Playground Workout (video post).

by

I cant lie to you, People, for some reason the word workout rings mildly depressing to this MizFit’s ears.

If Im lifting weights, doing yoga , running outside etc. & doing something I love I cant wrap my brain around using the word *work* anywhere in there.

If Im forcing my ass climbing on my stationary bike to do cardio for heart health then I surely dont want a reminder that it is, essentially, WORK.

When I skip formal exercise entirely to frolic with the Toddler Tornado the term work definitely does not apply.

As per here I like to think of my exercise experiences as PLAYouts.

Let’s get outside & celebrate spring.

Even if it isnt balmy where you live yet—it’s coming.

Soon.

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Comments

  1. jealousy…shorts…tank tops…texas weather….

    wiping tears and moving on…

    First of all, OMG how cute is toddler tornado trying to be like mommy!? CUTE CUTE CUTE!!

    Love the play ground ideas! time efficient, outdoor lovin’…I gotta get me some of that soon!

    Off to the park now…

  2. These are DEFINITELY going to come in handy! It’s starting to get nicer out here … a couple of days this past week we made it all the way to 60! I’m sure Johnny will love it if I come up with more excuses to take him to the bigger playgrounds rather than having him just play in his own backyard 🙂

  3. Miz, I have to say you rock. My own Mama and I were discussing exercise the other day and she remarked that she’s never done regular exercise in all her 56 years. She now realises how important it is to model such healthy habits to children, and wishes she could have done that for my sister and I. You, lady, are The Fitnessmamarolemodel, you have a gorgeous toddler there by your side, and that little tornado is going to know where it’s at for sure.

  4. You are too funny!
    Are you ever embarrassed? I love this idea but might need to go at night when no one else would witness my monkey bar pullups 🙂

  5. Hi Miz,
    I love it! Working out in real life. And hey, check out your workout partner – she’s getting this stuff too – in a fun way!

    Me? I play “Lava Monster” on the playground. It’s more like interval training! And I usually lose (although that’s okay – then I can be the Lava Monster!!!) (or take a break and get a drink of water…and enjoy a bench!)

    And…I did me some pull ups yesterday (and it had been a while…) (a good soreness this morning…)

  8. I love that the Tornado totally demonstrates the “playout’ principle during the video! She’s all excited to be moving and climbing and running around.

    Makes me realize I gotta incorporate more of a spirit of “play” into my routines!

  9. hahahahah- the tornado seems to have the routine down as well! How adorable! Great video and wonderful way to sneak in some exercise!!

  12. What is your Toddler wearing in that video?
    An elephant mask?

    I should try doing piggyback rides with my son for exercise.
    He asks for them often enough.

    Have a good day, Miz.

  13. of course the plan was for the Toddler NOT to be in the video but since she assumed we were merely playout’ing I couldn’t keep her from joining in….

    Ren, err, Camera Man was laughing.

    Hard.

  14. Hi Miz

    You know what? I had recently done a post about making running fat, focusing more in fantasy. In any case, I just made a link to this one, because I just loved it.

    Question: aren’t playgrounds off-grounds for grown-ups where you live?

  15. Love this post! 🙂 I’m off to my playout inside with adults at the gym, then I’m off to playout at the park! 🙂 LOVE IT
    Work out = BLECH! Play out = FUN!!!!!!!!

    Tornado is a cutie patootie!

  16. Great ‘playout’ video – love your co-star! Makes me wish I had a playground around here. (also makes me long for spring – there’s still 3 feet of snow on the ground. Sigh)

  18. Well that put a smile on my face first thing this morning! Love the tornado doing her thing!!!

    I like the idea of starting at the top and lowering yourself down to build the arm/back muscles. Which is what I’m really into lately – love the feeling of upper body strength!

  20. Having spent a good deal of time at the playground when my kids were little, I did playout much more. Now that they are older, not so much. Another good reminder that you can find exercise “equipment” all over.

    My favorite part is definitely the end where your little cutie joins you! Too cute!

  22. It’s funny you should have posted this today. This weekend I found out that along the walking path in the foothills there are several parks. Well, I knew the parks were there, and that they had the swings, slides, and other things kids love… what I didn’t know was that they also have “fitness stations” at the edge of each park are two or three different fitness stations geared for older kids and adults. There are balance beams, pull up bars (in three heights) and parallel bars. At each section, there is signage to illustrate different exercises for each station, focusing on different parts of the body and on balance and coordination.

    How neat is that?!

