by Kellie Davis

Moms are notorious for sneaking off at 5 a.m. while everyone sleeps to go for a quick jaunt in the park. However, cardio doesn’t have to be an isolated event. In fact, it doesn’t even have to take place before the rooster crows.

By adding your kids into the cardio mix, you get to burn off those calories while fitting in that precious quality time of which you never seem to get enough.

So, before you throw on your reflective jacket or call the sitter so you can hop on the hamster wheel, test out these laughable activities with your biggest fans.

• American Gladiator

Set up an obstacle course in your backyard or at the park. Use various items from around the house, or just use your own body weight. Depending on the age of your children, you can do various levels of activities.

Try 10 jump rope rotations, crab walks, wheelbarrows, bear crawls, super burpees, and jumping jacks. If you are doing short lengths of time for each, use about 6-8 movements. If you are using longer lengths of time use, 3-5 exercises.

• On Your Mark, Get Set, GO!

Why not race? Sprinting is a great way to burn calories and build muscle all at once. Don’t believe me? Look at your Olympic track stars!

Take your kids out to the park and set a distance that’s suitable for everyone. Try to run at least ten sets of sprints, resting 60-90 seconds between. Oh, and be nice — give the little ones a head start.

• Butterfly Patterns

This is by far my kids’ favorite. Choose a leader to run patterns through the backyard or park fields. They can run any distance, forward, backward, in any movement. The object is for the group to follow the leader. After a set amount of time, let the next person lead.

• Tag

You’re it! If your kids are old enough, a good game of tag will definitely get your heart racing. With all the variations of the game, boredom will never find its way into your game.

• Dance Party

Kids love to dance. Even if you have two left feet, you can burn tons of calories when you crank up the tunes and let loose. To get some extra giggle time, try Freeze Dance, where you stop the music at various times and everyone has to freeze. This is sure to have everyone fired up.

Warning: this activity is highly addictive and you may be asked to participate everyday.

• Don’t Forget Your Sports

A twenty minute round of shooting hoops can burn over 100 calories. Up the intensity of your game by using half or full court. A bike, scooter, or skating trip is also a good way to burn calories and de-stress.

Remember that each workout can last any length you are capable of enduring, but try to go for at least twenty minutes. Your kids may not let you quit!

About Kellie

Kellie Davis is a graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University with a B.A. in English. She is now a freelance writer, contributor to the Olicious Life, and NPC figure competitor. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband and two young children.