Remember back when you were younger, bouncing around and full of energy? Think back to your younger years when exercise was never a chore – and PE at school was really just an hour long extension to lunch. What was it that kept us fit and healthy without ever making the conscious decision to do so? What can we do now to bring back some of that fun (rather than workouts)?

Hula Hoops!

Swing that hula hoop around your waist like you’re 5 again. Can’t quite the hang of things, even though you were so good at them before? Makes sense, I doubt you’ve got the same body build and shape that you had back then. So re-learn your technique. Sounds like too much work? Not to a 5 year old – it’s in the attitude. Make sure you try hard to adopt the right one…

Skipping

At school we participated in a programme run by the NZ Heart Foundation called “Jump Rope for Heart” (which is still going in 2012). Why? Because it’s excellent cardio. Did we see it that way back then? Of course not! It was just a bunch of friends, a little competition and a lot of Double Dutch.

Roller-Skates

I will freely admit that as a child of the 80s and 90s, I had several pairs of well-used roller skates, and later roller blades. With the speed, freedom and neon plastic and leather, what was there not to love? I remember my poor balance and bruises with fondness. Back then it meant speed. Now, I’m thinking the leg pumping action and general focus on a acne can only be a good thing. Thoughts?

Monkey Bars

How many of us worked long and hard to be able to hang upside-down and flip off the monkey bars at school for nothing more than the sense of accomplishment (okay, and bragging rights)? Remember trying time and time again, getting bits of bark in your hair and just generally quite dirty from the wood chip on the ground to soften your fall? Life’s a little easier (or at least cleaner) with the introduction of the rubber mats and well, just being taller. So next time you’re passing a school on the weekend, check out their playground and maybe give it a crack try. But please be careful, a strong core isn’t necessarily worth long term memory loss from a bump on the head.

Tag, you’re it!

Bullrush… Tag… In primary school running was all about running away. Then in high school, with the introduction of athletics and relays, the focus was on working together. Yes, working together is an important life lesson. But imagine how much more fun (and effective) training would be if you were running away from your boss, or your trainer? Okay, so probably not a good idea in the scheme of things, but what about joining in a game of tag with your kids, cousins, or neighbours?

And last but not least…

Dancing!

Zumba’s popular for a reason. It’s fun. It’s fun because you let your guard down and just do it
, to hell with what everyone else thinks! You don’t care what they think because you’re having fun. See the cycle here?

You don’t need a class or an instructor to tell you what to do, just crank your radio up next time it’s on and go with it. I personally enjoy rocking the tunes when I’m vacuuming (the vacuum helps drown out the singing that invariably comes with it).

If in doubt… Just follow wee William’s lead.