My little brother Arran is nearly halfway through his summer holidays. Coming up with cheap entertainment for the six long weeks is no easy task, especially when the 12-year-old in question would quite happily spend the entire 46 days playing Fifa on the PlayStation. So this summer I came up with a plan: we would exercise together. I hoped to kill two birds with one stone: I would get a much-needed motivational tool, and Arran would be too tired to utter the much-dreaded B word (“I’m booooored”).
But exercising with children isn’t that simple. Most organised activities are for adults or children only, and generational differences are heightened by looking for something you both want to do. But after a bit of research – and a couple of arguments – we came up with a few ideas.
Karate
First up is a local karate club that groups its classes by ability, not age. Despite the repeated reassurances of the sensei [teacher] over the phone that adults definitely attend, I am relieved to discover that I am not the oldest, or tallest, there. I had had visions of lumbering around like a poorly co-ordinated Gulliver, being laughed at by Lilliputian children.
The class starts and, yes, it’s definitely exercise. There’s no namby-pamby easing into it here – the warm-up quickly heats up, with energetic star jumps and splits stretches galore. Next we go through the basic punches and defensive stances before being paired up to practise the moves. At this point, I see Arran’s eyes light up. Karate may be about defence, not offence, but the opportunity to lay a few punches on me is clearly one he likes the sound of.
There’s something very bonding about learning a new skill together and as we work the moves, both deep in concentration, I think we are actually having fun.
The hour-long class moves from punches to kicks and ends with a basic kata – a sequence of moves. There is something a bit disconcerting about being in a room with so many under-10s who could beat me in a fight, but I have definitely enjoyed myself.
Arran’s verdict: You need to work hard to be good at karate; it requires a lot of commitment. I enjoyed the class and would do it again, but it wouldn’t be top of my list as something to do every week. 6/10
• The karate classes are held throughout the week at the Michael Sobel leisure centre. For more information visit sobellkarate.com
Running
The next exercise we try is running. Arran takes me on the cross-country route he follows in his school PE lessons. Having jogged on and off for a few years, I am keen to try an activity where I can share my experience. As we set off I explain that the key to being able to run for any length of time is keeping a steady pace. “You should always be able to hold a conversation, without being too out of breath,” I divulge sagely.
As we jog we chat about this and that – school, this article, an upcoming trip to China we are taking. This is a genuine and unexpected pleasure; getting more than a grunt from Arran is usually a task akin to … well, getting a teenage boy to have a conversation. But the fresh air and exercise seems to have loosened his tongue.
The run is fairly short – less than two miles – but the trademark masochism of PE teachers is in evidence as we run up and down different sides of the same very steep hill. I begin to realise that Arran’s new-found loquacity may have something to do with the fact that I am clearly more out of breath than him. Despite my earlier assertions about a comfortable conversational pace, I am too ashamed to be the first to slow.
The route finishes at a running track and Arran challenges me to a couple of races. Being the sibling equivalent of competitive dad, I readily accept. Of course, he wins – both the 400m and 100m. I’d like to say I let him win. I really would.
Arran’s verdict: I loved every bit of running, particularly when I walked over the finishing line to beat Rachel in the 100m. 9/10
Green Gym
When I tell Arran my plans for our third activity, he looks decidedly underwhelmed. The conservation charity BTCV runs “Green Gym” sessions – outdoor workouts, helping with practical environmental projects. The Camden branch meet regularly in open spaces across the borough, and Arran and I are joining them for the creation of a nature reserve on some disused woodland on a council estate.
“We’re going gardening?” He looks at me disgustedly.
Despite his reservations, Arran soon brightens up. There are tools, lots of them, and big ones at that: saws, loppers, spades and diggers. There are 18 volunteers and we are split into three task forces: one set to path building, another to dead-hedging. We are given the job of building an insect hotel.
It all starts off quite low-key and not particularly like exercise at all. We nail some planks of wood into a square frame and add wooden shelves to create compartments. We collect dry leaves for one section and bark for another. There is a straw area for hibernating insects and rows of bamboo for solitary creatures to set up home in. As we work, the leader tells us bits and pieces about the area and its wildlife and I am warmed to see Arran relaxing and asking questions: “What does a wasp eat?” “Is it fair that there is a bird feeder next to the insect hotel?”
Without really noticing we work up a sweat as we wander around collecting the various bedding and home decoration for our VIIs (Very Important Insects). And when we start digging the foundations for the support beams, it is positively hard work.
The best thing about the Green Gym method of exercise is that it doesn’t feel like exercise at all. It’s fun and sociable and before you know it three busy hours have flown by.
Arran’s verdict: I thought the gardening would be boring, but once I got started I really enjoyed it. I liked learning about the insects. 7/10
• There are nearly 100 Green Gym groups nationwide. For more information visit btcv.org.uk/greengym
Wii sport
It had to happen really. If I subject a 12-year-old boy to gardening, it is only fair that he gets me on the computer. And anyway, I have been curious about the Wii for a while – can it really be classed as exercise? For those of you not familiar with the Wii (and here I risk sounding very much like an out-of-touch granny) it is a computer console where the games are much more physically interactive than just pressing buttons on a pad. If you are playing tennis you swing your controller like a racket; if you are boxing you actually shadow box.
From the very start this feels like a bit of a cheat. We order pizza – what kind of exercise goes with pizza? – and garlic bread.
We play a few games. First up is tennis, where no real sweat is worked up, but at least we are standing up. Arran wins. Next is baseball, which is pretty much the same story. When we move on to bowling, we get my boyfriend and two visiting friends involved and have a ten-pin match. It’s all very good fun, but I’m still struggling to call it exercise. Finally, we have a boxing match. Now this is energetic, and with each match lasting nine minutes I concede that it may have burned a few calories – but certainly not a pizza’s worth.
Arran’s verdict: I would definitely do the Wii again; I liked the fact that the games were so interactive. 7/10
Do you exercise with your children? Share your favourite activities in the comments section below.
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