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Add Some Play into your Day

I remember when I was a child, going to the neighbor’s house, and asking if the kids could “come out and play”. For hours, we would run around, throw balls, kick balls, swing on the swing set, jump in leaf piles, make snow angels, play tag and laugh until we couldn’t breathe anymore. By the time we had to go home, we were dirty, sweaty, out of breath sometimes, and smiling from ear to ear.

While I am not implying that as adults we can maintain that level of play, we could stand to go back in time a little and add some play into our day. I am issuing yet another challenge to all of you. Get together with one or more other adult, and play a physical game outside of your houses. The key word in this is outside. Don’t get me wrong: I find nothing wrong with your weekly “game night” with table games, charades and your favorite beverages. This is part of adult interaction. However, how would your friends react if you organized one of the following?:

I have included links to rules and directions for the games below, for those of you that are unfamiliar or need to reacquaint yourselves with the games but be creative and add your own twists.

1. Flashlight Tag: This is a game of hide and seek in the dark

http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Flashlight-Tag

2. Monkey in the Middle (Keep Away)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_away

3. Kickball: You need several players and a field or a baseball field for this one

https://www.digipen.edu/fileadmin/website_data/gallery/game_websites/kickball/htm/rules.htm

4. Hopscotch

http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Hopscotch

5. Treasure hunt

http://www.mastermindhunts.com/treasure-hunting-101

The above link will give you ideas. You are limited only by your imagination. To make it a fitness related hunt, make sure the items to be found are scattered in a large area.

6. Relay races

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/03/lp315-02.shtml

Again, you are limited only by your own imagination for this one. I remember a particularly fun relay when I was a child. For this one, you need a pool, a watermelon, and solid oil (lard, etc). Split participants into 2 teams. Simply grease up 2 watermelons, and have participants move it across the length of the pool to hand it off to the next person on their team. It is really a lot of fun.

Do you have other ideas that you think adults would enjoy? Please share them and let’s all get in touch with our inner, more playful child. Not only will we have a fun bonding time with our friends and families, but we will be exercising and moving as well. Perhaps after the game playing, you can have a pot-luck dinner with the participants. I can’t think of a down-side to this. Can you?

In Fun, Fitness and Health,

Shereen Rios BAS, CPT for Focus and Form Fitness