Have you noticed? Everyone is busy these days. Life is full to the point of running over with work, family, cooking, cleaning, kids, kid’s activities, kid’s homework, meetings, committees, business travel, etc.

If this sounds like your life, you’re probably thinking there’s no way you can fit a workout routine with you and your family into your busy schedule – right?

Wrong. Even the busiest of people can manage a daily workout – if they know how.

Here is the perfect solution: a great full body workout plus playtime with your kids. Try this workout the next time your day gets a bit hectic and you can’t make it to the gym.

Find a place in the house, like a hallway. Or if it’s nice outside try the grass or the sidewalk. Run back and forth chasing each other or make a couple of races to get the blood pumping. Then incorporate these moves into the workout:

  • High Knees – Stand straight and lift your knees up to hip-level as you run.
  • Butt Kicks – Hit your butt with your heels as you run. Land softly on the balls of your feet.
  • Jump Skip – Jump and drive your bent knee straight up as you skip forward, exaggerating your natural arm movements.
  • Walking Lunges – Step forward with your first leg landing heel first. Lower body by bending both knees until back knee nearly touches the floor. Lift yourself up using both legs and step forward and repeat with the opposite leg.
  • Ski jumps – Jump along an imaginary line down the middle of your course. Starting on one side with knees slightly bent and feet angled at about 45 degrees toward the line, jump over the line turning so knees and toes are at a 45 degree angle toward the line on the other side. Jump to one end and then repeat jumping backwards to the other end of your course.
  • Jumps – Just jump! Remember to land softly, which means you have to use your muscles to slow the momentum of your lowering body and not lockout your knees. Add an obstacle, or several, that you have to jump over.
  • Stairs – If you have stairs, you have a built-in workout machine. Running up and down the stairs two-at-a-time, sideways, and backwards is a phenomenal workout. Carry a weight (or your kid!) to really amp up your calorie burn. You may want to skip this with younger kids until they are sure-footed.
  • Drop and Give Me – At either end of your course, have a mat or towel where you perform a different exercise such as push-ups, crunches, or triceps’ dips, each time through.

Here are just a couple of ideas. Feel free to make up your own.

Have fun!