Movement for Everyone
Encouraging Friends &
Family 
Encouraging Friends & Family
Encouraging friends or family to move more together is a great way to improve your physical and emotional wellbeing
Our friends and family have a huge impact on our lives – often without even realising it. Whether you’re wanting to help a partner, parent, friend, or someone you care for to move more, your encouragement can make a huge difference.
The way we think and feel about movement can be directly impacted by others around us, and past experiences can also impact if we feel like physical activity is for us. Think about it, are you more likely to do something again if you have had a positive or negative experience before?
Top tips to encourage movement:
Being a role model and telling your friends and family about what you do to move more can really help inspire them to move more. Tell them how it made you feel, and anything different you have tried. Remember to keep it real, its important to let them know that you don’t need to be perfect or “good at it” to be active.
It’s worth highlighting that every move matters and starting small is the best way to go. They don’t need to sign themselves up for a running group or football team, its all about building movement into their day. It could be as simple as stretching whilst the kettle boils, or cutting the grass. Short bursts of movement really help to build confidence. Explain that some days it will feel easier than others, and that’s OK!
Why not think of ways that you could build movement into your time together? If you normally meet up for a drink after work, or lunch at the weekend, think about what you could do instead? Could you go for walk before hand, or park your car a little further away from the café, and walk part of the journey? If you live together, why not think of some games you could play during TV advert break, or try out an online class?
Does the sheer thought of physical activity put off your family member or friend? Try to frame physical activity in a different way. Hobbies like photography, bird watching and gardening can be a great way of building movement into their day without them even knowing it. They will also benefit from being outdoors too!
How do you start a conversation about movement and physical activity?
When talking to a loved one or family member its important to not overwhelm them with information. If you give them too much information at once, they will be less likely to take action.
Top tips could include:
- Talking about something you have done recently that made you feel good
- Talking about another friend who has benefited from moving more
- Find out about the things that they like to do – they could already be building movement into their day without knowing it!
By taking some time to understand why your loved one may not be physically active, you can help them to find solutions! For example, if they are worried about committing themselves to a new activity, why not help them find a free trial class. If they are worried about a health condition, help them to find a class that is suited to people with long term health conditions.
Top tip: Why not point them in the direction of our activity finder?
Rather than focusing on the longer term benefits of physical activity, such as improved sleep, strengthened bones or feeling more relaxed, try to focus on the shorter term benefits.
- Meeting new people from your local community
- The feeling of finishing their first session
- The success of trying something new
If your loved one is unsure of trying something new, why not suggest doing something together! Going to a new activity with someone they know can help them to feel more confident and comfortable. If they feel nervous when arriving, why not suggest that they watch whilst you to take part for some (or all) of the session?
