Seeing the world's best athletes pushing to their limits, hearing how many have overcome adversity to get there and sharing the emotions when they achieve their goals is nothing short of inspirational.

Now, while many of us mere mortals might never get to experience that level of competition, it does not mean that we can't jump on board with a bit of activity of our own.

There are many ways you can create your own mini Olympics to perhaps get the family moving, change up training for sporting teams or provide some individual targets.

This might be a workout in the gym or challenging friends and family to a contest across a range of events.

These Olympics are the first Games where my kids are old enough to get right into it. And it has been great seeing their enthusiasm for the different sports and hearing them comment on how they want to compete at the 2032 Games in Brisbane.

For busy families, it is a great time to cash in on that.

This could be as simple as setting up some running relay races.

Or hit the local basketball courts for a game of 3v3, which is new to the Olympic movement.

It is played on half a regular five-a-side basketball court, with each team shooting into a single hoop. Teams consists of four players, three on court and one substitute. The three-point line in conventional basketball serves as the two-point line in 3x3 basketball, with shots inside it one point. The winner is the team with the highest score at the end of the 10-minute period, or the first team to reach 21 points.

My kids have been devising their own gymnastics routines on a "balance beam"/plank of wood on the ground. Not only is it great to see them moving, it is also fantastic to watch them use their creativity.

If you coach a sporting team, create a mini Olympics tournament over a couple of sessions at soccer, hockey or rugby training. It might be a good way to freshen things up during what can become a hard time of year to keep motivation with the temperatures reaching low points.

Test yourself across rowing, running and cycling at the gym with time or distance targets. Find out if you are a sprint specialist or more of an endurance athlete.

See how fast you can complete one kilometre in any or all of the above disciplines. Then try to better it next week and again the week after. Or find a training partner and challenge each other to beat the other person's time. You can either race at the same time or one races while one rests.

Or it could be a series of races over different distances. Race 250 metres, 500m, 750m then 1km with adequate rests.

A fun and challenging workout is forming a couple of teams and seeing who can reach a set target first, such as 5km or 10km depending on how many people you have and your level of fitness.

Continuing to train through winter can prove challenging, so finding ways such as Olympic inspiration to keep moving now will put you in good stead come the warmer months of spring and summer.

Send your health and fitness news to r.valentine@austcommunitymedia.com.au.

Renee Valentine is a journalist, qualified personal trainer and mother of three.