It’s time to incorporate fitness into routine

OK, I get it. It’s almost that time when the kids will be out of school. I know.

Your home will be turned into an unrecognizable square box as the locusts descend on your privacy. They gnaw on everything that half-way 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 never had a dog. The stereo is thumping a very strange load roar that they call music. Rock Band and Guitar Hero games use to take over my entire living room — a familiar space that I use to find a little solitude with a book and a candle.

Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.

Or when the kids all plant their flip flops and tennis shoes in a pile at the front door and the stench of sweaty teenage feet fill the air similar to what a slaughterhouse 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. Three teen-agers in your living room turn into eight teen-agers within an hour.

Argh.

I did, however, figure out how to make them all disappear for a while. Change the stereo from the roar of madness to some opera or classical music station. They evaporate like mold when you spray it with Lysol. Poof. Opera 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 and go to someone else’s house to “hang out” for a while. Ha ha

On a serious note, what’s the point of all this? Regardless of how many kids you have in your home, there is always an opportunity to fit in 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 walk down to the beach and if it’s warm enough, go swimming or do some exercises in the water.

Living in this area, we are fortunate to have an array of wonderful opportunities of which to take advantage. Kids like to do stuff and be active other than just sitting in front of the TV set. For example, I used to take my then-teenager single-track bike riding up through many great biking and hiking trails in the area. He loved it.

Get out and get fit.

Natalie Dreger is a certified fitness professional. She can be reached at nataliedreger.com.