JUMP ROPE: An aerobic workout you can do anywhere. It works the entire body and improves coordination.
CROSS COUNTRY: Kids aren’t usually cut from the team, so there’s less direct competition. It’s a great cardio workout; they’ll burn about 100 calories a mile.
RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS: Play with balls, ribbons and hoops while building coordination and long, lean muscles. A half hour burns 128 calories, estimates Robert McMurray, an exercise and nutrition expert at UNC.
HULA HOOP: More fun than sit-ups, that’s for sure. But it still tones abs and bums.
PLAYGROUND: Just free play in the schoolyard burns calories (a rousing game of tag blasts 320 an hour). And climbing ladders and monkey bars is weight training for kiddies.
