Staying Active Outside of Gym Practice

The internet abounds with ways to encourage kids to stay safely active outside of the gym and school, but we don’t think there can ever be too many ideas when our kids are long on time and need different outlets to keep their bodies moving.

Here are our suggestions to help spark your creativity for offering a variety of activities to raise your gymnast’s heart rate:

Dance Party! Dancing requires no special equipment, and is a great way to shake off a tense moment or start a new day with positivity. Clear some floor space and take turns choosing your favorite songs — even invite your kids to create some choreography, practice, and perform. 
Gonoodle.com is a super resource for guided dance for younger children (as well as more quiet mindfulness practice for after the dancing).

Play Ball: Set up a half-court for basketball in your driveway with chalk and a bucket, so the whole family can shoot hoops! Basketball builds bones, improves coordination, and burns about 200 calories in 30 minutes. 
There are other games that can be played with a basketball, too — it doesn’t have to be fast-paced. Use chalk or tape to mark 10 different spots from which players have to take shots, and assign each spot a point value (the harder the shot, the higher the value!). Each player gets 10 shots and can take them from anywhere on the court. The person with the most points wins!

Conquer an Obstacle Course: Build a course together and take turns racing each other through it. What a fun way to condition and compete! Plus, working together as a team to create and build your unique and awesome course will build confidence and unity. Be creative and use anything from around the house or yard. 

Planking Contest: How long can you hold a perfect plank? And if you practice every day, how quickly will your stamina improve? (Graph that for bonus home school points!) Turn any physical feat such as planking, squats, or trampoline jumping into a contest to encourage participation and engagement if the mood inside needs a boost. 

Be Active Together as a Family: The kids aren’t the only ones who need to move their bodies! Go for a long bike ride or walk, being mindful to stay at a safe distance from others who are taking to the streets and trails as well. Instead of making fitness a requirement for your gymnast, make it an event for the whole family!

Is this a time to let roller skates in the house? We’ll let you make that call for yourself, but whatever you’re doing to stay active away from the gym, consider boosting your gymnast’s mood with something new to wear to make her at-home workouts more fun. Check out these bestsellers, or our new activewear collection and get moving!