10 Mar Eight ideas to ‘spring’ into fitness

Chances are the temperatures are letting up where you live and winter’s finally releasing it’s stranglehod.
Mother Nature is right on schedule, after all they say “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.”
With the weather improving and spring on its way, it’s time for people to start thinking about outdoor fitness again.
For people who live in cold-weather states it can be especially hard to stay fit during the winter.
Now that the weather is nice, here are some family fitness ideas to really spring into spring:

* Begin a regular stretching program – Get the family limbered up with some stretching exercises before partaking in exercise.
* Go for a hike, or ride on the bike – Explore trails where you live, both of the walking or riding variety.
* Go for a walk on the beach – The water may still be too cold to swim, but enjoy nature and burn calories as you walk along the beach.
* Play catch – Throw the baseball or softball around with family members. Have fun while you get some light exercise – maybe medium exercise if you’re chasing tosses from a wild thrower. That’s OK, everybody needs spring training, not just the pros.
* Play H-O-R-S-E – Find an outdoor basketball court and play a game of H-O-R-S-E .
* Kick the soccer ball – Go to an outside pitch and boot the soccer ball around. This can be fun for family members of all ages.
* Jump rope – Jumping rope is fun and beneficial for people of all ages.
* Go fly a kite – Mix exercise with nature by flying a kite. The kids will love it and adults will have fun, too.

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