This is awesome! Has anyone tried using playground equipment for a grown-up fitness regimen?

Back to the playground
Forget the gym. For a good workout, look no further than your neighborhood park.
Wisconsin State Journal

For your next workout, personal trainer Jim Post wants you to take a page from your child 's playbook.
Actually, he wants you to visit their playground.

There -- among the climbers, slides and swingsets -- you 'll find endless opportunities for staying in great all-around shape, Post says.

Keeping fit naturally, outside and with nothing fancy in terms of equipment is the philosophy behind Post 's new Wisconsin Union mini-course offering: "The Playground Workout. "

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Even those without a lot of time for a workout can use Post 's playground ideas.

"A workout like this does not have to be long to benefit from it, " he says. "Even 15 minutes would be enough to work up a sweat and get the blood pumping. "

And if you hit the playground with kids in tow, the workout is great because there 's plenty they can do right along with you. Even a simple game of tag can count toward the running portion of the workout -- and climbing, too, if you 're going up and down trying to avoid being "IT," for example.

"Any playground with a metal swingset and sand, picnic tables and maybe a carousel will work just fine, " he says. "The more stuff to play on, the more you can use your imagination to make a boring exercise into something new and challenging. "

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I'm so glad that some people are starting to realize that parents/adults need play too.  We all played on playgrounds or fields or local gathering spots as kids, but we need to realize that as adults we need to play too. 

I hope you decide to take on a workout routine that involves getting your kids outside and showing them that you know how to use the equipment too, as I'm sure they all forget that we were once kids too.

Getting a workout on the equipment is a great idea, and I'm sure you have all seen how playgrounds help get kid's hearts pumping, but there is another HUGE benefit to getting on the equipment!  If you are using the equipment, you can see if there are any issues that need to be addressed.  As Certified Playground Safety Inspectors, we are supposed to get on the equipment so we can see it from all angles in order to diagnose problems.  With parents/adults getting on the playground, there are more eyes looking out for loose bolts, rust, or gaps in equipment!  Be sure to let a facilities/site manager know if you see anything that concerns you, and don't be afraid to follow-up!

Now, get out there, and get on those playgrounds!