With spring right around the corner (or sneaking in a few days here and there), it’s time to start getting outside more! Where you’re training for the VT City Marathon like #teamBPRW, or spending more time in the parks with the kiddos, there are some creative ways to work in a workout! Guest blogger Dan Chabert offers us some great ideas! Check out the video below as we demonstrate some the exercises he suggests. Let us know how you sneak in some extra work outs?

Guest blog post:

Get Moving Outside

You’ve undoubtedly heard how integral exercise is to your self-care regime, and while it provides an easy outlet for restorative me-time, it can be a conflict for parents who don’t always want to trade quality time with their families.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to be an either/or choice. With local resources like the Burlington Greenway, it’s easy to get the whole family outside and active!

Here are some tips on how to stay active yourself, and make moving fun for your family.

Focus on Fun

Make exercise the side effect of a fun day. Take a bike ride to a local hot spot or end with a picnic, walk the long route to the park and include sections of long jumps, side shuffles and squat jumps as you go, or go on a hike! Picking a destination or fun activity to do when you arrive is a reward to everyone for exercising AND family time.

The Greenway is the perfect destination when you’re solo or with the kids in tow to either ride to, ride on, or just spend time off the bike path and on the trails.

In all honesty, bike rides with my wife often end with ice cream, but at least we’re doing something active before indulging in a double scoop of butter pecan!

Active Meetups

Run, walk, bike. There are so many more options other than drinks or food to spend quality time with friends. Suggest meeting up for a hike or walk along the path on the weekends or instead of going to happy hour.

Get everyone involved by making your playdates mobile and inviting your kids’ friends or also their parents along for a walk or bike ride.

Take different routes to mix things up, or find one route you enjoy, and I also suggest using MapMyRun.com to plan your trip and to know how long it will take you.

Make it a Workout

Head to one of the many parks and get creative with your workouts! It’s much more fun to workout outdoors, and the parks and paths in Burlington make it easy to work up a sweat while enjoying the outdoors! Here are some ideas:

Run the perimeter, do suicide sprints, or bounding jumps for cardio. All things that require more space than a gym or living room.

Use park staples like benches, bleachers and playground equipment to strength train.

Bench/Bleacher exercises

• Push-ups (hands on bench for incline/easier, feet on bench for decline/harder)
• Split Squats
• Box-jumps (be careful!!) – or Step Ups for alternate
• Tricep Dips
• Uneven Squats

Playground Exercises

• Monkey Bars (Do them fast!)
• Pull-ups on any bar (or jumping pull ups!)
• Slide – climb up it!
• Hanging rings (or monkey bars) – hanging leg raises, bent knees for the easier version, keep legs straight for a challenge
• Swing – Pikes; put feet on seat, hands on ground, pull feet towards face and pike hips into air.
• Hamstring curls; lay face up on ground, heels on swing, pull heels towards butt, keeping hips elevated.\

Be the Example

Incorporating at least one family centered session a week makes a big difference in the eyes of not only your family, but how you view exercise. It keeps it fun, and puts your goals in perspective. Getting your family to workout with you is great for them physically, and helps them understand that exercise can be fun and is a part of a healthy life.

Get Moving Outside with #teamBPRW from BTVparks on Vimeo.

Writer’s Bio: Dan Chabert

An entrepreneur and a husband, Dan hails from Copenhagen, Denmark. He loves to join ultramarathon races and travel to popular running destinations together with his wife. During regular days, he manages his websites, Runnerclick, That Sweet Gift, Monica’s Health Magazine and GearWeAre. Dan has also been featured in several popular running blogs across the world.