Family Fitness: A Fun Workout You and Your Kids Will Love

Fitness and wellness are both worthy goals to aspire to, but they can be a bit, well, boring. Sure, you want to take care of your wellbeing but, let’s be honest, if it isn’t fun you’re not going to stick with it. If you’re tired of the same old exercises, why not try this fun workout routine courtesy of certified trainer and international fitness instructor Sara Haley, creator of fitness DVD Sweat UNLIMITED? You should perform these exercises in the order they are given, and do them on up to three non-consecutive days per week.

 

1. Rake and Shake: This move works your inner and outer thighs, bum, quads and hamstrings. Haley instructs, ‘Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, hands clasped together in front of you as if you are holding a rake (1). Lunge to the left bending your left knee (toes pointing forward and hips pressing back), keeping your right leg straight, rotating your torso toward your right leg, and reaching your clasped hands toward your right hip (2). Slowly “rake” the leaves back to centre, returning to the start position. Repeat on right side to complete one rep. Continue for 15 repetitions. Finish by shaking your legs out one at a time as if you were trying to shake leaves off your legs.’

 

2. Football Feet: This is a core, cardiovascular, speed and agility exercise all in one. According to Haley, you should ‘stand with your hands at chest height, arms bent, knees soft as if you are ready to catch a football. Lifting knees as high as you can, take three jogging steps to your left (left-right-left), landing with your right foot in the air (1). Repeat three high-knee jogs to the right (right-left-right), landing with your left foot raised (2). Now run three steps backwards, swinging your arms and torso back as if to catch a football (3). Finish by running three steps forward to “catch” the ball (4). Repeat side to side and back to front for at least 10 sets.’

 

3. Pumpkin Roll and Apple Pick: This is a move for your lower body, core and cardiovascular system. ‘With feet wider than hips, back straight and knees and toes turned outward, bend the knees and squat straight down, keeping chest lifted and reaching toward the ground as if picking a pumpkin,’ says Haley. ‘(1). Stay low and walk forward in your squat position for 10 steps as you pretend to roll your pumpkin across the patch, then stand back up, straightening legs and reaching up to the right as if plucking an apple from a tall tree (lifting your left leg up at a diagonal (2). (Add a little hop on the right leg here if you want more challenge!) Squat back down and roll your pumpkin backwards for 10 steps, then stand and reach (or hop) to the left to complete one rep. Repeat for 10 total repetitions.’

 

4. Slippery Hiker: Work your legs, glutes, core, shoulders and cardiovascular system with this move. Haley advises, ‘Begin standing tall with arms at your sides, feet hip distance apart and back straight (1).Take a big step forward with the right foot into a lunge, bending the front knee over the ankle but keeping the back leg straight (2). Hinge from the hips to place your hands on the ground on each side of your foot, keeping abs tight (3). Walk or slide your front leg back into a plank position with arms and legs straight, back straight, and body in one long line (4). Pause for a moment, then walk or drag your left leg forward, keeping hands on the ground (5). Slow straighten back to an upright position, then step left leg back to return to the start position (1). Repeat, this time starting the series by stepping forward with the opposite (left) leg and finishing the whole series by stepping the right leg back to complete a single rep. Repeat for five to eight total repetitions.’

Categories: Family Wellness, feet hip, Fun, fun workout, left, left leg, leg straight, rake and shake, rep repeat, repeat, straight, total repetitions

Jump Around: Trampolining Workouts More Fun than Skipping

When was the last time you used a skipping rope? For most of us, we said goodbye to skipping or jumping with a rope as soon as we stopped letting our mums cut our fringes, but does that mean that skipping ropes are just for children? While you may think that something as juvenile as a skipping rope can’t do anything more for your wellbeing than it could for a kid, Marie Claire Beauty & Health Director Erin Flaherty found out the hard way that skipping rope-based workouts are definitely not child’s play.

 

Flaherty details, ‘I recently found myself in a boot-camp-fitness situation in a sweaty muscle gym (first bad sign) that incorporated the playground staple — and I couldn’t fathom why I had ever found it a recess-worthy activity. Pathetically stumbling and tripping through the workout, I was shocked at how difficult it was, and after, I slunk out, dejected. (Did I just pay for this humiliation?) But at another class I attended later that week, I found myself bouncing around again — this time on a trampoline — and had quite the opposite experience: I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun exercising since, well, grade school.’

 

The wellness-damaging effects of using a skipping rope, then, are not the fault of jumping in and of itself. In fact, Flaherty is not alone in finding that the simple act of jumping up and down can work wonders for your fitness. You can see the popularity of jumping all over the US, with “trampoline parks,” or fitness/play centres for the whole family, cropping up all over the country. Sky Zone Sports has recently opened 18 such centres, and have 10 more scheduled to roll out in cities like Dallas and Cleveland over the next year. But why is this seemingly juvenile trend is a very, very good thing for everyone involved?

 

1. Easy on the joints: If you have sports injuries or other issues, the trampoline protects you through the low-impact cushion of the net.

 

2. Detoxifying: Flaherty explains, ‘Jumping up and down stimulates the lymphatic drainage system, which is why experts at the world-famous We Care fasting spa near Palm Springs — where stars go to drop five to 10 pounds fast — recommend their tony clients jump on mini trampolines throughout their stays.’

 

3. Accessible: Although there aren’t so many trampoline parks opening up in the UK, anyone can purchase a relatively affordable rebounder and sneak in a few bounces during your TV hour.

 

4. Efficient: Flaherty points out, ‘Studies show that jumping on a trampoline burns about 20% more calories than jogging at five miles per hour. And according to Parvati Shallow, teacher of ESP Wellness Center’s new trampoline class, six minutes on the rebounder can equal one mile of jogging. And did I mention it’s really, really fun?’

 

Flaherty enthuses, ‘During the class, we learn dance-y routines that require quick thinking and take us up, down, and all around the trampolines; plus we pull resistance bands hanging from the ceiling, squeeze exercise balls between our legs, and perform interval push-ups and other strength-training exercises off the side of the thing (which makes for some serious core work). It’s exhausting but enjoyable, and you can immediately feel how full-bodied the workout is.’ Bari’s Bounce class, where Flaherty first became hooked on trampolining, is co-owned by Alexandra Perez and Brice Andrew Hall, a trainer who has worked with Madonna. Perez notes, ‘People need cardio [like running] in their workout routines, but we found too many clients were prone to shin splints, foot problems, and other issues that interfere with exercise. For Bounce, we’ve choreographed strategic sequences on the trampoline that activate more muscles — and in different ways — to burn more calories and engage you cognitively, so you also benefit in areas like strength, balance, and coordination.’

Categories: flaherty, fun workout, jumping, nbsp, nbsp flaherty, skipping, skipping rope, trampoline, trampoline parks, trampolining