BRRR....it is too cold out to exercise!

Many kids and teens in North America and Europe (and other continents too) have something in common. They may be having a hard time exercising. It is getting cold! Feeling warm inside may make it hard to go out on cold days. For many kids and teens, there are many more months before it is warm again. Even though it is cold out, kids and teens still need about 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. The best exercise to do to lose weight is any kind that gets your heart beating faster. If you are stuck inside, try some of the listed activities.

• Turn up the music! Dancing is great exercise that will get your heart pumping. Some kids & teens download 30 minutes worth of their favorite songs onto their mpł player or burn the music onto a CD. Play this music everyday and get down!

• During TV commercial breaks, press mute. Turn up some music and get dancing. Or, do some jumping jacks or stretches.

• Visit your local library. There you can find many exercise videos or DVDs. You can rent them for free. If you really like them, you maybe able to memorize the routine or buy them. Pick videos that will get your heart pumping. Look for words like "aerobic" or "cardio" on the package descriptions. Many kids and teens on the site enjoy one called, Walking Away the Pounds. Others enjoy the many kickboxing or tae-bo videos.

• Offer to vacuum, make the beds, or do the laundry. Ok, I know this sounds a bit crazy! But really, doing chores like these is great exercise!

• Brave the cold! Shovel the driveway! This is a great muscle building activity. And, you will feel your heart pumping fast! If you enjoy doing this, ask your parents if you could start a neighborhood business. You could offer to shovel the driveways and sidewalks of your neighbors. With the extra money, you could buy a few exercise videos...cool!

• Still brave enough for outside? Try ice skating, skiing, sledding, or snowboarding. If you bundle up, these are great exercises!

• Grab some friends and go to the mall! That's right...walking at the mall can be a great way to walk around without the wind chill. To get your heart rate up, try to do a few laps around the mall before shopping. You can check your heart rate by feeling your heartbeat (pulse). Press with your fingers on your wrist as shown at right. If the pulse is beating fast enough, you are burning stored body fat!