That's Fit

When I look at my son playing with friends, I'm amazed at the variety of activity he can pour into even a small time frame. He rides his bike, runs, kicks a soccer ball around, throws a football, jumps rope, skateboards, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. I, on the other hand, tend to do the same workout every day. It's no wonder that I end up sore after playing baseball with my son for an hour -- I don't get the variety in my work out that I should.

When it comes to fitness, we could all learn a lesson or two from kids. So when you're looking for a new activity to add to your fitness routine, just think back to your youth. One fun idea is pogosticking. Seriously. According to AOL Body even celebs like Matthew McConaughey and Lance Armstrong have hopped on board with this fitness idea.

While you can buy a low cost toy-quality pogostick, some can cost as much as $300. (For the serious pogostick aficionado, I guess. Though I wonder how anyone can be too serious when hopping on a pogostick!) Remember, practice makes perfect so you may want to have someone standing nearby to spot you on your first few attempts. Check out the gallery for more fun ways to put a little youth back in your workouts.

As we shopped for our kids' holiday gifts this year, we brainstormed gift ideas that would get them off the couch and into active motion or imagination. Hanukkah kicked off last night and our six-year-old and three-year-old ripped open their fit gifts. The items shown in the gallery below triggered the loudest screams of holiday joy heard yet. Our son was sweating five minutes into trying out the pogo stick -- he's up to four bounces as of today.

Think out of the box this holiday season -- think fit gifts! Even if you're dealing with a stubborn teen who only wants to plug into a new iPod, maybe you could surprise them with a set of ski lessons, a pair of jogging shoes, a promise of a family vacation hike to the base of the Grand Canyon this summer or a new mountain bike.