Repeat BOTH exercises 3 times for a total of 4! Keep smiling!

A few minutes is all it takes. You have a few minutes for you!

Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live. -Rohn

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Dog Food/Cat Food Squats- Grab a bag of dog/cat food. Hold it close to you. Keeping your back as straight as possible, chest up, bend the knees to about 90 degrees and stand back up. You are working quads, hamstrings, and glutes, as well as abdominals! *Beware of dog! (3 sets, 15 times each)

Kid Press- If you have a young child, lie on your back while you are holding them on your chest. Press them up until your arms are straight and still over chest. They will LOVE this! If you don’t have access to a child, push-ups will do fine! Great for triceps and chest. *You may want to do it over a couch or a soft area just in case! (3 sets, 15 times each)

Stair Calf Raise- Stand on the edge of a step so that your heels are hanging off (on the balls of your feet). Let your heels drop below the step and raise up as high as you can onto your toes. Great calf work! (3 sets, 15 times each)

Now do some stretches with the little one if you have one!

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1. Hopscotch

Grab a piece of chalk and head to the driveway for a game of hop scotch. All of the hopping and bending will make your legs burn and your heart race. A good game can last 15-20 minutes.

2. Jumping Jacks

We all are familiar with Jumping Jacks, the heart pumps while having fun. Try 50 jacks, 4 times…my kids love these for some reason!

3. Obstacle courses

Challenge kids to use a variety of different skills by setting up an obstacle course at the park using playground equipment or other items, such as jump ropes, balls and cones. A fun workout!

4. Playground Health Club
Join your child on the exercise equipment. Swing, hang, slide, skip, crawl, climb, laugh.

5. Dancing

Turn the music on and dance away….if you have a toddler put a mirror out. Fun to watch their expressions!

-Maybe replace one day each week to the gym with some of these fitness fun activities? Your child will probably appreciate it and maybe even give you a big hug!

Children who get regular exercise have advantages over those who do not. They tend to have more stamina, less health problems, higher self-esteem, and an ability to control their weight more easily. So turn off the computer and the television, oh yes hide the handheld gaming machines. Encourage children to get more exercise.

More on children and exercise:

Kids and Exercise

Fun Fitness Activity

The Benefits of Exercise

I thought, “We needed to act quickly while the options were still at two!” A trampoline it is! No pool, no way!

So the trampoline arrived while I was out for a few hours, my wife being her usual, ambitious self, didn’t wait for me. She decided to set it up herself (not an easy task for anyone)…an ambitious person to say the least!

So this big, blue thing has been sitting in our backyard for two weeks, getting a daily pounding from the kids. Hmmm….maybe we can take this to the next level? How hard can this be?

I want to see what kind of physical benefit one could get from bouncing on a trampoline for 30 minutes?

With the help of the kids and my trusty HR monitor, we decided to make the exercise a family fun event. We would play 3 games:

1) Crack the Egg- Object, the kids are lying down holding knees to chest and I would bounce high and hard for 10 minutes trying to get them to release their legs. Results :Tightness in the calves and butt started at about 9 minutes. Heart rate was in zone 3 towards the 10 minute mark, 115 calories burned!

1 minute standing break, water.

2) Flip the Pancake- Object, the kids would lie on their backs and I would continue to bounce for 10 minutes attempting to flip them over. Simple huh? NOT! Results: The calves, back up the legs and butt were starting to burn. My heart rate hit zone 3 at 3 minutes and continued to climb and finally hit zone 4 at the 10 minute mark. 155 additional calories burned + previous 115= 270

1 minute standing break, water

3) Hot Potato- With a volleyball now joining us, the kids and I would bounce 10 minutes while avoiding the ball. Results: The burn was intense in the calves, back of the legs, and butt. Hit Zone 4 at the two minute mark, unable to speak in sentences, while my kids were laughing and having a “jolly” time! 170 additional calories burned + previous combined 270 = 440 calories burned!

Results…sweat, exhausted, 440 calories burned and today a sore glutamous maximus (butt), and calves. Most of all a fulfilling, fun time with the kids.

Obviously results will vary and not everybody has a trampoline, just another day to keep active and have fun with the kids !

I did some research and found an article Bouncing for Health that explains the benefits of bouncing.

Give it a try…bouncing can be fun and intense!