Have you ever tired yourself out just by watching your kids play at the playground? The amount of energy they expend going up the ladder to the slide, across the monkey bars and around the merry-go-round is impressive.
If you have a tough time carving gym time out of family time, consider using family time as gym time by taking your kids to the playground. According to a recent study, only 29 percent of parents engage in outdoor play with their children. Play time isn’t just fun, it is important for the emotional and cognitive development of your child. Why not engage in play and get a full-body workout at the same time? With these exercises, a playground workout can be fun for the whole family.
For each exercise, do as many reps as you can while holding proper form. If you start to get sloppy, cut back your reps. Always stretch properly before starting your exercise routine.
No equipment is needed to get your heart rate up. If you can jog around the perimeter of the playground while still safely keeping an eye on your little one, go for it. If you’re not comfortable with this, do a high knee jog in place or try jumping jacks. Have a competition with your child to see who can do the most jumping jacks.
A park bench is the perfect spot for triceps dips or push-ups. For the triceps dip, start seated on the bench, clasping the edge of the seat with your palms down. Move your feet away from the bench far enough to lower your body off the front of the seat and drop your bum as far as you can. When you lift yourself back up, you’ve completed one rep.
For a push-up, flip over while keeping your palms on the edge of the seat bench. With your legs stretched straight out behind you and your back flat, lower your chest to the bench. Push back up to complete the rep. You could even have your child lay on the bench under you and give him a kiss on the forehead every time you lower.
Take a seat on a swing and lean back as far as you can go while holding on to the chains. Hold your legs parallel to the ground and do flutter kicks to engage your abs. Count a kick by each leg as one rep. Perhaps you can have your child swing next to you while you kick.
Back at the monkey bars, grab a bar and lower your body weight into your arms. Once your weight is off your feet, lift your legs using your abs — either bent at the knees or straight out at a 90 degree angle. Each lift is a rep.
Using a low platform or sidewalk, do jump-ups from a standing position on the ground. With your feet a shoulder width apart, squat and burst upwards with both feet at once landing flat on the higher surface. Step back down and count this as one rep.
Get in lunge position in front of the sliding board, and place your back foot on the bottom of the slide. Balancing carefully, dip your knee into a lunge. Each dip is a rep. Switch legs to do the same number of reps on each side. Let your child run under your legs each time you raise for a silly game of London Bridge.
Every playground is different, so check out the available equipment and customize a workout routine fit for your favorite playground. Your kids will think their mom is the coolest for playing with them and you won’t feel guilty for skipping the gym.
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