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Channel Your Inner Child With These 6 Childhood Activities Disguised as Workouts

Red Rover, freeze tag, hopscotch. Have you ever noticed that so many of your favorite childhood activities are just a cleverly disguised workout? As a child, it always seemed easy to get your daily physical activity.

Whether it was going to play at your friend’s house, or time spent outside with your friends during recess, there was certainly no shortage of play time. While it might not be advisable to start up a game of cops and robbers as an adult, there are still many ways that you can channel your inner child to have some fun with your next workout.

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Here Are 6 Childhood Activities That Make a Great Workout for Young-At-Heart Adults:

 

1. Hula Hoop

In recent years, hula hooping is becoming more popular among adults and is not just a childhood activity. It’s no longer just as basic as moving your hips to keep the hoop going. It’s become a dance and a way to express yourself.

You can actually burn 400 calories an hour by doing a basic hula hoop routine, and up to 600 calories when you involve more of your body. You can tone your core, work every muscle, improve your posture, and have fun doing it!

You can purchase adult hula hoops online like this one here.

These hoops are a heavier weight and much easier to keep balanced at your hips than the hoop you used as a child. There are also many tutorials online on how to make your own hula hoop with PVC and duct tape. Not only is hula hooping a great workout, but it’s an affordable one too!

Hula Hooping: 6 Benefits for Physical Exercise and Mental Wellbeing
 

2. Jump Rope

Jumping rope was a childhood activity that you could do solo or with a group of your friends. You could change the speed, or even up the ante and impress your friends by doing double dutch and adding in some spins or fancy footwork.

As an adult, you have probably seen many movies where an athlete – particularly a boxer – is training hard, and one method they use is the simple jump rope. There is a very good reason for that.

You can burn 300 calories or more with just 30 minutes of jumping rope. You are engaging every part of your body, from your legs and arms, to your core and even your heart. By jumping rope for 15 minutes, 3-5 times a week, you can greatly improve your cardiovascular health and your stamina.

A huge benefit to adding this to your regular workout routine is that you can do it anywhere! As long as you have enough space around you, there are no limits. Jump ropes are cheap to buy – some as low as just $5 – and you can easily throw one into your bag for an easy workout on the go.
 

3. Jungle Gym

Remember how much fun you had playing at the park on the jungle gym as a child? Swinging across the monkey bars, going down the slide, or even a more complex game such like Hot Lava… there was no end to the excitement that you could create. This doesn’t have to go away just because you’re now an adult!

Have you ever walked by an empty playground and really wanted to revisit your childhood? Next time you get the urge, go for it! You can get a great workout by doing pull-ups or upside down sit-ups on the monkey bars, swinging across them, or running through the jungle gym.

It’s a free workout and very beneficial to your strength and cardio health – plus it’ll be a fun trip down memory lane.
 

 
 

4. Trampoline

If you didn’t have a trampoline growing up, you definitely knew someone who did, and you always wanted to jump on it. It wasn’t always the safest activity, but it was a lot of fun and a great workout! You can get a full size trampoline for your backyard, a smaller one for your home, or even go to a trampoline park and hop from one to another.

Jumping on a trampoline will help improve your cardiovascular health, and it is a lower impact cardio activity without the heavy pressure on your joints. Jumping on a trampoline also absorbs the impact more than running on a hard surface.

For this same reason, it can also feel much easier than those other activities – even though you might actually be working harder! Jumping can help improve your leg strength and will work the muscles in your legs, thighs, butt, and core. Now you can make leg day everyday, and it will be a lot more fun, too as you jump in love with this childhood activity once again!
 

5. Biking

It was your main method of transportation until you were old enough to get your driver’s license, but it was easy to forget this childhood activity once you got behind the wheel. Biking is starting to gain popularity once again thanks to more and more people’s effort to become environmentally friendly. Biking is a convenient and a frugal method of transportation, and it’s also a great workout!

You will see the same cardiovascular benefits as you would with any other aerobic-type exercise, but you will also experience a toned butt and legs in the process. The calories burned will vary greatly depending on the intensity that you ride, but the average person can expect to burn approximately 50 calories per mile.

If it’s too cold to bike outside, you also have the option of an indoor stationary bike, or even give a Spin Class a whirl!
 

6. Rollerblading

Another great exercise for your cardiovascular health is rollerblading. In our younger years, many of us went to the local roller rink with friends and would skate around in circles for hours on end – and have a ton of fun doing it. While many of those centers have since closed down, you can still enjoy this childhood activity outside and reap all the same benefits, minus the disco lights.

Rollerblading is great for building strength in your legs, and works different muscle groups than running, because it uses a different motion. It’s also a great exercise for strengthening your core as you are forced to continually find your center of gravity. You can burn anywhere for 400-700 calories per hour, which makes this a fun and effective workout.
 
 

Childhood Activities To Spark Your Inner Child

You had fun doing these activities as a child, and there is no reason that has to change just because you’re now an adult. A good workout doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and some are easy to do no matter where you are.

You can start off easy and slowly build up your skill level to engage more of your muscles and test out your athletic abilities. The more you push yourself, the better the workout will be. This isn’t just child’s play!

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Andrea Karwandy

Andrea is a fashion and fitness enthusiast who blogs at Andi's Attic. She is from Saskatchewan, Canada and has an interest in learning about different types of fitness and living a healthy life.

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