You know what I’m talking about.

You swear that if you have to climb on the treadmill on more time you’re going to need a drink. You hate cycling for an hour and getting nowhere. You know all the moves (and all the music) on your exercise DVD by heart. You’re bored. Really bored.

Don’t let boredom derail your fitness goals. Patch.com has an awesome post this week called “Bored with Fitness? Act Like a Kid and Get a Workout on The Playground.” It’s such a fun and effective idea that I wanted to pass it on to you.

As the article says,

A good workout doesn’t require being stuck in a gym during the late summer heat or those deliciously crisp fall days that follow. To change things up a bit in your workout routine, consider making use of a free and easily accessible resource: your local playground.”

More adults are using the equipment and space of the neighborhood playground to get a surprisingly decent workout. Even fitness boot camp classes are making use of playgrounds and the people who build these playgrounds are making this easier by shaking things up in the way they design outdoor play spaces.

Lindsay Vastola, the editor of Personal Fitness Professional Magazine,says people are really getting into playground workouts because they’re

craving something outside of the big box gym and typical fitness routines,” Vastola says. “Playground workouts allow adults to rekindle the feeling of being a kid again and let them be creative about getting fit. Being outdoors also naturally just gives people extra energy.”

So what kind of a workout can you get on the playground?

Peter Lavelle, of Ultimate Boot Camp, uses playgrounds all the time.

He incorporates them into his company’s boot camp workouts by using benches for tricep dips and using the rubber mats from playground flooring for high-impact work like burpees and squat jumps.”

At the bottom of the article, you’ll also find links to several workouts just for playgrounds. Pick one you like and get out there and play. One benefit to a playground workout? You can take your kids with you! You won’t need a babysitter just to get in shape and you’ll also be spending some time with the kids!