10 Home Exercises For The Whole Family

Times have certainly changed in the past few months. We live in a new world. A lot of us have been relegated to at-home workouts. Here are some exercises that will help you get moving and still have fun with the family at home. Most of the exercises are bodyweight movements with varying degrees of difficulty.

1. Mountain Climbers

Get into a push-up position and then alternate bringing your knee to your elbow. You can do same side connections or crisscross. The idea is to move fast and work up a sweat!

2. Bear Crawls

Palms and feet flat on the floor, arch your back so that you look like a momma bear. Race your kids across the room. Add some fun by having a competition! Who can "roar" the loudest?

3. Star Jumps

Kids love these! Stand tall and then explosively jump into the air, expanding your legs and your arms so that you look like a large “X” in the air. At the height of the jump, be sure to exclaim, “I’m a STAR!”

4. Push Ups Straightforward and to the point. Just be sure your hands are in line with your pectorals and your booty isn’t arced in the air. If you want to make it harder, try for push–up claps, diamond push-ups, or “Y” wide push-ups. Drop to the knee if your form is compromised.

5. Sit Ups Another classic. Feel free to tuck your toes under the sofa or coffee table if you need a bit of support, or, ask your kids to hold your feet and vice versa. 6. Burpees Who is up for the challenge? Start with a jump up, then drop to a plank, add a push-up, and then jump back up. It should be one fluid motion and try to not pause between repetitions. Make it a bit easier by opting out of the push up if you need to.

7. Squats Kids are naturally born squatters. See who can get the deepest squat or the most squats in 60 seconds. To do this one, stand with your feet shoulder’s width apart, and do deep knee bends. Make sure keep your knees behind your toes and your arms out straight.

8. Leg Raises Lay on your side or on your back and with lift your legs without bending at the knee. Try to hold at the top. This works your lower abdominal, but be careful to not let your lower back arch. 9. Lunges Step forward and bend your front knee to a 90-degree angle. The goal is to have your back knee touch the ground without letting your front knee extend past your toes. To make it harder, carry (small) children in each arm and lunge as you walk across the room.

10. Planks Elbows on the floor and balanced on your tiptoes, go eye-to-eye and see who can last the longest. 30 seconds is considered the gold standard. For fun, ask your smallest child to sit on your back and see how long you last.

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