Summer Vaca's a Comin'

So, for good or bad, summer break is coming! So happy for the weather. So happy to be schedule free. So happy to be outside and playing and generally wearing the kids out... But, oh yeah, there are the kids. 4 of them, home all day, every day- for 3 whole months! Hmmmm, was it just last spring when I was telling my hubs of ALLLL the miles I was going to be able to run when summer came? How I was going to easily meet my goal of 1000 miles for the year? Big plans, big plans I say-- Put one or 2 in the BOB, the others on bikes- I could run miles each and everyday!! Then the reality... The kids arent too thrilled to take their bikes EVERYWHERE we go. J doesnt want to always sit in the stroller because he wants to ride his bike too! And "its too hot, too windy, may rain, I'm just tiiirrrreeedddd!" Ooh yes, its all flooding back to me now... Those 3 months nearly killed my 1000 miles a year goal. BUT- I did manage to learn some tricks that got me working out thru the summer, and kept me (relatively) sane- I would love to share! Bike trail: We have sections of bike trails that are closed to all motor traffic. I figured I could run sections of these trails while the kids rode freely on their bikes. Therefore, they werent following me, there was no yelling of "slow down, I have to be able to see you!" or "speed up, I am walking faster than youre pedaling!" Here is how I did it. I would load up the bikes in the car and drive to the trail section. Each child would have a packed snack and water bottle. The directions/boundaries were explained- and off they went. If they gave me my 30 minutes to do my thing- then they each got 30 minutes of alone time with me later that day. (This got them motivated thinking about all the things they could do alone with me without any pesky siblings!) Keep in mind- household chores will inevitably suffer on these days, but so worth it! Playground Workout: These random exercises will have you crawling home from the playground begging for naptime :) tunnel slide pushups- lay in push up starting position on ground with head facing slide. While your child is in the tunnel, play hide and seek while performing pushups. With each "up" a funny (or grimacing) face will have your kid laughing hysterically and they wont let you "hide" for long in the "down" position! swing squats- With each push of the swing, go down for one deep squat and spring back up in time to push again! pull ups- that one is a given- pretty easy to utilize the monkey bars! balancing lunges- most playgrounds have a border around them of some type. Balancing on the border- walking lunge down one side and back! plyometrics- hopping/jumping/leaping from one spot to another is an awesome workout and kids love to join in. Dont let them win, and practice counting while youre at it! tricep dips- any apparatus low enough to the ground that also gives you room to put your palms down- dip away. Letting your kid sit on you lap for a "ride" is just extra resistance! knee ups- hanging from the monkey bars- bring knees up or straight legs up (badass!) as many times as you can before your kid reaches you crossing the monkeybars from the other side. I guarantee you'll be begging for them to go FASTER! Interval Training: This workout can be done anywhere- walking down the road, playing in the backyard, puddle splashing in a vacant parking lot, you name it! Its simple- every minute or two- stop your regular activity and just go ALL OUT in some cardio or strength blasting! Dance your butt off while your kid sings the latest top 40 songs, drop and give 'em 20, jump squats (pretend your shooting hoops!), you get the idea :) I'll post more as my memory clears... I used these ideas all summer while my mom friends with fewer (and older) kids just "couldnt ever find the time to workout!" I really dislike excuse makers, especially when they really arent trying at all! Of course there is always the treadmill during naptime; and kid sharing- which is setting up once or twice a week swapping kids with a friend for an hour of uninterrupted alone time. Just remember, you have to take her kids once a week too! If you can do this with at least two moms, you'll get some really decent solo workouts in :_