21 Feb Five winter fitness ideas for kids

With the end of February rapidly approaching, this is the time of year when cabin fever can really start to set in in cold weather states – especially for kids.
Here are five winter fitness ideas for kids – and these may help adults get a good workout, too, chasing and playing with them as well:
1 Take kids to an indoor playground – There are often indoor parks or playgrounds in cities where children can run around and play on indoor equipment such as slides, mats, balls and wheeled toys.
If you don’t know of an indoor playground, or can’t fund one, consider setting one up in your community. Hold a night where people can bring kids to play in a church basement, community center, etc.
2 Set up a playground at your house – Clean up the basement or a junk room so the kids have a big open area at your house where they can run around and play. Basements are great for letting kids even ride their scooters or roller blades around – if it’s big enough and safe.
3 Teach your kids indoor games that involve exercise – Teach your kids to play games such as tag or hide and seek, where they’ll get to run around.
4 Enjoy outdoor activities – Although it takes some extra work to get the kids all bundled up to go out in the snow, set aside some time where the family can all go outside and enjoy winter fun such as sled riding, taking a walk or building a snowman.
5 Go to a museum or aquarium – Get a lot of walking in, and learning, by taking the family to a museum or aquarium.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com