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Exercise with your kids

[ 10 ] 06/12/2009 |

I know alot of us are stay at home moms, and that can only mean one thing! Our kids are out of school for the summer and we have no idea how we’re going to fill the waking hours, muchless find time for us to exercise. Am I right, or am I right?

I’ve come up with a few ideas, most of which I will use everyday, to help make sure I get my exercise in during these dog days of summer!

  • Let them join in the jump rope challenge with you!
  • Go for a walk. Simple, but so effective in burning off that extra energy that seems to be endless. If your kids are younger, strap them into the stroller and hit the pavement!
  • Dance like no one’s watching! Crank up the music and shake it with your kids. You’ll work up a sweat, burn lots of calories, and your kids with think you’re the best ever.
  • Push your kids on the swings. After every push complete one squat just to mix it up.
  • Race! That’s right. Get out there and race with your kids. Every kid loves a good competition and running short, quick sprints is a great way to get in some cardio.
  • Go to the zoo! A daylong trip to the  zoo equals lots of walking and calories burned.
  • Hit the pool. Have you ever tried to keep up with a toddler at the pool? Yeah, lots of hard work and good exercise. Just make sure they’re wearing an approved flotation device.

When all else fails, and you can’t get out of the house, you can always pop in your Jillian Michaels Shred DVD and let your kids join in! My son LOVES to do it with me, and as long as I give him a specific area of the room to stay in, the company’s not so bad! Last week when Lisa was visiting, we even used the Shred DVD to mix it up a little when the kids were tired of playing outside! They did Level 2 from beginning to end and had a blast! See for yourselves.dsc_0224dsc_0226dsc_0234-1Some other options:

  • If you have Wii or Playstation, Dance Dance Revolution is a fun, family centered way to get in some exercise!
  • There are also many workout DVDs geared toward kids and parents working out together. We’ve just added several to the Sisterhood Amazon.com store!

Let us know how you share fitness with your kids! All of us can benefit from other’s ideas.

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Category: Shredding with the Sisterhood

About Christy: Thirty-six year-old wife and mom to BJ (8) and Mia (4). I'm the editor at the Sisterhood, a Feingold mom, I really love to run (really), read, cook amazing things, and photography is my fledging passion. My motivation is motivating other people to realize they can do this whole weight-loss and exercise thing. I'm living proof! View author profile.

  • http://craftgirlalli.blogspot.com/ Allison

    Great suggestions! My son and I love dancing around the living room! I like taking him to the park and playing on the toys with him. We went the other nite, and by the time we were done going up and down the steps to the slide and running all around, I was exhausted!

  • http://www.whooosthatgirl.com Lissa_ShrinkingJeans

    Great ideas, hooker!

  • LisaCrazyAdventuresinParenting

    I agree! Kids love to “help” when I do Wii Fit, even if they're not the ones on the balance board! ;)

  • http://arnegard.blogspot.com/ Emily

    I have gotten in the habit of waking at 5:30 am to get my workout in. I have an almost 18 mo old and a 3 1/2 yo, so they are far from in school. This routine works for me because I get in a 45 min workout (either 45 on the eliptical or shred plus 20 on the eliptical) and a shower ALONE!

  • http://www.smartstrongsexy.blogspot.com/ Brooke

    is there anyone here that is actually good at jumping rope?

    i wanna go to the pool!

  • Amy Houck

    I want to become that disciplined.

  • gabriellekrake

    I love this, I teach Taekwondo and my kids are some of my students. As a result they are conditioned to do much of the workouts that I lead for adults. It's fun and inspiring and pushing me to remain young!

  • http://www.babytealeaves.blogspot.com/ christieo

    Great ideas!! My kids love “eckersizing” with mommy. My older one is so cute when I am using weights, we find something around the house that he can use for bicep curls and we do them together. My kids are 3 and 1 1/2 also, and I just now became one with the idea of the gym daycare. If you have one and you're not so sure about it, go ahead and try it even for an hour!!! Mine think it's a fun playground and they have the best time playing! I also did Stroller Fit for a while, a class that is all about mommies working out with their babies in tow, it was great (when I only had one child — but I did see lots of mommies with the double jogger!)

  • http://ann-shesgonnablow.blogspot.com/ Ann G

    And don't forget swimming is a great exercise, especially if you are hauling little kids around on your back!! I just got back from the pool with my 5 year old and I am exhausted!! That's gotta count for some calorie burn, right?!

  • http://ann-shesgonnablow.blogspot.com/ Ann G

    And don't forget swimming is a great exercise, especially if you are hauling little kids around on your back!! I just got back from the pool with my 5 year old and I am exhausted!! That's gotta count for some calorie burn, right?!