Becoming a parent means a lot of change- A LOT! I remember when I first had my daughter many, many moons ago and after the business was done and it was just me and her- I was scared! How am I supposed to be in charge of this thing~ I don’t know what the heck I’m doing and who thought I did? This leads me and many other parents down a long slippery slope of neglectful self-care. How can I take care of me when I am not even sure if I can take care of an 8lb pink blanket of bliss?
In my case, I threw myself wholeheartedly into learning to be a mom. Every class, every workshop, every mom and me, we did it. I didn’t do anything that I used to do especially in terms of exercise- NOT a THING! Now for me, kids were like potato chips- I couldn’t have just one so as soon as you think you are getting the hang of it along comes another one and so on and so forth. Until you finally cry uncle in defeat.
By the time we had our nice little family, I had put on over 70 lbs and didn’t EVER exercise. Who had time between work, diapers, and well for me all those classes that were going to set my child apart.
Exercise just was too much to add into a day. Now I had to figure out how to add in the kid factor? Do I take them to the gym? Go for a walk with the stroller and dogs? Or just sit and try again tomorrow!
What if you could incorporate play into your exercise routine? This sounds WAY too good to be true. Exercise is slogging it out for endless hours on the dreadmill until I finally collapse into a puddle of sweat. Playing with the kids isn’t enough!???
Here are 5 simple and cheap games to play with your kids that will get your heart pumping and hopefully the kids in bed early.
- Arm and Leg Tag
- Arm and Leg Tag starts like normal tag but when you are tagged on an arm you lose the ability to use that arm any longer in the game and must place it behind your back. If you are tagged on both arms, you lose both hands for tagging purposes. If you are tagged on the leg, to stay in the game, you must hop on one foot in order to stay in the game and avoid any other tags. If both legs are tagged, you must be seated and are out for the remainder of the game.
- Topple Cups
- Gather at least 3 plastic or other non breakable cups per person playing
- Divide group into tippers and stackers
- Place cups in various spaces around large open space such as yard, driveway etc
- When the game starts, you have a timed amount of time approximately 1 minute to run from your base to the cups. If you are a tipper, you should tip them over. If you are are stacker, you flip it right side up. When the timer, goes off the number of cups in the tipped or up right position determines the winner
- Don’t Touch The Ground
- Gather 1 balloon and 1 pool noodle for each player
- Start the game by blowing up the balloon and standing in a semi large circle.Your job is to keep the balloon aloft by only hitting it with the pool noodle. You must pass the balloon to others. This can also be modified to monkey in the middle.
- Snake Bite
- Gather a jump rope. The longer the jump rope the better
- One person stands in the middle and will hold one end of the jump rope. This person will start to spin the jump rope around in a circle on the ground. The other person will jump over the jump rope as it comes around their path. If you are hit by the jump rope “you’ve been bitten” and it’s time to switch places.
- Octopus
- Gather 1 pool noodle per player
- Establish 2 boundaries for the FISH to run through
- The Octopus is IT and will try to tag fish as they run through the boundary lines. When a fish is tagged they need to remain stationary. Once a fish is tagged they should use their pool noodle as octopus arms. As fish try to run through the boundaries the “fish” will try to tag them as well with their octopus arms. The last fish remaining is the winner.
About the Author:
Fitness and health education define me. I live to teach all people about a healthy lifestyle and well-being. I hope to model this in my personal life, community, and on the NHAHPERD (NH Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance) board on which I have served in numerous capacities.
During my tenure teaching, I was honored as Health Teacher of the Year in 2015. I also earned my Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) certificate in 1996. Later, I earned my ACE certification for personal training. Then retiring from teaching health education after 20 years, I opened my own business PembrokeFitWorks, LLC to continue to teach and instruct clients how to take their fitness goals to the next level. Using skills from my master’s degree in health education, I am able to design programs that include not only the traditional fitness training but also nutrition and other lifestyle modifications. PembrokeFitWorks unique at home or in office training offers you the convenience of fitness without the hassle of the gym nor the travel.
In my free time, I enjoy camping, skiing, competing in triathlons and spending time with my family and 3 rescue dogs.
-Heather Cunningham M.ED, CHES, CPT, Functional Fitness Specialist
Resources:
https://www.familyfuntwincities.com/outdoor-games-for-kids/
http://www.sonima.com/fitness/fun-workouts/
https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/5069/youth-fitness-arm-and-leg-tag
