Is your child insatiable when it comes to being lifted up in the air? Both my kids still love it although they are getting a little too big and heavy for it. To stay strong and keep up with my growing boys, I do quite a bit of upper body strength training using my own body weight (and theirs). For triceps, one of my favorites is table-top tricep dips because it doesn't require any props and I can include my children.
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To intensify these simple dips, my sons (only one at a time) climb on top of me and pretends to be an airplane when I lift from the dip. I like to make him fly!

Here are two variations I do with my kids. 

Standard Table-top Format: works your triceps and requires engagement of your abdominal muscles to keep the table-top form.

1. Find your proper table-top form: feet about hip-distance apart and directly below your knees; hands about shoulder-distance apart and directly below your shoulders.
2. Lower your body and have your child climb onto your tummy.
3. Return to table-top position. It's okay if your hips are slightly flexed due to your child's weight and for your child's safety.
4. Inhale and bend your elbow slightly.
5. Exhale and use your triceps to initiate the movement to straighten your arm.
6. Complete 5-10 repetitions.

Single Leg Challenge: also works the glutes on both sides, and the hamstring of the supporting leg.

1. Same starting position as the standard table-top.
2. While in the table-top position, lengthen one leg, making sure that hip does not drop (use your glutes).
3. Inhale to bend your elbows slightly.
4. Exhale to straighten them, working your triceps.
5. Complete 3-5 repetitions
6. Return the long leg back down and lower your bottom to the mat/floor for a break.
7. When you're ready, get back into table-top position and repeat steps 2-5 with the other leg. 
8. For more challenge, skip the break between legs.

​An alternative is to hold the single leg table-top position while squeezing your underarms and shoulder blades to activate your triceps. Try holding for 3 breathes (in and out) and then switch legs.
I love that I can do these anytime during the day and anywhere (on my kitchen floor, on a mat at home, at the playground).
Experiment and see what works for your body and your child. My sons sometimes like to lie down on my tummy for a little rest or lie back to "take flight". Other times, they like to play "London Bridge is Falling" where they try to go through the space under me as many times as they can before I fall down.
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Try this several times a day (low reps) as part of play and bonding time with your child. Do it at least 3 days a week and see how you feel after a month.

​When was the last time you swung around on the monkey bars? Recently, that's all I want to do when I get to the playground because my kids are now exploring and climbing the bigger play structures. My older son is just tall enough to reach some of the monkey bars. His younger brother tries to keep up. Both are eager to test their swinging, hanging and landing abilities.
Watching them, I couldn't help but get the bug to try the monkey bars myself one day, only to find myself letting go with defeat after swinging 1 or 2 bars forward. I felt a surge of envy and wonder as I watched some of the older kids swing effortlessly across. How is it that these kids can do this and I can't? Shouldn't I be stronger? Perhaps not. And strength isn't the whole story. Admittedly, I became a little obsessed with the monkey bars. Watching kids move naturally using their bodies to swing forward, I realized I needed more momentum rather than relying purely on upper body strength. After a few trials at the playground, I landed on with a sequence that starts with lower ab leg lifts to warm up because I needed my body to swing … like a monkey, of course.

1. Lower Ab Leg Lifts
Find any parallel bars that’s just wider than the width of your body such that your arms make a narrow upside V when you push yourself up with your feet off the ground. Arms straight, shoulders away from ears (think about squeezing your armpits).

1. Inhale: pull your belly button in, engaging your abs.
2. Exhale: breath out of your mouth and use your lower abs to initiate the movement to bring your legs forward and up. If you can bring them almost parallel to the ground, that’s great. If not, just bring them as high as you can. 
3. Inhale: hold the position.
4. Exhale: lower your legs to starting position with control
5. Repeat 5-10 times.

2. Reverse Pull Ups - Lowering
Find a single bar on the playground, preferably one where your feet can still touch the ground when you grab onto the bar with your hands. Grip the bars with your fingers pointing towards you. Keep your hands about shoulder width or a little wider. Hop yourself off the ground while engaging your biceps and lats to bring your chin above the bar. Shoulders away from your ears. 

1. Inhale: slowly lower your chin to below the bar. You don’t need to go all the way down to straight arms.
2. Exhale: bring your chin up above the bar to starting position. You will feel the work in your biceps, however, engage your lats (feels like your squeezing your shoulder blades together) to start building upper back strength.
3. Repeat 3-5 times.

3. Swing Like a Monkey
Find a monkey bar and get swinging. Just have fun and try different variations to get as far as you can. Below is just a few things I do to enjoy this more.

