Exercise Disguised as Family Fun

Parents often cite a lack of time as one of the reasons they can't work out. They have kids who need attention, or they feel guilty taking time for themselves when the demands of life already keep them away from their quality kid time. But there's ways to get moving while spending family time. Here are 5 suggestions to burn some calories while making great memories.

1. Tag! You're it!: Tag is a great game for kids of most ages. Chasing each other around the yard or a park is actually interval training in disguise. The stop and start bursts of cardio is a great way to blast some fat. Playing tag for 60 minutes can burn 300-350 calories.
2. Go digital: For older kids who think tag is lame, there are dozens of exercise games for your video game consoles. Boxing, UFC, and customizable workouts are available for virtually all game systems, and many offer competitive play. Cardio boxing can burn more than 500 calories in 60 minutes!
3. Just dance: Although there are dancing games available, you don't need a video game console for this fun activity. Put on upbeat, fun music and just dance! Make playlists together, make up a dance routine, or put on a show. Dancing for an hour can burn 300 calories. 
4. A hop, skip, and a jump: Jump rope and hopscotch may be old-fashioned, but kids love to jump, and lucky for you, these activities are plyometrics in disguise. Plyometric exercises ask the muscles to expand and then contract "explosively", exerting maximum force in a short time. Even if you jump rope slowly, you can burn more than 500 calories in one hour. To make this type of activity more appealing to older kids, draw a 12-box grid on the ground with chalk (or on the floor with masking tape for indoor play), and number the boxes. Take turns calling out numbers that the "jumper" has to jump to. Challenge yourself by jumping on one leg, rapid number calling, or instituting a "no edges" rule.
5. Put me in, coach: If your kids play sports, ask them to teach you/coach you on what they are learning during practices and games. Have them put you through the same drills and routines they do with their coaches. It'll engage their memory, improve their performance, and get you sweating. Depending on the activity and intensity, you can burn anywhere from 200 to 500 calories in an hour. Even an hour-long game of catch will get you a 150-calorie burn.