Ways to Exercise as a Family

Grocery Cart Racing, Mail Box Relay's and Trash Basketball are all quick games that can be played with young children to make daily tasks more fun while sneaking in some exercise as a bonus. Here's how it works. Take any daily or weekly task that might otherwise be a whine time, and make it a fun time by inventing a high energy game. Here's a few to choose from.

Grocery Cart Racing- Instead of unloading kids from the van to walk to the store to get a buggy, find one in the parking lot. Then Mom and dad, (or an older sibling), can make racing sounds, while pushing the buggy toward the store in a mock race. You save time by getting the kids into a buggy faster and if they are 'racing' to get finished first it's a game instead of a weekly chore to be dreaded. A full buggy is a lot of resistance training, but worth it if your fussy children turn into formula one racers.

Mail Box Relay's- Many communities have centralized mail boxes, but you can turn going to get the mail, (or newspaper), into a relay by taking turns between parents or other siblings to run a relay of sorts, by each one quickly going to the mail box in an effort to out run the other team, (or parent). Care is taken to open the box carefully to see what's inside, and then to carefully close it again to then crank up for the relay race back home.

Trash Basket Ball- Every parent of a small child knows the frustration of following them around to pick up everything all the time. This game is a quick way to get toys back into the box, trash into the can, or clothes into the hamper. It's simple and you've done it for years. Take whatever the object is, (except for breakables), and ball it up to take the shot. The goal is to get whatever the object is into whatever that basket will be quickly and safely, and to have a few seconds of 'being like Mike' making the impossible shot.

Burning calories by increasing the application of daily tasks is a great way to avoid boredom and a great way to build stronger kids too. When kids learn how to work through daily problems they are stronger and better able to sort through the challenges that every day brings with less frustration and fear. Not only does it make for stronger kids, because daily tasks are so much more enjoyable when thinking about how they can help you burn in the right places to get back into those size 6 jeans again!