<span “font-family:calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;=”” mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin”=””>What I’ve realized is that my definition of working out is basically Dariusz’s definition of playing. If I decide to sneak in a few pushups while he’s playing with his Legos, he rushes over to join me. And if I take out my “toys” (foam roller, Swiss ball, BOSU, etc.), his eyes light up like it’s Christmas morning.
And then there’s my 5-month-old, Mateusz. He giggles hysterically if I raise him overhead, loves being my “weighted vest” in the baby carrier, and is fascinated by the mirror in my workout room.
<span “font-family:calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;=”” mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin”=””>Granted, neither Dariusz nor Mateusz would ever allow me to do a formally structured workout. But that’s not the point. The point is, my kids actually want me to move. They won’t let me fold a basket of laundry, they interrupt if I try to have a phone conversation, they insist on uncleaning every mess I clean, but WOW, are they supportive of my workouts.
<span “font-family:calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;=”” mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin”=””>I won’t speak for teenagers, but I have a feeling that most kids are the same—they do want their parents to move with them. You can call it a workout, they’ll call it play, but it all comes down to purposeful movement.
<span “font-family:calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;=”” mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin”=””>You might be thinking, “Well that sounds nice in theory, but I can’t just start doing lunges in the living room.”
<span “font-family:calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;=”” mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin”=””>Why not?
<span “font-family:calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;=”” mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin”=””>Why not do lunges in YOUR OWN house? And why not also challenge your kids to a game of hot lava? Why not teach your kids how to squat (or better yet, take some inspiration from them!) or show them what a burpee looks like?
I am not just trying to be creative or prove a point when I say that work out with my kids almost every day. Sometimes, they initiate the workout, sometimes I do.
<span “font-family:calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:major-latin;=”” mso-hansi-theme-font:major-latin”=””>It’s easier than you think. Here are 20 ideas to get started.
- Go to a park and play “Follow the Leader.” Let your kid challenge you to the monkey bars!
- Take turns picking an animal, acting out how it moves and guessing what each other’s animal is. Crawl, hop, slither, etc.
- Put your tot in the jogging stroller, give him a picture-list of things to find and go on a scavenger-hunt run.
- Wear your infant in a front carrier and do some basics squats and lunges.
- Take a large cardboard box and have your kid sit inside. Push the box across the yard and then pull it back to where you started. You can also do this with a sled or indoors with a laundry basket.
- Get on your hands and knees and crawl around with your baby.
- Set up a field day in your backyard, with events such as long jump, shuttle run, wheelbarrow races, etc.
- Just start doing bodyweight exercises and let your kids join you.
- Have a dance party.
- Take a deck of cards and designate each suit to be a certain exercise. Take turns drawing a card and performing the exercise for the number of reps indicated on the card.
- Kick a soccer ball around in the backyard.
- Play a fitness game or sport on Nintendo Wii or Xbox Kinect.
- Lie your baby on the floor and do kissing pushups over her.
- Actually get into playing superheroes with your toddler. Jump, crawl, run, fly, you name it!
- Play Marco Polo in the swimming pool.
- Wear your infant in a carrier and find a building with lots of stairs. Sing silly songs as you go up and down the stairs.
- Play tag.
- Go to a trampoline park.
- Run alongside your preschooler while he rides on his scooter.
- Hold a plank and challenge your toddler to knock you over.
