Do you get enough play time in your routines? We talked about over training yesterday and the danger that poses to your health and overall fitness, today let’s talk about play time. Play time is exactly what it sounds, where you get to go out and be physical, but instead of doing a workout – you’re doing it for fun.
Summer Pool Time
It’s summer time and whether you have a pool in the backyard, a community pool or a pool at your fitness club or YMCA – the swimming pool is a great place to play with the kids and get a workout at the same time. You can swim, playing, lifting the kids, tossing balls back and forth and teaching the kids to dive for toys and more. It’s a great way to get some physical exercise in without feeling like you’re exercising. Just be sure to wear water proof sunscreen to prevent sunburn.
Ball Sports
Whether you like basketball, volley ball or baseball – there are a lot of ball sports out there that are fun to do in the summer time. Kids like to hit the ball? Be the pitcher. Teaching the kids to pitch? Be the hitter. Practice throwing the ball back and forth. We’re lucky, our playground also has a small basketball court so we can go up and shoot hoops if we want to. We can kick the soccer ball around. We can play badminton (my daughter loves this because she can do it) and so much more.
Playtime is crucial both for your mental health and physical health, but also for your family health. You can be physically active, burning calories, building muscle, coordination, flexibility and relationships. Playtime is a time that families can spend together – and really, isn’t that what we’re all working for?