    • What park is this at? Here in austin? Ive been looking for fitness stations for quite some time…

  23. Lacking a toddler to haul around, I just make up my own games to play in the gym. When I need them, that is. Most of the time I’m so happy my body CAN work out now that the ‘work’ part of it feels more like a blessing. But then there are the other days. 🙂

  25. Miguel:I think they love I’m actually watching my toddler 😉
    Many of the moms sit & read & its typically their child who ends up injured.

    Fab Kate? That’s pretty cool.
    We don’t have anything like that around here!

  28. Well, what the heck, no need to link a blocked URL, I’m off to play in my playground!

  30. LOVE it! I was a little sad at the sight of your warm-weather clothing, since I ran outside this morning in 32 degree weather. Yuck!

  32. Cute video.
    I had no idea that would work the back muscles (the lowering down things)!!

  33. LOL. Love that she just wants to do it too so badly! You are such a great role model for her!

    Those are what I am trying to do. Negatives until I can get to the pull up.

  34. On the rail trail in my town, they built a playground that is specifically fitness oriented. It’s pretty cool, but at the same time pretty hard. When I go walking with my friends we like to stop and “play” for a little while.

  36. i will be doing some of those exercises TODAY at the park. we are on our way! toddler tornado is too cute and i love that ALL kids model behavior…we just have to make it good. my daughter now stretches in the mornings because she has seen me doing it (usually because i wake up with that *good* sore!).

  37. I am finding myself loving the park workouts more and more as my kids get older. They join in, or laugh, or ignore me. In any case, I love that I can be right there with them and doing what I do and showing them that it is fun! Playing chase with them is sprinting for me, so it is all good.

    Now if only spring up here wasn’t such a fickle mistress. It snowed like 8 inches last night! Waahhh! I want to move back to TX right about now.

  41. I like it! Play-outs…sounds a heck of a lot better than work-out… I’ll have to try it with all my playtime buddies. That didn’t sound right, but you get the idea.

    -Bex

  42. What fun seeing the TT copying mommy. Adorable. I’ve been stopping at my local park after walks and swinging. It’s fun (and impossible to do without smiling). And pumping my legs does appear to get my heart rate up somewhat. I ijust gnore people looking oddly at the middle-aged woman on the swings! 🙂

  43. of course we shall be at that same park (if any of you are my neighbors) this afternoon playing our little hearts out.

    Toddler saw the video and, well, the rest is NOW OUR AFTERNOON IS PLANNED history.

  44. I wish I had known a fun mom like you when my boy was a toddler. We could’ve had so much fun! Your Toddler Tornado is adorable.

  45. How cute is the Tornado? Loved that she came in and starting copying you. ah, but toddlers do that, don’t they?

    Makes me a little jealous, as when I go a park it’s a dog park. No fun human equipment to play on.

  48. Awww she’s going to grow up to be a little fitness maven!

    Is spring really coming? Really truly? I hope so. Can’t wait to bring out the bike and PLAY once the snow is gone.

  49. AWESOME!!! I may have to wait until Livy is a bit older, though, as she is currently becoming a bark chip connoisseur, complete with the swish and spit action. Spring is definitely here!

    Thanks for the great ideas!

  50. Whew! Your toddler really is a tornado! How great for a mom to be modeling the behavior that will set her child up for a lifetime of success–healthwise.

    And, whew, Texas is a BIG state. On the other side, my brother flew home Sunday after a blizzard with 3 foot drifts out in the panhandle!

  51. Love it! My older two are getting to (or past) the age where the playground is still fun… for a few minutes. This playout may be just what I need to keep them from sitting on the slides and bars, talking about video games.

    We play a variation of freeze tag called zombie tag, where you become a slow moving zombie, and can redeem yourself by shambling into one of the live players. Holding arms out is mandatory, moaning “braaiinsss” is optional. Started as a way to keep older brothers playing tag with baby sister, became one of our favorite outdoor games.

  52. Yep – I think it’s great! Modeling the behavior, having fun with your kids while also giving yourself a “playout”, and enjoying the outdoors. It’s all good stuff.

  54. My favorite video so far!! I’ve been trying to think of ways my husband and I can do some exercise together and that’s a great idea for when we walk the dogs to the park. As long as we don’t scare off the kids!:)

  55. I love playground “work”outs, and if I’m not embarrassed and don’t feel creepy (even though I don’t even have any kids accompanying me to legitimize my presence!) no one should be…

    (OK, confession, I’m a little embarrassed, but it’s fun being outside on a beautiful day, and I have a playground essentially in my backyard, so it’s worth it.)

  57. LOVED this video! More “playout” videos, please! 😀 The Tornado is so cute!!!

    I love that it’s light outside when I get home from work and Things 1&2 and I can play outside for a bit. I’ll definitely be giving these moves a try.

