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Relax! - Page 3

© Kim Martin

Chores as Exercise

Cleaning the house can be a very physical activity that can burn calories and help you sweat out those toxins. Here are some chores that will help you get moving, get fit, and get your endorphins going:

• Mop the floor using your feet and towels. Turn on the radio and do the twist, skate across the floor, boogie 'til the floor is clean!
• Scrubbing the bathtub to music also works. Two kids in the tub can clean it faster than one! Scrub to the beat of a good disco song!
• Washing the car at home saves you money and is a great way to bend and stretch. Rubbing the windows in a circular motion does wonders for the arms!
• Pound pillows and beat the rugs. Young kids love this one!

Now don't you feel better that the house is clean? You should also feel better because you have released nature's feel good drug... endorphins! Exercise is important in that it increases blood flow to your vital organs and also strengthens and limbers muscles, thus reducing the chance of muscle injury while kids play.

Daily Exercise with the Kids

We all know diet and exercise are important to healthy living. It can be hard to find the time to maintain a proper diet let alone a proper exercise routine...but you MUST do it...it's important for parents take care of themselves so that they will be able to take better care of their children. We have to set the example for healthy living so our children will pass it on to their children and so on. Wyatt and I were fortunate to receive bikes this year as gifts so we have taken to riding them to the grocery store, the library, the video store, any place within a 5-mile radius of our home. We ride every night at 6:00pm.

If you don't have a bike, then do what we did before we got bikes...WALK! We used to walk every night at 6:00pm. We'd walk around the neighborhood and visit friends. Walking was fun because we would also get to talk to each other about everything. The important thing is that we set a time and day to do it. You have to start a routine and stick with it in order to see results. Our results are that we are less stressed at the end of the day and able to get to sleep easier.

Here are some other fun exercises you and the kids can do together:(Remember, the main thing is to get your heart rate up and break a sweat. Be sure to bring & drink plenty of water and ALWAYS get a doctor's approval before starting any exercise or diet routine)

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