There's always room for fitness in your life

OK, I get it. It’s July and the kids have been out of school for more than a month. I know, I know. Your home is turned into an unrecognizable square box as the locusts descend on your privacy.

They gnaw on everything that halfway resembles food and it somehow doesn’t matter if it is cooked, raw or left under the couch from the day prior. They go through an entire gallon of milk in one day, a loaf of bread, a block of cheese, and you are back at the grocery store for the second time in the same day. They sit on anything that doesn’t move out from underneath them — thank goodness I don’t have a dog. The stereo is thumping a very strange load roar that they call music.

In addition, Rock Band and Guitar Hero — or whatever the latest game that’s making the rounds — have taken over my entire living room — a familiar space that I use to find a little solitude with a book and a candle. The kids all plant their flip flops and tennis shoes in a pile at the front door — the stench of sweaty teenage feet fill the air similar to what a slaughter house “must” smell like.

And if you sneak away for a brief workout, they manage to light 22 matches just to watch them burn, they break the screen door, the back deck is magically falling apart and, if you turn your back, they multiply. What starts as one or two or three teen-agers in your living room can turn into eight teenagers within an hour. Argh.

I did, however, figure out how to make them all disappear — change the stereo from the roar of madness to country music. They will evaporate just like mold when you spray it with Lysol. Poof. Country music I think just might be the ticket to a little peace — from one parent to another.

P.S. You can always change the station to your liking once they leave. What’s the point of all this?

Regardless of how many kids you have in your home, there is always an opportunity to incorporate fitness into your daily routine.

If you have small children, take them for a bike ride, a walk or to the school playground to swing. Pack a picnic and head down to the beach.

Living in this area, we are fortunate to have an array of wonderful opportunities to take advantage of. Kids like to do stuff — other than sit in front of the TV set.

Summer will be gone before you know it — so get out and enjoy it!

Natalie Dreger is a certified fitness professional and can be reached at: www.nataliedreger.com.