Hello from the other side of the screen, again. Things are finally starting to look up! As most of us are sick of being stuck inside… here are some ideas to help get you and your family out of the house!
To continue on“Family Fitness Challenges” here are some fun outdoor activities that will get everyone involved!
Now.. don’t stress, theses activities do not have to be complex. They do not have to require any equipment. All you have to do is make it fun. And these are not just for the kids, they can be for you and your spouse also.
Below is a list of activities that anyone can participate in and enjoy the beautiful Oklahoma summers!
• Hide and Sweat!
The adults in the family write down 20 physical activities on separate small pieces of paper. These are then put in plastic Easter eggs and hid around the house (inside or outside if weather appropriate). Kids are then tasked to find the eggs. When they find them they open them and the entire family performs the activity for the reps or amount of time given.
• Family Boot Camp
Each family member writes down 5 of his or her favorite body weight (or weighted, level appropriate), cardiovascular (high knees, butt kicks, jog in place, etc), and stretches (preferably functional stretches to keep the heart rate above resting), for a total of at least 25-30 minutes. Exercises can be dance moves, calisthenics, martial arts, functional, really anything physical that the entire family can do.
• Nerf Fight!
This is one could be your family’s next favorite exercise disguised as a game. Each member can have one Nerf gun and a bunch of extra Nerf darts. One family member will declare a Nerf Fight and then decide on the rules and boundaries for the game. You can pick teams (guys against girls is always fun) or make it everyone vs. everyone. Sometimes, this can be played like a mixture of Combat Archery, Dodge ball and Capture the Flag and indoors or outdoors. Each team has a base to defend that has a paper cup perched in the middle. The rules are as follows:
- If you get hit with an arrow you are out. If you catch an arrow, the person who shot it is out.
- The objective is to shoot the paper cup off of the other team’s base before your team’s is shot.
- Once a person is out, they have to do jumping jacks or jog in place until the next round.
Other games that you can try out are:
- Obstacle Course
- Family Walk/Hike
- Bike/Scooter/Skate
- Tag
- Freeze
- Driveway Hopscotch
- Park Visit
- Soccer, basketball, hockey—any sport!
- Frisbee, Catch, etc.
- Four Square
- Scavenger Hunt
- Simon Says
- Kick The Can
- Capture the Flag
- Mother May I
- Monkey In The Middle
- Red Light, Green Light (walking version)
These are just a few to get your brain engaged!!! Please feel free to share if you have any other fun outdoor activities for the family!!
We will get through this! Keep putting one foot in front of the other!!
Stay safe and healthy!!
-Taylor
Exercise Physiologist
taylor.j@weightwise.com
405-359-2472