Finding Ways to Exercise With Your Kids

​With summer around the corner and the end of the school year nearly here, I’ve been thinking a lot about how our schedule and life will change a bit with my kids being home.  I love summer vacation and *mostly* love having my girls around during the day.  We love planning things to do without having to rush off places.  Life just goes a bit slower over the summer and I’m hoping this year is no different.

Taking time to just “be”, explore and experience new things has been what summer is all about for us. If you’re in the same boat as me and your kids will be joining you for summer fun, it can also take a little bit of adjusting. 

I know a lot of times my work time and “me time” end up not having any real structure to them and I just squeeze them in whenever I can.  This works fine for the most part, but in more recent years I’ve also found that I stay up much later with summer hours and it’s not as easy to get up and get a work out in before the kids get up.  

It’s for this reason that I’ve changed the way I get my exercise and workouts in with my kids home.  Each age they’ve been has also meant I’ve needed to change it up a bit too.  When they both napped or had a rest time during the afternoon, that’s when I would work out if it didn’t happen before they woke up for the day.  Now I’m in a season of working out WITH them because they can mostly keep up with what I’d like to do in some way or another.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to keep a summer exercise routine in place and even including your kids in the fun. 

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KIDS BIKE & MOM RUNS

​This is one of our favorites lately.  My older daughter loves biking and so this makes it fun for her and peaceful for me.  Sometimes they’ll scooter while I run, but the bike has worked really, really well.  

If you can find a trail where cars aren’t present this can be a great option because so often the kids are way ahead of me and end up turning around to join me again.

I also love this because it usually makes them feel pretty good that they’re faster than mom while we’re working out together.  The more fun the kids have, the more fun a workout is for me. If they’re miserable and complaining, it can be a really draining workout. Try to do this one in the morning so nobody gets too overheated.  

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​JOGGING STROLLER OR BIKE TRAILER

​While this option just doesn’t work for me that much anymore, last summer this was THE thing we did at least a few times a week.  We biked to a lot of our favorite places instead of drove.  If you’ve ever pulled a bike trailer with two kids, you know it’s a GOOD workout.  We went places like the library, beach and farmer’s market when we could.

You can also go for a quick run with a jogging stroller or bike trailer that has the option to use it as a stroller.  The nice thing is you can usually give your kids a book or even a healthy snack while you run and for the most part, you’ll be uninterrupted while exercising.

Just remember sunscreen and cool clothing if it’s a hot day.  

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HIKING/GEOCACHING

​For a weekend activity, we often do a hike or geocaching as a family activity.  If you’ve never heard of geocaching, it is a favorite activity for my kids.  It’s like a treasure hunt for a small hidden cash that someone has hidden.  You can use an app on your phone to find where they are and hunt around along trails and parks to find them with your kids.

It’s kind of a fun way to get some movement on a hike and then incorporate these small treasure hunts here and there along your trail.

If you've got really little ones, pop them in a front carrier or hiking pack and take them along too.  You'll get a great workout and they'll get to enjoy the hike.

DOWNLOAD THE GEOCACHING APP

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​KIDS VIDEOS THAT INCORPORATE MOVEMENT FOR RAINY DAYS

​If you hop over to Youtube, you can find SO many videos that incorporate movement for kids.  One of our favorite resources for this is called GoNoodle.  It’s got some fun songs for kiddos and it also adds in some exercise moves for them.  

Sometimes I’ll join in with them and just do the moves with either more intensity or I’ll add some weights to the motions.  

You can even find workout videos for kids if you wanted to.  Sometimes my girls want to do something “just like mom,” and a workout video geared towards them is just the thing. I’ll just make the workout more intense for me while they do the “kid” version.

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​PLAYGROUND WORKOUT

​Some playgrounds now days have adult exercise equipment that you can use while your kiddos are playing.  Even if you can’t find one that has adult exercise equipment, you can do simple exercises or body weight exercises in an open space or on the equipment if there aren’t too many kiddos around.

Even just playing with your kids on the playground can be a decent workout.  It’s not necessarily a really long, intense, workout, but it’s something  to keep you active during the day when they’re home.

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​MAKE PLAY ACTIVE

​Sometimes, it’s fun to just join in and play with your kids.  Afterall, isn’t that what summer’s all about?!  I love playing something WITH my kids while getting some exercise.  Sometimes it’s just running around the yard, sometimes it’s playing at the beach and sometimes it’s starting a game of soccer with them.  The options for this one are truly endless.  It doesn’t matter if it’s organized play or if it’s just playing around - getting movement in can be fun and part of play too.

Whatever we’re doing together, if they’re having fun and everyone’s getting exercise in the meantime, it’s a win-win for my kids and for me.

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If you’re still in that phase of life where you need space away from your kids to get a workout in, here are some ways to carve out that time while they’re still at home:

• Work out while they’re sleeping (morning, naptime or nighttime)
• Set them up with an activity nearby (although not always a guaranteed interruption free workout!)
• Swap with a friend or neighbor for an alternate morning or afternoon and watch each other’s kiddos