Look out American Ninja Warriors!
PLAY to get 10,000 steps per day
I really can’t think of a more fun way to get in my 10,000 steps per day than to PLAY. This blog goes out to anyone above the age of 12 who thinks that playing is only for kids. I recently revisited a part of my childhood and rediscovered that PLAY is fun for ‘kids’ of all ages. 
Growing up, my family’s home bordered my elementary school. All I had to do was open my back gate and I was in my schoolyard. This proximity was not only convenient to get to school, but my brothers, friends and I had a built-in playground within walking distance of our neighborhood. I did not fully appreciate this luxury until I grew up and had children of my own. Unfortunately, since that time, we have never lived closely enough to our children’s school for them to be able to walk, ride bike, or conveniently use the school playground outside of regular school hours. This was until just a few weeks ago when the playground at the new elementary school within walking distance of our neighborhood opened! I became reminiscent of my youth and longed for my children and their friends to experience the same memories that I had by playing at the schoolyard during my free time. My kids, their friends, and I did not waste any time in checking it out for ourselves.
My first overall impression is that school playgrounds of today are WAY cooler than the playgrounds of my day! The second thing that I noticed was a recycled tire obstacle course! I began to hear music in my head that sounded remarkably like the American Ninja Warrior theme song!
The kids and I immediately took to the tires and began timing ourselves completing the course. My preliminary time was a not-too-shabby 26 Mississippis (this rudimentary form of timekeeping helped keep my memory authentic, as smart phone timers were shockingly not available in the 80s). We quickly moved to head-to-head competitions and realized that this course is much harder than it looks.
While combining agility, balance, speed work, and a large dose of laughter, we played our way to 10,000+ steps that day…and each day thereafter! With enough practice, we feel that we will be ready to take on the professionals. Look out, American Ninja Warriors!
