Exercising by yourself when you have kids can be extremely difficult if not impossible. If you have young kids you may find yourself helping them the whole time your workout is going on. You may just want to give up on working out all together. Well, never fear. There is a way. The way I have found exercising most effective for me has been to actually involve the kids. That way they aren’t fighting for my attention. Here are a few suggestions that will definitely get your work out in as well as tire your kids out!
- Simon Says. Who doesn’t love this classic game. Take tuns being Simon and put in some exercise moves. “Simon Says do 5 push-ups.” or “Simon Says run down the hallway and back.” There are a ton of possibilities that will definitely get you tired by the end of the game.
- Jump Rope. Have a jump rope for each person. This way you can do a lot of different games with it. A few might include: See how many times you can jump the rope in 30 seconds, double dutch, skipping with the jump rope and so forth.
- Yoga. Believe it or not, but kids tend to LOVE this! Search through YouTube and there are a ton of different Yoga for kids videos that will keep you and them stretching and exercising for hours. You can start out for a few minutes a day and work your way up. Just wait, they might get hooked!
- Relay Races. No equipment is needed unless you want to add in weights or other more intense items. All you need to do is think of their favorite ways to get from point A to point B. Some include: Run backwards, skip, run as fast as you can, hop on one foot, crab crawl, walk on your hands. Split into teams and the first team to get everyone back wins! You could have each person draw out what they need to do before they go. This is super fun.
- Burpees. These make me tired so fast but they get my heart racing! Have the kids do the basic burpee by squat, jump their feet back, jump their feet forward, stand, and jump into the air with a clap! See how many times they can do this before they are exhausted.
- Park Tag. Have you ever found yourself at the park and ready to run around on the playground with your kids? Well, do it! Pretend you’re 7 again and just let yourself go. You’ll be surprised how fast you may get winded when playing tag. After you can do a few stretches.
- Bike Rides. This is something that is super easy to do if you have bikes and helmets already. Get out and go for a bike ride with the kids. Find a new path or go on your favorites. Pack a lunch and head out for the afternoon. You’ll notice not only do you get to enjoy the outdoors, but your thighs and calves will feel the burn too. Good workout while enjoying time together.
