The
Playground Workout
Watch the kids play and make it a fun fi tness day
BY KATY WIDRICK
T here are often two common reasons for
people not working out: not enough time
and not enough support.

f course, money, lack
of access to trainers or gyms, fear of failure and
anx iety over body image are also factors.)
It’ s understandable, especially for busy parents.

With kids and work, sometimes just gett ing out of
bed seems like a workout! But it’ s amaz ing how
easy it can be to fi t in some quick, heart-pumping
activity when you stop thinking about the
work” part of a workout. Instead, start looking for ways
to have fun and get fi t at the same time.

A great ex ample:
ead to the playground with
your kids. Each station or play area represents
a new opportunity to ex your muscles. You’ll
sweat, the kids will have a blast playing with you,
and when you go home, you’ ll be so happy you
made it happen!
iStock / Getty Images Plus/Liderina
40 October 2018
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SWINGS
At the playground,
most kids head straight
for the swings. Who can
blame them? Swinging free with your
legs in the air, pumping them to go
higher and higher
that’s pretty close
to ying. ust that movement alone is
great for your big leg muscles and your
core, so grab a seat and start swinging!
Ready to amp it up? Try leaning back,
and when the swing is fairly still, slide
your hands down the chains as low as
you can. Engaging your core, scissor your
legs so you cross right over left, left over
right, etc. Start with
seconds
it’ s
harder than you think! If
feels too easy,
go for
. Take a rest, and then start again.

If you can make it two to three sets, you’ ll
feel a big difference in your core.

Another option? Try swinging first,
and then scissor your legs so you cross
right over left, then left over right. This
is a great full- body workout, and it
will take all of your mind- body focus
to do it successfully. Once you’ve
completed your criss-crosses, get off the
swing and get into push- up position
on the ground directly in front of the
seat. Carefully lift one foot and rest it
on the swing seat, then lift the other.

With your wrists directly under your
shoulders, look at a point
ust ahead
of your wrists and slowly bring your
knees in toward your chest.

old for a
moment, and then slowly bring your
legs back to their starting position.

ou may feel a little shaky, and that’s OK
this is a great move for working on
your stabilizat ion, balance and strength.

However, you can always bring one
foot down to the ground and alternate
legs if you feel more comfortable. If you
can do eight reps, great! Take a rest, and
then try one more set.

MONKEY BARS
The monkey bars are one of the most
effective pieces of workout equipment
you’ll find at the playground, but you
probably
ust remember how fun they
were to swing on as a kid.

othing has
changed, except you’re a bit heavier.

This is good news for your fitness, since
you’ ll be using your body weight for
resistance as you scurry from one bar
to the nex t.

ake sure you bend your
knees so your feet stay all the way off
the ground.

Ready to amp it up?
o some pull- ups
and chin-ups. Keep your hands in either
prone or supine position (overhand or
underhand) and try to lift yourself up
to or over the bar. This will work out all
of your big muscles, so if you have any
shoulder or rotator cuff issues, this may
be a move to skip. If it’s too tough, this is
a great time to recruit a kid or your part-
ner to help: Have him or her gently give
you a little support under your feet or
hips, lifting you up slightly so you don’ t
have to raise all of your body weight.

SLIDE Going down the
slide is really only
a workout if you laugh the whole time
an d that’ s not hard to do, since it’ s
so much fun. But try this: As soon as
you’ve reached the ground, put your
hands on the edges of slides and try
to complete five to 10 push-ups. You’ll
focus on your triceps, since slides are
fairly narrow, so be sure to send your
elbows straight behind you and lower
down to bring your chest as close to the
slide as you can.

Ready to amp it up?
aking sure that
there’ s nobody behind you in line, lie
backwards at the top of the slide and,
hooking your feet on either side of the
handrail bars, slide down until you’ re
almost at. Try some small crunches
not full sit- ups) , keeping your hands
behind your ears to support, but not
tugging on your neck. This is definitely a
more advanced move, so if you’re afraid
you might lose your foothold, please
skip this one so you don’ t go sliding
backwards head-first down the slide!
If all of that is too much, try doing
jumping jacks at the bottom of the slide
while waiting for your kid to come
down. When he/she does, take a break
to offer a hug and high-five, then get
back to work!
SANDBOX Sand is great because it’ s an unstable
surface. From push- ups to
ogging, sand takes a standard fitness move and
revs it up significantly. Try marching
in place for
s econds while your kids
build sandcastles. From there, sink
into 10 good air squats, by pressing
your glutes down and back as if you’ re
sitting in a chair, then pressing back up
to the starting position.

Ready to amp it up? Try some single-
leg calf raises: B end one knee so it’ s
exed behind you and do 10 reps on
one leg. Switch and try to go for two
sets on each side. This will definitely
make you work on your balance!
STAIRS/LADDER The stairs/ladder is great
for step- ups and step-
downs. Keeping a gentle grip on the
bars or nearby equipment for balance,
step one foot up on a rung, then the
other. Then, step down to the ground
with one foot, then the other and repeat.

ou can keep an eye on the kids the
whole time, and you’ ll not only work
on your quads, hamstrings and calves,
you’ ll kickstart some good cardio, too.

Ready to amp it up? After you watch
your kids scramble up the ladder, why
not drop and do
p ush- ups?
ou can pick how intense the move is: the
higher the bar, the easier the move.

And the lower you go, the more body
weight you’ ll be pushing up. Try and
do five push-ups on each bar, starting at
the top and going all the way down. It
might be hard, but it’s super effective.

The bottom line: Fitness is where you
create it. Sure, a gym is packed with
equipment and trainers and treadmills.

But as a busy parent, if you can’ t get
there, bring your workout to wherever
you are. Never miss an opportunity
to get a quick workout in, even if it’s
just a few strength-training moves at
the playground. It’ s good for you, and
it’ s great for the kids who are looking
up to you. Fitness should always be a
priority! aty i a
lo e
t e
o el i
a d t e
i tr ctor w o
eo le work toward t eir
oal .

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