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Family Fitness Tips

Have fun with your family while keeping fit! Quick workouts, fitness fun, family games, and healthy recipes.
Courtesy of
:
Sam Hawley
The Fitness Prescription


I hope you enjoy these tips
. Feel free to browse our extensive archive for past posts and tips.
​**As with all fitness activities, please consult your physician before participating in any activity or diet.


If you wish to receive day-to-day fitness advice, click the link below to follow them.

Follow The Fitness Prescription

Pool Games and Fitness

8/6/2014

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Summer is in full swing and, for many of us, that means time by the pool! It is so easy to just sit out in the sun and let the kids tire themselves out swimming around. Why not turn pool time into family fitness time by incorporating some awesome games and challenges to take on by the water? Some of my favorite summer memories were of throwing a ball by the pool or beating my dad is a swimming race (he may tell you he won, but I know the truth ;) ). There a great ways to accidentally get a workout in while sitting by the pool and enjoying the summer with the kids.

Play flying catch: Grab a football or a softer nerf ball and head to the water. One person sit in the water and throw the ball, with a good arch, into another part of the water. Have one person start outside the pool and jump into the pool to try to catch the ball as it flies through the air. Let both kids and adults play on both sides to get a great work out and have some competitive fun. As always, watch your kids around water and ensure the pool is deep enough to safely jump into. Explain to your kids how to jump far enough from the edge of the pool that they are safe. You can make this game more safe by both parties remaining in the pool and leaping from side to side within the water to catch the ball. 

Relay races: Choose some "olympic" swim strokes and have the kids (and the adults too!) race back and forth across the pool to see who is fastest. You can also use pool toys or a ball to throw and see who can get to the item fastest and bring it back to the starting point. Making fitness competitive and playful allows people to forget they are even working out.

Muscle group swimming: Grab a float or a pool noodle and race around the pool using only your arms or only your legs (first to cheat loses!). It is a great way to exercise, get some sun, and laugh at all the different techniques people use to get around. 

While many of these are common summer play for people, some people do not think of making the pool into a fitness game. Try these out and enjoy exercise with your kids this summer!


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Arm Day Workout

6/24/2014

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Need some new ideas to add into your arm-day routine? Try these out. All of them are modifiable to your level of strength and are great for strengthening core as well as arms. Enjoy!
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Fitness Anytime Anywhere

4/29/2014

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Many people are so ingrained in associating the gym with working out that they forget that they can train anywhere at any time. All you have to do is be creative! You do not necessarily need to put aside a consecutive hour of your life to get a great workout on any given day. Why not plan mini workouts throughout your day.

Above is an example of a study session workout, but you can use this format between errands, during commercials on TV, and even after each cleaning chore in the house (one set after unloading the dishes, one set after putting away groceries, one set after bathing the kids, etc.)

In our busy lives, sometimes we need to think differently about the way we schedule our time. If training and staying fit is a priority in your life, on busy days, try this method of working out. The kids can join in the fun with you! Getting fit together is a great way to bond and share in the journey.
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High-Intensity Interval Training 

4/1/2014

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HIIT workouts are becoming popular for their speed and their effectiveness in building muscle and burning fat. The problem is finding a basic outline for how to make YOUR OWN.

Try out this interval workout and then use the outline to make your own with different drills. You can tailor the program to be 30 or 45 second intervals. Do what works for you and train your way to longer intervals.

Enjoy!

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Choose a Bicycle tour

12/30/2013

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  So your out and about and on your dream vacation, maybe you have a cute little umbrella in your drink right?  Well don't think getting a little exercise has to be all hard work. Consider an optional tour that has exercise as an added bonus.  So many of the tours around include activities such as bike riding tours.  You can actually see places that you can not get to from a car or that would be too far and tedious to walk to.
Calories burned biking in easy, moderate and high levels:

  Some of the bike tours include a pub stop or two so just enjoy yourself knowing you at least burned of some of the calories you added to your tour!

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Circuit Training (small space)

11/12/2013

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    With little room and time to train while on vacation or in the home, it is hard to come up with a useful circuit that gets your blood pumping without bothering the neighbors or forcing you to get out of the house. Here is a circuit just for you: the traveling, the studying, and the busy of this world.

    Try as many sets as you can accomplish in the time you have (so do an AMRAP--as many reps as possible--in 20 minutes, if that is the amount of time you have available).

1.) Abdominal holds: Pick yourself up from the table and hold your legs straight out for as long as you can (shoot for  10-15 seconds).

2.) Up-down planks: Hold plank position and drop each arm to your elbows and get back up, one arm at a time. Do this as fast as possible within your time goal (try 1 minute).

3.) Upright rows: Using your small duffel bag of heavy items (as explained in an earlier post), get into a good squat position, as pictured, and keep your back straight. Lift the bag straight back from starting position, only engaging your arms and upper back. (Do these for 30 seconds to a minute).
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Abs in "crunched" time- 20 minutes or less

10/8/2013

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 Sometimes we just do not have enough time to get a full work out in, or only want to get our heart rate up for a short amount of time. Here is a perfect core work out to get your heart pumping and your abs strengthening in a short time.



