711 Park Avenue Northwest
Willmar, MN 56201
info@miles4mentors.org
Keep the Pace - Staying Fit Between Fun Runs
Every stride taken by Miles 4 Mentors is done to empower our youth and provide them with a love for running and fitness that will serve them well throughout their lives. We have a vision to create a healthier and more active community. We’ve been so fortunate to see firsthand the boost in the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of our participants. Fun Run days are exciting! But how do you continue to engage in physical activity in between? We’d like to share a few fun ideas for your family to stay fit all year long.
It's About Momentum
We believe that fitness is a journey, not a destination. That means that being physically active all year round is an important aspect of overall health and well-being. Some parents have wondered, how can I encourage and foster the love of running and fitness in my children. Hopefully, these ideas will offer some options you can use with your own family.
Interval Adventures for Kids
Change up your running routine with kid-friendly interval training. Your child could sprint between mailboxes, jog to the next street corner, or skip across the cracks in the sidewalk. All can be fun ways to build speed and endurance, and the variety keeps the kids interested.
Endurance Building Games
Incorporate games into their play that naturally build endurance. The game of Tag encourages continuous movement, and “Red Light, Green Light” can help teach pacing and control. Along with being fun, games such as these also help increase stamina.
Super Strength
Strength-building activities like tug-of-war or climbing on play equipment engage the core and upper body. A strong core is an important complement to the leg strength used when running.
Family Relays
Create relay races with your child in your backyard or at the park. Passing the baton (or a stick or stuffed animal) helps teach coordination and teamwork, as well as improving their running skills.
A Run with a View
Challenge yourselves and do some hill repeats. Simply find a hill with a nice view and enjoy all our area has to offer while building leg strength and endurance. Make it fun by including a picnic or watching the sunset.
Tempo Treasure Hunt
A tempo run is a sustained run with a steady effort. Design a neighborhood map with your child and include checkpoints for tempo runs. This will add an element of adventure to your typical routes.
Beat Your Best
Encourage each other to keep track of and improve upon personal bests. Doing so can foster a healthy spirit of being a good sport and setting goals to improve.
Family Yoga
Yoga is a fantastic way to improve flexibility and strengthen the core. Keep it simple. Some basic poses such as “downward dog” and “warrior” are especially helpful in building strength.
Respect Resistance
Resistance bands for strength training are a safe, low-impact strength training workout for kids. Bands are relatively affordable, and you can encourage them to build up band strength and reward them for goals met.
Remember Recovery
Don’t underestimate the importance of rest days, which are as important as workout days. Your muscles require time to recover and become stronger. Kids (or parents) would like to expend some energy on these days should consider gentle stretching or a relaxed walk around the neighborhood.
Don't Miss Our Fun Runs!
Fun events like our Fun Runs are an excellent way to keep your kids engaged. There are many other events, activities, and sports in the Willmar area you can also take advantage of. Our Fun Runs are designed to give kids a full race experience, complete with bibs, t-shirts, and medals depending on the run. As we gear up for our upcoming Fun Run events, we invite your family to be a part of this exciting opportunity.
Ready, Set, Register
Visit our events page to learn more or to sign up for the next Fun Run. Let’s run together toward a healthier, happier community—one mile at a time.