  58. That looks awesome! Yeah, I know what you mean by hating the word workouts. When I’m inside at the gym on the treadmill or doing weights, that’s a WORKOUT. When I go on a lovely long run outside or a big long bike ride or rock climbing – that’s fun with benefits!

  60. “PLAYouts. PLAYouts” This will be my mantra as I grunt and curse on the playground.

    This is the first video I’ve seen that offers advice on training for the pull ups. Usually, “they” just say to keep trying to do the pull-ups themselves and don’t offer much by way of other training exercise.

    So, this is uber cool!

    And the Tornado is a natural ham.

  61. The Tornado is adorable.

    But I feel like I’d need a child to be at the playground. I’ll just stick to the Adult Playground: the gym.

  62. Like the playout word! I, too encourage people to get out & play & if you are taking your kids to the playground, “play” with them. What a role model you become as well!

    I do that back exercise at the gym using the Smith machine. I also vary it by lifting up 1 foot at a time, switching legs & even harder, putting your feet up on a bench or swiss ball. This is a great exercise & I do both wide & narrow grip along with standard & reverse grip!!!

  65. love the video and exercise ideas today 🙂 And……awww……..your little tornado is soooo cute!!!! Doesn’t get better than that for a workout buddy, mama!!!

  67. No tanks or short here yet …. will be a few months yet. So, I hope. I don’t care for heat much.

    I try to think of exercise as fun, too. Some routines make that easier than others. I try for a balance – stuff I should do and stuff that’s fun.

  68. Hey MizFit, I love that you respond to people even wiht all the comments you get!!!

    While you are at the Smith machine, use the bench there & put your feet on the bar (locked of course) & your hands on the bench that is always there & do tricep dips there! You probably already do this! If I do thse at the beginning of my routine, I put a weight plate on my legs or do the 1 leg up thing!

    Your kid is so cute!!!!! And taking after you.. you are a great role model!

  69. Hi MizFit: I agree that calling it a workout takes a lot of the joy out of it. When I jog at the gym I feel like I’m building strength and endurance and releasing stress, I don’t think of it as a workout.

  70. Great reminder that working out doesn’t need to be so so serious.
    I can get bogged down in my weight loss efforts.

    Thanks Miz and Toddler!!

  71. I love the word ‘playout’! That is so joining my vocabulary! And now I know how to work up to doing pull ups – awesome. Thanks Miz and Toddler Tornado who is soooo gorgeous 🙂

  73. I’ve been doing this with my own Tornado since Spring has sprung (so, a good week or two): Bring a bag of goodies to the playground – soccer ball, basketball, bat and ball, bubbles, etc. Then we just do whatever interests us. I love basketball and our playground has a lovely indoor court where your shoes squeak and everything. Very fab. Soccer rules too.

    On the playground itself I’ve been doing sets of chin-ups and pull-ups on high bars with one foot assisting on a step, trying to build up to real ones one fine day. Dips, pushups. At first I felt a bit foolish but the more you do it, the more normal it feels. Heck, who doesn’t want to be fit? What’s wrong with being sporty? And having fun with your kid at the same time? Multitasking, people!

  74. oh oh oh NOLAFWUG I need you as my neighbor!

    Today at the park we playedOUT but then this mother of the year realized she forgot anything cool to use in the sand box and Toddler ended up playing in there with a plastic spoon.

  76. You’re right on target, of course. If you enjoy what you’re doing, you’re far more likely to continue and even relish the opportunity. And there’s nothing like playing with your kids.

  81. Haha, that is a fantastic video 😀 And a great term, “Playout”. Sometimes I do think of it as training for playing, though.

  82. What a great idea!!

    I got an elliptical machine from a friend of mine at work who never used hers. I brought it home, did my work out every day this weekend, and my kids were fighting over who’s turn it was next. I have 3 kids, 13, 10 and 7 and pretty much they loved the thing!

    I wanted to stop after 5 minutes, but seeing how excited they were made me do the whole 30 minutes. I think when kids see parents exercise then they know the importance of it. My parents were both couch potatoes growing up, not overweight, but not active and I totally want to change that for my kids!
    Thanks for the great ideas!!

Trackbacks

  2. […] (most of the time, as I happen to have a 2 year old son). I also took Mizfit’s advice to playout with my kid, though I do no particular exercises but run and jump with him in our backyard or play […]

  9. […] I can admit I was partially attracted to the silliness factor (fits perfect into my philosophy of PLAYouts) yet more than that I loved multitasking opportunity the Jyze […]

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