Before kids, a daily workout was a huge part of my life. Now, finding time to dedicate to a workout is a challenge for me. But, as a mom who’s also a personal trainer and exercise enthusiast, I’m not willing to say goodbye to my workouts all together. My “daily exercise routine” is still a work in progress, but this Playground Equipment Workout that I put together is one that I keep going back to because I spend a lot of time watching my kids play at the park!
Here’s the Playground Equipment Workout:
Jumping Jacks
Do them in the sand/mulch/grass for added resistance and difficulty! Try to get your kids involved – these require more coordination than you’d expect, and are great for gross motor-skill development in little ones.
Elevated Push-Ups
Find a curb, step, or ladder rung to push off from (or if you’re really strong, just do them from the ground!) Be sure to keep your body in a straight line – don’t stick your booty out or dip your hips down. The higher the start point, the easier they’ll be – and, if you do them often enough, you can work your way down to real push-ups from the ground in no time!
Tricep Dips
Using a step or other flat elevated surface, face away from the step with your hands resting on the surface and your body just in front of the step. Feet are resting on the ground out in front. Bent knees will make this
exercise easier, and legs straight out in front will add more
difficulty. Keep your body close to the step, and using your arms, dip
down – you should feel your triceps working!
Step-ups
Facing a step, place your right foot flat on the step, and left foot on the ground below. The right foot won’t move for the duration of your set. From here, step up with the left foot, touch the step, and take your left foot back down to the ground. Repeat all reps on that side, and then switch and do the other side. For added difficulty, strap a baby on your chest (but if you try this, just be sure not to lose your balance!)
Reverse Pull-ups
If you can do real pull-ups, power to you, mama! I humbly admit that I cannot do pull-ups without assistance. An equally effective modification is a negative, or reverse pull-up. Find a bar you can hang from. Giving yourself a boost, jump yourself up so that you’re chin-up on the bar. Hold this position for a few seconds before SLOWLY lowering yourself back down. The key here is to go as slowly as possible as you lower down (5-10 seconds total) – make those muscles work! You’ll probably only be able to do a few of these, with breaks in between!
Squats
There are a couple fun options for squats. My personal favorite is the teeter-totter, but not all parks have one! If there IS a teeter-totter, plop your kiddo down on one seat, you take the other end… and then take them for a ride! With all that up and down motion, it won’t take long for your quads to start screaming at you. The other option is to find a bench or other surface that is about knee-height (or a little higher, or a little lower, depending on your range of mobility.) Stand facing away from the bench, and squat just until your booty touches down. Don’t SIT on the bench, just lightly touch down, and then come back up to standing.
Calf Raises
Stand with your heel hanging off the back of a step. Keeping feet firmly planted, lower heels down, and then lift up onto your toes. You may need to find something to hold onto for balance on this one.
Talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise routine, especially if you have any health concerns. With clearance from a medical professional, this playground equipment workout would be totally safe and do-able for pregnant mamas too! I hope you enjoyed my Playground Equipment Workout, and I hope that this will inspire some of you exercise-deprived moms out there to add a little more activity into your day!
[…] You will need a flight of stairs and a watch or phone keep track of time. Don’t have stairs at home? No problem! You can do all the moves on the floor and save the cardio portion for when you have accesses to stairs, perhaps at a local park. […]
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