Is Play Important?

It’s a given that a structured training plan is the best path to achieve a particular fitness goal or skill. But that training may not offer enough creative movement throughout the day and may even hinder our ability to move within our full range of motion.

For many adults, most movement comes from doing their daily workout. We’re lucky to get a 60-minute workout session in before our responsibilities beg for attention.

Make Time for Play

As a kid, you are naturally moving your body all day playing tag, riding bikes, swimming in ponds. You probably weren’t thinking about fitness goals, just plain fun.

This exploration of movement, which we lived by throughout childhood, can fall off the radar at some point, but it doesn’t cease to be important. Studies suggest that active play can be just as important for adults as it is for children because it challenges our bodies in new ways, and provides an opportunity for stress relief and social connections. In fact, you can gain more freedom in how you move your body when you start engaging in different movements and positions.

With small gatherings gearing back up, and plenty of backyard family BBQ’s on the weekend calendar, we’ve come up with a few fun ideas that bridge the gap between fitness and fun.

Resistance Band Cone Touch

Pair up in groups of two. Wrap the resistance band around the waist of person 1 while person 2 holds the handles. Person 1 stands on the start line, directly in front of person 2, each facing the same direction. Place a cone within the pull range of the band. Make as many paired-up teams as you have people, bands, and cones. At the word “GO,” person 1 runs to the cone, touches the top, and runs backward to the start line. Repeat 5 times in a row. Next, person 1 and 2 swap places as quickly as possible and completes 5 cone touches. The paired team who finishes first WINS!

Medicine Ball Hot Potato

Gather your group into a circle and choose a SMART Medicine Ball with a weight that all players can handle. Put on your favorite music and assign a “DJ.” The “DJ” will be prepared to randomly pause the music throughout the game at their own discretion.

The goal of the game is not to be holding the ball when the “DJ” stops the music. Players will toss the medicine ball as if it’s a “hot potato” as quickly as possible to another player in the circle. If a player is holding the ball when the music stops, they are out. Players are also out when they drop the ball. The last one standing in the circle is the WINNER!

This game is excellent for hand-eye coordination, with an extra dose of challenge because the weighted ball. 

Medicine Ball Relay Runs

Gather a group of people and have them stagger locations evenly in a very large circle (think all the way around the house, or around half of a football field). The starting person will hold the SMART Medicine ball. Assign a person to be the “timer” and have them start a stopwatch at the word “GO.” Once the stopwatch has started, the starting person runs as fast as they can to the next person in line and hands off the ball. Then, that person runs to the next person and hands them the ball, and so on until the final person runs back to the starting person’s position to complete the relay. Once the final person has crossed the starting person’s position line, the “timer” presses stop on the stopwatch. Now you have a base time. Repeat over and over to see if you can beat the time!

Use these tips to maintain your calm, stay fit and focused, and ease the chaos of the season.

Increased social commitments. Gift shopping. Decorating, cooking, and houseguests.

While all of these are wonderful, they can add extra items on a to-do list that is already chocked full. This disruption of routine can cause anxiety or stress, even if you look forward to all of the traditions of the season. 

Schedule time for self-care.

Consciously scheduling moments to rest and rejuvenate can help you hold on to the joy this season is all about.

Yoga and Stretching: Try adding a short yoga or stretching sequence to your morning routine. Starting a busy day with a mind-body connection can be grounding and can leave you feeling better prepared to tackle your full schedule.

Massage or Foam Roll: Don’t let the tension and anxiety get out of hand. Schedule a mini-session of massage or foam rolling at the end of the day to relieve those worked up muscle spasms. Those extra trips around the mall can leave your feet sore, so treat them to a little foot care while catching up on your favorite seasonal movie during some downtime.

Keep your gym schedule: It can be tempting to throw your gym schedule out the window when your schedule gets full. Don’t. Maintain your sanity by maintaining your workouts! Consistent workouts will help to boost endorphins and help burn off those extra cookies that may find their way to your plate. Plus, if you’ve been good about keeping your schedule, you’ll fly right into the new year with good habits.

Let Go Notions of Perfection: It’s not always easy, but keep a realistic idea of what can and cannot be accomplished at this time of year. Find joy in the people, places, and things that come your way this season, and let go of the burned pies and negative emotions that will inevitably make an appearance this time of year.

No shame in opting out: You may feel an increasing pressure to say yes to every invitation and person. Be sure to identify boundaries and really recognize the obligations you are truly capable of. It can cause undue stress to fulfill the ones don’t work for you. If you feel bullied or pressured into meeting another person’s expectations, take the “opt-out route” if it conflicts with your needs or the needs of your loved ones.

Taking time to mindfully reflect on what truly matters, helps us keep our perspective and keeps the joy alive in our hearts.

Remember being a kid and running, jumping, and moving your body all day, being so immersed in play that you completely lost track of time? You weren’t thinking about how many calories you burned while you ran, or if you made sure you got enough plyometric jumping in for the day. Play is just as important for adults, and fitness is the perfect realm to incorporate some fun into your life.

Fitness is not a punishment

So many times people go to the gym and go to war with their bodies for poor food choices or to make up for lost time. Instead, consider ways to connect your physical activity to a broader sense of enjoyment or fulfillment. The sense of connection & playfulness is missing from our adult attitude about physical activity and exercise. Too often, exercise can be just another chore you need to fit into your day. It can be refreshing, and even joyful to bring back the playfulness and fun to physical activity. 

In fact, in a study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, exercise participants reported better moods and energy when they enjoyed the chosen activity.

Giving yourself a fun, physical challenge while doing something you love, it can be a great way to find long term fitness success. 

Try a Fitness Challenge

Sometimes it takes setting a goal to create a pattern of progressive work and a habit of consistency. Your goal could be to run an ultra marathon, do 50 pushups a day for a month, or be able to perform a specific fitness feat you haven’t been able to do. Try connecting with like-minded people to boost the sense of friendly competition.

In any case, by setting an end goal, you’ll have to create a plan on how you will meet your set challenge. Training and practicing for your goal can be just as can immersive as a kid playing outside all afternoon – if you have a good fitness fit. 

Finding Your Fitness Fit

It is vital to find an activity that’s a good fit and connects you to the joy of moving. When you move beyond the results-oriented idea of “just getting it done,” you open the possibilities to enjoy the journey.

Take your personality into consideration. Running can be very reflective and solitary, while group training adds an element of being social. Add in the unexpected if it suits you: tree climbing, tug of war, or a “Simon Says” Bootcamp. Try surrounding yourself with equipment that sparks joy and engages you to play, like our colorful line of SMART products: medicine balls, stability balls, and body-weight straps, and core wheels.

Our SMART Medicine Ball Challenge

Challenge your balance as you work up to this fitness feat! 

Remember, you must have strong legs and stable ankles to try this challenge. Work on squats, balance, and stability as part of your training.

Tips: 

Place hands on the ground in front of you to stabilize. Move one foot on a medicine ball, and then the next. Shift your weight back as you lift your torso up.