Want a great fitness program can anyone do? What great fitness program doesn’t require membership dues or a piece of nautilus equipment? What fitness program can have you looking, feeling and acting younger? We like to call this fitness program childhood and it’s filled with the boundless energy, long hours populated with muscle toning, cardio fitness and mental stress relief called f-u-n.
As much as I like working out on my treadmill or doing my weight training, even I like the idea of doing something different. What can be more different, but thrilling, than going outside to play? Forget how many calories you burn. Forget how many steps you take. Don’t think about the mileage or the weights. Just remember that a positive workout requires activity and mental engagment?
What can be more engaging or active than playing? Seriously – have you looked at the kids on the playground? You can’t tell me they aren’t active!
Make Summer Fun, Summer Fitness
Summer fun starts when the days grow progressively warmer. For you Moms out there, that is a double edged sword. The kids can go out and play, but that also means a lot of trips to the park. If you are like me that means you head to the park with them. Take them over to the swings and get them going and then jump on a swing and get into it with your kids. You can alternate swinging yourself and pushing them on the swings. Put your whole body into the swinging and see if you can give your kids fifty or more pushes each.
Take the Frisbee out and toss it with the dog or with the kids. If your kids don’t know how to play, show them what it’s like. Get your spouse engaged. You can even make a game of keep away, tossing the Frisbee back and forth and seeing how long it takes the kiddo to snatch it for themselves or for a parent to miss. Either way – you’re likely to flex your laughter muscles as you go along.
Strap on some roller skates or inline skates and get out there to get moving. There are indoor rinks, there are outdoor circuits in parks and there is just the sidewalk around the house. Your kids are likely to get a real kick out of mom or dad getting out there to skate with them. It’s a great way to work out your lower body and balance, without actually feeling like you are working out.
Cinderella, dressed in yella, went upstairs to kiss her fella, made a mistake and kissed a snake: how many doctors did it take? Do you remember this little rhyme? Break out the jump rope and get hopping. How long can you go before you miss? Can you do ten? Twenty? Fifty? The number may surprise you and challenge you to work on it longer. Think about partnering up the older kids to get a longer jump rope going.
Hopscotch can be as complicated or as simple as you like to make it. All you need is a little chalk to get started and you’re off – master a few patterns and then throw in a few stones to pick up along the hopping journey. Prefer a little more activity that promotes family time together? Go for a family bike ride! Bike riding is very popular around here – every weekend there are little dozens of cyclists out on the roads in their rolling packs – laughing, talking and having fun. There’s lots of Moms and Dads out for a spin with their kids too – try riding bikes to the ice cream parlor or the local shop where you can get a cold drink and take a break together.
Fitness programs are about making fitness a part of your daily life. Yes, the idea of gyms, aerobics classes and lifting weights are indelibly linked to fitness now – but once upon a time we stayed pretty fit and the only gym we went to was gym class at school – think about it and go have some fun.