Family Fitness Fun

Debi Pillarella M.Ed.

Debi Pillarella, M.Ed., C.P.T. is the Exercise Program Manager at The Community Hospital Fitness Pointe. She is an A.C.E. certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Professional, and Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist.

Debi serves as the National Youth Fitness Spokesperson for A.C.E. She lives in Munster with her husband, Jim and two children Joe (age 12) and Luke (age 10). For more information on Fitness Pointe's Youth Fitness Programs, call (219) 924-5348.

Special Thanks to the following:

Tracy Oedzes -- Certified Personal Trainer and Mom

Kyle and Abby Oedzes

Lena and Blake Newton

Joe and Luke Pillarella

Kids are not "miniature" adults, so traditional exercise programming recommendations don't fare well. If you ask kids about participating in a traditional "exercise" class (i.e. aerobics, calisthenics, etc) most will tell you it's boring and they don't want to join. However, if we transform "exercise" into fitness "play" and focus on having fun while being active, we're sure to have them coming back, asking for more. As far as us parents, not many of us can spend as much time working out as we should, so what better way to shape up, burn calories and bond with our children than to make fitness a family affair.

Disclaimer:

This program provides general family fitness recommendations for apparently "healthy" children and their families. Check with your physician for specific recommendations regarding your participation in the suggested activities.

Modify activities as needed. Do NOT work through pain or discomfort. Begin each session with the warm "up" then add each week's activity to provide variety and fun. Start with 10-15 minutes of fitness play and work up to 30-60 minutes on most days of the week. Finish up each session by cooling down, re-hydrating, stretching, and talking with your kids about being healthy and fit. Kids are natural movers who LOVE start/stop activities as opposed to sustained ones (i.e. running for 45 minutes non-stop). So, give 'em frequent breaks, keep 'em hydrated with water, and let them have fun!

WEEK FOUR OF SIX

Playground Fitness Frenzy

Don't just sit at the playground as the kids are having fun playing around.

Get in the groove, get up and move, and enjoy a great workout too!

Get your cardio in by playing freeze tag, hide and seek, climbing ladders, going across monkey bars, and much more. After 3-5 minutes of cardio fun, try the following playground strength activities to compliment all the cardio running around. Begin with 8-10 repetitions and work up to 15.

Slide Push Ups/Dips (targets upper body muscles)

Stand at the base of the slide, facing the slide. Put hands on the bottom of the slide with feet are on the ground, the hips slightly elevated and navel drawn in. Bend the elbows and slowly lower the chest and shoulders toward the bottom of the slide. Do not arch the back. Hold briefly before returning to starting position. After 10 to 15 reps, flip over to the ‘dip' position (above).

Without moving the hips, bend the elbows, lowering the body. Pause briefly, then straighten elbows and return to starting position.

Hanging Knee Lifts n (targets core muscles)

Hold on to the rungs of the monkey bar. Without swinging the legs, contract the abdominal muscles while drawing the knees up toward the torso. Hold briefly before slowly lowering the legs. Complete 10 to 15 repetitions.