Quick Core-only
Planks
  • Get into a push-up position on your elbows instead of your hands. Hold your core tight and be sure not to arch your back or curve it toward the ceiling- you want to maintain the straightness of a plank with your whole body while you are doing the exercise. Only your toes and forearms should be touching the ground. Stay up as long as you can during that minute and get back up if you come down from the plank at any point.
  • For a variation for injuries or first timers, do the plank from your knees instead of your toes, but still maintain the straight-as-a-board positioning.
Sit-ups
  • From a normal crunch position, sit all the way up until your elbows touch your knees. Slowly come back down until your shoulders touch the ground and then begin again.
Oblique Sit-ups
  • Same as above but instead of elbows touching the knees of the same side, make a turn with your upper body at the top of the sit up and have the opposite knee and elbow touch. Be sure to do both sides throughout the minute.
Leg Lifts
  • Lay flat on your back and place your hands under your hip bones or buttocks. Lift your legs 6 inches off the ground and use that point as the bottom of the leg lift. From their, lift your legs another 6 inches to a foot then lower back to 6 inches off the ground. Repeat.
Bicycles
  • Go into a crunch position with your legs off the floor and at 90* with your body (as in the picture above). Kick one foot out at the same time that you turn your body and touch the opposite elbow to the knee still close to your body. Switch sides and kick out the other leg and twist to hit the other elbow to the knee that has returned to you. It should look and feel like you are riding a bicycle in a laying position.
  • Try to keep your shoulders off the ground the whole time and bike in a fluid motion.
Supermans
  • When you work your core, you have to also work your lower back. Lay flat on your stomach and simultaneously lift your chest and legs off the ground (as though you were superman flying).

Do each exercise for a minute (as many as you can do in that time). Take a 20 second break to transition to the next. Push each minute as hard as you can (great for all fitness levels). Repeat 3 times.
*If you have even less time, decrease the intervals to 30 or 45 seconds and the transitions to 15 seconds.


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Cardio (no equipment)

9/16/2013

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 After working on that vacation body, why lose it for lack of a treadmill or track? Here are some cardio exercises that can be done anywhere. Burn some calories so you can enjoy your vacation properly.
 You do not have to spend a lot of your vacation time on your cardio. Even 15 minutes a few times a week can increase your metabolism as well as keep you mindful of how far in your fitness program you have come.  (modified version at the end)

Exercises for time:
Mountain climbers
  • Enter a push-up position and pull each knee to your chest as though you are running.
  • Keep your back straight, your core tight, and your arms at  90* to your body and the floor. To get the best workout, move hard and fast!
  • Don't wake the neighbors in the hotel room by "running" too loudly!
Stair climbing
  • Run, walk, or even squat jump up the stairs. Just push yourself and make the
    time matter!
  • If you decide to squat jump, be sure to squat properly with your knees not bending past the plane of your toes.
  • Wear proper foot gear so that you do not stub your toes.
  • Remember: You do not have to search for areas with many floors of stairs. An entry-way with 4-5 stairs is enough to do squat jumps and small-sprints.
Jump rope
  • Ok, you need equipment for this, but you can pack it in your backpack.
  • Try different kinds of jumps and find what works for you-one foot at a time, running style, double jumping, etc. Re-live recess!

Exercises for reps (try sets of 10-15):
Squat jumps
  • Watch out for waking guests in the hotel room below you by jumping too loudly!
  • Can be done in your room straight up and down for jumping height.
  • Can be done down the hallway for jumping distance.
  • Make sure to perform a good squat each time with your knees not bending past the plane of your toes, your chest facing forward, and your head upright.
Burpees
  • This is a cardio blaster! Do as many as you can each time
  • Bend down and put your hands on the floor into a crouched position and spring your feet back into a push up position. 
  • Do a push up then bring your feet back to a crouch (by jumping your feet toward your hands).
  • Stand up straight and use your upward momentum to jump into the air.
  • Repeat for each rep. This should become one fluid set of motions.
Jumping jacks
  • Kicking it old school for cardio!
  • Try a variety: Regular, one footed, kick forward, kick backward, or even spin in a circle. Have some fun with this and let loose!
Modified cardio for difficulty walking
Chair sits
  • Do modified squats by sitting into a chair or onto a bed and then standing back up with out using your hands. 
  • Make sure to use those quads and press up out of the sit position.
  • You can do this based on time or by counting reps!

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No-Gym Needed Workout!

9/8/2013

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  Once you decide how much time you have for your workout, pick a number of sets, and get your fitness on! This is formatted to be done in a hotel room, so no need to pay day-trip gym fees.  Just don't wake the neighbors.





Arms

10 Push-ups (to make it harder, put your legs up on the bed)
10 Triceps push ups (get both sides)

Legs
20 Squat jumps (just jump quietly if not on the bottom floor)
1 minute hold Squat
1 minute Wall sits
1 minute Mountain climbers

Core
30 sec - 1 minute Planks (middle and both sides)
30 sec- 1 minute Bridge
20 Supermans (must work back with core for best results)
10 each side Oblique sit ups
20 Crunches

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Packing for Fitness

9/3/2013

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  When packing for a big trip, we can pack items for exercise that are easy, light-weight, and useful. Don't want to lose that beach body the day you finally get to the beach! Try these simple and functional items:

*Resistance or power bands-Muscle toning.
*Jump rope- Cardio training
*Books/shoes (Of course, the ones you already packed) placed in a small duffle bag- Weight training
*Glider disks - Body workout
http://www.bodylastics.com
http://www.glidingdiscs.com/
  


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