Usually my favorite place for the kids to exercise is outside.  There’s nothing like running around, climbing on the jungle gym at the local playground, or just enjoying a walk on a beautiful day in the  fresh air and sunshine to fulfill your children’s daily recommended allowance of exercise.  But how about those dull, rainy days when the kids are cooped up indoors?  For some reason, indoor activities always seem to lend themselves to sedentary type things, like: video games, watching tv, surfing the Internet, playing cards or boardgames, and reading (although my kids and I all love to read, and it is fundamental, of course), for example. 

Break Up a Borning Day with Exercise!

One way I’ve found to insert a daily dose of exercise that’s fun for the kids and short enough to hold thier attention span is working on Tabata Intervals with them.  Click here for a more in-depth discussion on Tabata.  These don’t require a lot of space so they are a perfect indoor, rainy day workout to get the kids moving.  Check it out -

The Exercises:

• Jumping Jacks
• Lunges
• Base Switches(Start from all fours on hands and balls of feet. Lift right hand and left foot together.  Switch to crab walk position.  Pick up left hand and right foot. Switch back to base position. Continue.)
• Mountain Climbers

Per the Tabata Protocol, each exercise is performed for 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds.  Rest for one minute and then move onto the next exercise.  Try not to push them too much or provide too much instruction.  Just enough for them to get the form down.  Let them move at their own speed through the exercises and they will gradually pick up the pace on their own  This workout provides 16 minutes of high intensity exercise for any kid.  Get them off the couch and away from the TV to get their daily dose of exercise!

Related posts:

1. What’s Tabata You?
2. Warrior Fitness for Kids!
3. Ukemi Flow Conditioning Workout
4. A Case for Mini Workouts
5. User Guide to the Workouts of the Week