I don’t like exercise. I’m not going to lie! I just don’t like it. It feels like work to me.
That means I have to find creative ways to get my daily exercise in. During the spring, summer and fall months, exercise tends includes taking my kids for walks or to the park. to play. On a really good day, I chase them around for a good hour or so before heading home. Some days we just grab a ball and bat and play out back. In the winter, exercise comes in the form of shoveling the driveway and sidewalks, and then playing with Brian in the snow.
During a rainy day though, which we have recently had a few, getting exercise for the kids and myself can be difficult. I used to hate the idea of pulling out an exercise DVD and half-heartedly following along. My kids never wanted to join in either.
Then I discovered our music channels on the TV. Hip-hop, dance, country, kids, etc. You name it, they have it! So, I’ve turned rainy days into dance marathons and competitions. We all have to dance along to the music and keep up with the beat, make up our own dance moves, and try to copy each other’s dance moves. I cannot tell you how much fun we have.
Not only do we get a great work out from all the dancing but also our stomachs get a workout from all of the giggling. My kids love it and so do I! It’s such a great way to play together without making it feel like work. I just love to watch Sean, my 20 month old, dance around. We do these dance marathons for hours until we just collapse on the floor.
Another fun way of getting exercise is with our Wii. (I love the person who invented this game.) We will play Wii Fit and do the yoga or strength or balance for hours on end and never get bored. We all play along together, even if it is only designed for one player at a time. There is nothing cuter than seeing Brian trying to do yoga with me. Its also pretty funny to see that he has quite better balance than I do!
Wii Fit isn’t the only game we play to fit exercise in, we also play Wii Sports Resort. I don’t think Wii Resort is supposed to be a physical as we have made it, but oh well. Between the sword fighting, basketball, cycling, and water sports we get a whole body workout.
I have also tried to incorporate typically outside activities indoors. We do hopscotch, jump rope, hula-hoops, obstacle courses and basketball all inside the house in a safe way so that no one or nothing gets hurt.
For us, what it comes down to is this: exercise is only as fun as your imagination will make it. So exercise your imagination!
Tags: Greenwood parks, Indianapolis parks, kids activities, outdoor fitness
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Since you have a Wii and you love to dance… I highly recommend Just Dance! My family loevs it! I have the Wii Fit Plus and like the toning I get from it and the balance and flexibility. But I never get a good heart rate increase and I only glisten a little (never really break a sweat). With Just Dance- I have fun, I sweat a bit, and my heart rate goes up. I don’t care about the score, I just love the songs and learning thr dance moves!! Plus, my 5 year old really loves playing it with me so she’s usually the one urging me to do it in the evenings. Which means it’s a lot easier to get that suggested 60 mins of exercise – 30 mins at the gym and then 30 mins playing Just Dance!
Hi Danielle,
I so agree with your statement about exercise, but it is something that can become enjoyable. I recently played the Wii Sports game with some friends and it was truly a workout. We had so much fun that we plan to make it a regular part of what we do when we get together. Another thing that I just started doing three weeks ago is having a friend or two join me to learn new dances through a Hip Hop Dance video that has 5 ten minute routines. It has been great because it gives us a chance to work out for 30 minutes, learn something new, and her children move along with us when they are not laughing at us trying to dance.
Thanks for sharing these great ideas!
When I dance, my kids act appalled and tell me that I’m embarrassing them. So of course, I dance all the more!
Amy–just saw your comment. I thought only my kids were embarrassed by their mother’s dance moves! And I do the same thing–dance more!