1. Take off any rings because they tend to pinch the base of my fingers with the friction from the bars.
2. I try to start off with a big swing forward and keep the momentum.
3. I bend my knees to shorten the bottom lever on my body.

​When I got across the monkey bar on that particular day when I tried this sequence, I truly felt like a kid again. A swell of happiness and confidence filled my chest as I landed on the platform on the other side from where I started. I imagine that's how kids feel when they accomplish something by themselves for the first time. We were all kids once and have had that experience. It's nice to bring it back once in a while, especially when it comes to moving our bodies. Now I want to keep trying to see if I can repeat it.
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Next time you're at the playground, join your kids at the monkey bars and get swinging! Have fun!

​Ever feel like you're weighed down by the demands of early parenthood? That's exactly how I feel. A wonderful life coach said to me, when my oldest was just 1 year old, that I was in the 'labor-intensive' years of parenting. She was exactly right and I'm still in it. My oldest just turned 6 and started 1st grade last week. He's more active than ever and growing stronger by the day. My youngest is 3 and still likes to cuddle and be carried a lot. 

Having practiced Pilates for many years, my body feels the need to move in many ways  everyday. However, running after my kids does not quite cut it. Yet, it is precisely this physically demanding stage of parenthood that makes my body ache when I skip my daily doses of varied movements in a few days. My body starts to feel stiff and weak - like the chi gets stuck and can't flow through in my movements - and I'm less capable, emotionally and physically, to engage in active play with my kids. To prevent this, over the past two years, I've developed the habit of doing a few stretches in the morning before I start the day. These simple stretches help keep me feel a little more flexible and lighter to tackle what's ahead. 

Here are three quick stretches you can do standing, anywhere (I do them in my bathroom as part of my get-ready routine), in less than 5 minutes. You will feel more awake and ready for another day of playground hopping.

Arch and Curl
I always start with this exercise along with deep breathing. The movement works with the breath and provides a nice morning rhythm to wake up the body.

1. Stand tall with feet slightly wider than hip-distance, knees slightly bent, arms hanging loosely by the side. Lengthen your spine through the top of your head towards the ceiling and your tailbone towards the floor. Make sure your pelvis is in neutral position, not tilted forward or backward.
2. Inhale, move into the arch position by extending your spine such that your sternum (breastbone in the center of your chest) moves forward and tailbone moves back. Squeeze your shoulder blades to allow your chest to move forward without popping your ribs out. Think about sticking your bum out without losing connection in your abs
3. Exhale, move into the curl position by pulling your belly button in towards your spine, bringing your chest in, and tugging your tailbone between your legs. Your pelvis will tilt back. You might engage your glutes a little here.
4. Repeat 5-10 times.

Standing Twist 
This is a great exercise to get the spine moving on a different plane and engage the core.

1. Same starting position as Arch and Curl. Place hands, with fingers laced, at the base of your head. Keep shoulders away from ears (try pressing down through your armpit or squeezing your shoulder blades downward).
2. Inhale to prepare and lengthen your spine.
3. Exhale 3 times as you twist to one side while keeping length in the spine. With each exhale, twist a little more. Pull your belly button away from your shirt to engage your core muscles. Imagine your spine articulating as a spiral staircase, up and around. Your head should not be moving in your hands. It's your torso that's moving. Since your head is on top of your spine, your gaze will follow without moving your head.
4. Inhale to return to center.
5. Exhale 3 times and twist to the other side.
6. Alternate sides and repeat 3-5 times on each side.

Spinal Articulation – Against the Wall
This is a great exercise for stretching your lumbar spine while engaging your arms and the lats for strength work.

1. Start with a standing plank against a wall. Feet about hip-distance apart. Hands on the wall with fingers spread open for a wide base. Arms/hands about shoulder distance. Point the elbows more toward the floor and not out to the side. Step away from the wall until your arms are straight (soft elbows) and body is in an incline.
2. Inhale as you bend at the hips bringing back in line with your feet. Try to get your hips stacked on top of your feet. Keep your shoulders away from your ears. Eyes looking straight down at the floor.
3. Exhale as you tug your tailbone between your legs and articulate, one segment at a time, back to standing plank position. Focus on pulling your belly button in at the start of the movement to deepen the stretch in the lumbar spine.
4. Repeat steps 5-10 times.

Give these a try and add a little side-bend at the end and you're good to go!

​Start with 2-3 times a week and work up to everyday. It takes time for these to become automatic, so be patient. After 30 days of consistent practice (at least 5 times a week), your body will crave for these stretches if you skip too many consecutive days.

Happy stretching!