In honor of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, we want to help make sure children get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day for their mental and physical health. While sports programs and after-school activities can do the trick, they often cost money and require resources to help get the kids from here to there. Here are a few fun ideas Cyou can do from the comfort of your home and they won’t cost you a thing.
THE HOME OBSTACLE CHALLENGE:
Set up a relay or obstacle course around the house, apartment or yard, weather permitting. Set a goal, designate a prize and have fun!
Pick at least five different stations for the obstacle course.
Ideas for stations include:
1. Couch Sit and Jump: Sit slowly on the couch and then jump up with your feet, land softly and repeat 20 times
2. Kitchen Sock Running Man: Wear slippery socks in the kitchen and while in a push-up position, slide your feet up, down and all around for 30 seconds.
3. Hallway or Outdoor Shuttle Run: Pick a short distance and quickly sprint from one end to the other 10 times as fast as you can.
4. Doorway Jumps: Place a mat or small rug in the middle of the doorway. The goal is to jump from one side of the doorway to the other without touching the mat in the middle. Start by standing on your left foot and jump across the doorway landing on your right leg and repeat on the other leg. Continue jumping side to side for 30 seconds.
5. Table or Couch Circle Run: Clear an area around your kitchen table or couch, whichever is safest to run around. Run as many circles clockwise around the table or couch for 30 seconds and repeat going counterclockwise.
6. Remote Control Balance Touches: Holding onto a remote control, balance on your left leg and try to touch the remote to the floor without using your right leg. Repeat 10 touches on the left leg and switch to the right. See how many touches you can do on each leg without help from the other leg.
7. Hot Steps: You only need one step in your house for this one. Standing at the bottom of that step, as quickly and safely as you can, step up and down off the step. See how many times you can go up and down the step in 30 seconds.
Anna Renderer
Anna Renderer has her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Clinical Exercise Physiology from Northeastern University. She is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and certified Youth Fitness Specialist with the International Youth and Conditioning Association (IYCA). Anna is the co-founder and CEO of KFIT Health (www.kidfitnessandhealth.com), developing high quality nutrition and fitness education for children and their parents. She is also the host for POPSUGAR Fitness TV, sharing her fitness expertise with thousands of online viewers and interviewing other health professionals. She has developed and starred in fitness videos, Jumpstart Your Health and SHED 2 WED. Anna is currently the Fitness Director at Burn 60 in LA. She specializes in weight loss and optimal performance training. She has developed over 50 educational online fitness videos seen on www.fitsugar.com and is passionate about educating and instructing others on ways to stay fit!