By: Jana K, age 13

Thanks to the Coronavirus lockdown, you can’t go out anywhere to exercise like you used to! Don’t fret! We don’t have to do anything drastic! 🙂 Here is a list of things to do to keep yourself from getting bored! With this list, you might never want to leave the house, (or your backyard), again!

Jump rope! Everyone loves the good-old-fashioned jump rope! You might not think that it is very fun without your best buds, but it can be! Challenge your sibs or maybe even your parents to a contest with the jump rope. The winner can be the person to have the most jumps with the rope in the shortest amount of time, or you can have a contest where the winner is whoever can do the most tricks with the rope. Parents and siblings busy? Call up your best buds on a phone and have a contest online! Can’t jump rope or don’t have a jump rope at home? Read on! Don’t worry, there are plenty of other things you can do without a jump rope!

Tag with your fam! Even though tag might seem very old fashioned, there is nothing wrong with adding some new twists to tag! There are a few versions of tag that would be exciting to do on a boring day!

• Tag: Just the original tag please!
  • Popcorn tag: In this game, everyone’s it! If you tag somebody instead of them being it, they’re out and they sit down. If you tag someone then you get out, the person you tagged is back in the game and you’re out. If two people tag each other at the same time, then they do rock, paper, scissors and whoever loses that sits down. You can not puppy guard, (stand very closely behind people to either guard them or wait to tag them), when people are doing rock, paper, scissors. Also,there is one person who does not play the game and just sits to the side. During the game, after a certain amount of time, (in my opinion, 2-3 minutes is good, but you can do whatever), the person who is not playing the game yells “Popcorn!!” and everyone who is out pops up and is back in the game. Whoever can get everyone out before the person yells “Popcorn!!” wins!
  • Mushroom tag: This version of tag is just like popcorn tag. Except in Mushroom tag, there isn’t a person who yells “Popcorn!” If you’re out, you can reach out at arm’s length to tag people who are still in the game, (but you can’t move your body)! Also, if you’re out and you get someone else out, you get to go back in the game!

These are just three games of tag you can play with your family!

Vehicles on wheels! Now, I don’t mean cars or trucks, I mean bikes and roller skates! You can go for a spin around your neighborhood or go in your backyard, (if it’s big enough)! You can also have a race around the block to see who can get home first! The winner can pick a movie to watch or pick what to eat for dinner! Just make sure to keep your distance from other people! 🙂

Stuck indoors? Exercise videos and games will help keep you in tip top shape! There are many options that you can do! Having a hard time finding some that you like? Don’t worry! Here are some suggestions that will have you working up a sweat in no time!

• Yoga with Adriene Yoga is a great way to get some exercise and still have fun! Don’t have a yoga mat? Go for it anyway!
• Get a full body workout at home with The Fitologists on YouTube. You can get this full body workout even without going to the gym or having any equipment!
• Born to move for teens is a website that has sweet workouts that are especially made for people our age!
• Just Dance Now App is a video game where you just copy the dancers’ crazy and fast moves! (Note: you have to pay if you do more than two songs a day. So, please ask your parents before you download the app.)
•  Nike Training App You can do lots of workouts in your house (or depending on the weather, in the yard)! (Note: the workouts are only free for 60 days, so make sure to make the most of it!)
• NFL PLAY 60 app This free app has a lot more than just football! There are lots of ways to get your heart rate up while earning points and fun rewards! (Note: supports iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPod 5, and later models.)

Including the suggestions I listed, there are many things you can do when you are stuck at home! These are just some of them. Make sure to also get some ideas to stay entertained  from your fam, ‘cause as crazy as it sounds, they can have some good ideas too!