Get Out and Play in the Month of May

FAMILY DERBY CHALLENGE!

Are you and your family incorporating exercise in your daily routine? If so, keep up the great work! If not, try these fun family challenges to get you up and moving!

• As a family, draw and cut out a horse on construction paper. Place the horse on the refrigerator or wall. Next, cut 31 red roses out of construction paper or make 31 roses out of red tissue paper. Place the roses in a zip lock bag. Each day, as a family, complete an exercise, then staple or tape the rose to create a necklace of red roses around your Derby horse. If you choose to be competitive, the winner of the exercise challenge for the day, places his/her name on the rose and puts onto the horse. The person with the most roses at end of May, wins! Your family can decide the prize!

• Your family can walk together in the park for 30 minutes, walk your dog around the neighborhood, play softball or soccer. Whatever your family chooses to do to stay active, is great. Place a rose after each day to see your progress. At the end of May, your horse will be beautifully decorated in red roses.

Try these fun exercise games at home too.

• Derby Race — And They're Off!

As a family, determine a start and finish line.  In a bucket, place small baby carrots at your finish line.  Place empty individual buckets  at the starting gate. Depending on how many family members you have will determine the number of buckets and carrots. Line up shoulder to shoulder. Set a timer for 5 minutes. On your mark, get set, run! All together race to grab 1 carrot per person and run back to starting gate and place your carrot in your individual bucket. Race back and repeat this cycle until you are too tired to continue, or the timer buzzes! Count your carrots. The person that has the most, writes his/her name on a red rose and places it on the horse!

• Talk Derby to Me

Write down on separate pieces of paper, as many Derby words as you can think of, along with an exercise to go with it. 

Example: 

OAKS-AB CRUNCHES

DERBY-WALL SIT

ROSES-PUSH-UPS

Everyday, one person from the family draws a word out of the jar and reads the exercise aloud. Whoever can do the most reps or the longest time of that particular exercise is the winner, and places a rose on the horse. If you choose not to be competitive, have your family determine a healthy number of reps to do together. Only do what your body will allow, challenge it, but do not injure. 

Stay active as a family. Eat healthy and get plenty of rest.

Happy May! Get out and play!

Alison Cardoza, B.S. Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, is an ACSM certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor at Milestone Wellness Center.