Moving Together class at The Dance Foundation is a great way to start intentional movement with your very little one, as this class is for ages 12-24 months.

Flip Birmingham

While many of the gyms in town offer fabulous gymnastics programs, Mountain Brook Gymnastics offers a parent/child class for ages 18 months to three years, and Head Over Heels Gymnastics offers parent/child classes from ages six months to three years. Once again, while you may not be getting the ultimate workout while your kid jumps into a foam pit, you are engaging with her and supporting her in a healthy, active lifestyle.

Fly Birmingham

Here’s a good one. I think this aerial yoga class at Aero Joe Pilates could be a revolutionary way to spend time with your teenage or even adult child. Gracefully flying through the air sustained only by silks is sure to make you and your daughter feel like you can rule the world together. If nothing else, the pictures that come from this form of exercise (i.e. Snapchat material) are totally worth the effort!

Run Birmingham

5k and 1-mile fun runs are a dime a dozen around here, and they are all wonderful. Most races are stroller-friendly, many support awesome causes, and some even boast great themes — providing a memorable, though early, Saturday morning for your family. Far too often I think, “Why should I pay for a race when I can run for free on my own?” And then I do a race and have so much fun and swear I’m going to do one every weekend. Whether you run it, walk it, or cheer from the sidelines, promise me you will take on one race in 2018. Take your pick from dozens of runs found here, and be sure to involve your kids. The energy and encouragement that accompanies races will restore your faith in humanity. 

Halloween Costume Run. It sure wasn’t pretty, but we did it. Luckily, no one cares how pretty it is. Everyone just cheers.

Bootcamp Birmingham

Mommy & Me Time Fitness, a stroller-friendly workout, hosts classes at various times/locations around Birmingham and welcomes moms with their kids of all ages. Most of their classes are a bootcamp style, and this has to be a great way to hold yourself accountable for your exercise as well as meet other families. For those of you with older daughters, I hear great things about Every Girl Fitness, and sweaty bonding is powerful bonding.

A couple of years ago a stranger caught my husband, baby, and me on a rare family run (I wish that was the norm for us!) and yelled out, “A family that sweats together, stays together!” May that become my mantra and your mantra. On your mark, get set, go!

 

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Molly W
Molly grew up in Montgomery and then ventured to Furman University for a degree in Communication Studies. After a year of AmeriCorps service in Denver, working as a camp director in Mentone, and then working for a non-profit in Macon, Molly moved to Birmingham for her husband's pediatric residency at UAB. After moving states, buying their first home, and having a baby within 4 weeks, Molly spent a year at home adjusting to their "new normal”, and she now works full time as the Project Manager for the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce. Molly and Carter live in Homewood with their daughter, and they are members of Trinity UMC. On nearly any given night, you will find Molly lying on the couch watching HGTV while scouring the internet for the next local festival/story time/restaurant/bargain in the area. Then she will get veryyyy excited to go to bed.