Get up, Get out, Get active!

Posted on 26. Apr, 2010 by Becky in Work Your Body

Well, I don’t know about where you live, but here in the Rocky Mountains, spring has finally sprung!  The past 2 weeks have flown past in a blur of bike rides, stroller walks, and trips to the park.  Spring is finally here!  And in between those pesky rain showers there are ample opportunities to get out and enjoy the sunshine.  Here’s my top 7 list of things to do with your family  to stay active, stay fit, and soak up those long-missed rays.  Enjoy!

1.  Go for a bike ride: Now that our 5 year old is cruising without training wheels he’s keeping up with us on up to 6 mile trips.  And when you’re hitting hills while dragging a trailer of rugrats, you can count this as cardio & toning time.  Skip the gym today!  (In one hour, you’ll burn about 300 calories, not to mention building a beautiful bum).

2.  Take a stroll: You’ll burn more than 200 calories an hour if you’re strolling around the block with your umbrella stroller.   Make that double when tackling hills with a double stroller, not to mention sculpting those calves.  Make sure to keep your pace up to the point where you can feel your heart pumping.

3.  Dig in the Dirt: Take advantage of spring showers and get your garden planted.  You can burn over 360 calories an hour by digging around in the dirt!  And you know your kids will love getting muddy right next to you!  Just make sure they don’t dig up the seeds you just planted!

4.  Spring Cleaning! That’s right, you can even count spring cleaning towards your goals to live an active life.  In one hour of vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing, & shining, you’ll likely burn more than 200 calories.  Talk about multi-tasking!

5.  Hiking: If you live in an area with safe kid-friendly trails this is a great way to get out and enjoy nature with your little ones.  Strap the little one in a baby carrier and bring plenty of snacks for the ones old enough to complain.  Pick a spot that has a destination they can get excited about.   If you can keep them going for an hour, you’ll burn about 400 calories.

6.  Mow Your Lawn: As kids get older, this is usually a task that is relegated to them, but if you enjoy getting some tanning time at the same time you’re checking off chores, then claim the lawn-mowing responsibility as your own.  If you invest in a cost-effective push mower rather than a riding, you’ll burn about 300 calories in one hour.  Plus, it’s a great excuse to get a break from the constant refrain of “Mom!  Mom!” and plug into your ipod instead.

7.  Start a Soccer Game: Considering all you need for this sport is a ball and somewhere that you all agree on as a “GOAL!”, this is a great get-active activity for your family.  Not only will your little ones love you for getting out and romping around with them, but you’ll burn close to 500 calories in a one hour game.

With so many fun ways to get out play with your fam, you might even find you can skip the gym most days.  Incorporating activity into your everyday lifestyle is a great way to foster healthy habits for life and to be a shining example of an active, happy, Aerobicmom!  In fact, The Cooper Institute recently performed a study that compared 2 groups: a structured exercise group and a lifestyle exercise group.  The structured exercise group received a 6 month membership to a state-of-the-art fitness center as well as access to a personal trainer there.  After the 6 months, they were asked to exercise on their own for another 18 months.  The lifestyle exercise group met once a week to learn lifestyle management skills to help them begin and maintain a physically active life, and then implemented these ideas on their own.  They focused on incorporating moderate-intensity activities into their lifestyles as best they could.

After 24 months, both groups had significantly increased their physical activity and fitness levels and improved numerous health parameters.  The average results of the two groups did not differ from each other, and even showed that those who increased their use of the lifestyle skills were more likely to remain at a higher activity level years after the study.  (Healthy Eating Every Day, The Cooper Institute, p.159)

So, here’s the deal.  If you love to break a sweat at the gym, great!  It’s one of the things that gets me through my week!  But don’t despair if the gym doesn’t fit into your budget, your time, or your priorities.  There are plenty of benefits to reap from getting up, getting out, and getting active…toddlers in tow!  So however you want to do it, just get out and move, Aerobicmoms!