When it's sunny, getting some exercise can be as simple as finding an empty field or blacktop and recruiting a few friends. Outdoor gym games are an effective way for the whole family -- or even the whole neighborhood -- to burn some calories and get in shape. Games can help change your routine when your usual workout has lost its luster.
Running Games
Break a sweat by playing tag. The simplest version has one player, who is "it," chasing the rest and trying to tag them. One variation is freeze tag, in which the tagged players must freeze in place until another player tags them again, thus freeing them to rejoin the game. In blob tag, tagged players must link arms with each other and give chase as one unit, adding more players as they succeed in tagging them.
Ball Games
Burn some calories while having fun playing ball. Casual games of soccer, softball and football require little equipment or expertise to play. Get creative with the resources you have at hand, using trees, bushes, backpacks or fences as goals or bases. For an unusual ball game, try playing soccer with a football. You'll get in some cross-training as you scramble to keep up with the ball's unpredictable bounces.
Jumping Games
Build some muscle with jumping games. Jumping rope is an effective workout and it has several variations. You can have two people turn one long rope for the rest of the players to jump in while chanting jump-rope rhymes. Or each player can have her own rope and you can all jump-rope across the field. Double dutch is played with two ropes, each going in opposite directions, and takes a bit of practice to master.
Hopscotch is another jumping game that works well if you are on a concrete surface. Use chalk to draw in some hopscotch squares, which typically are three single squares, followed by a double square, another single square, another double square, and two more single squares. Players take turns hopping on one or two feet through the hopscotch squares. Make it harder by throwing a pebble onto one of the squares and jumping through the hopscotch without touching the square with the pebble.
Races
Racing is a surefire way to get your heart rate up. Start with a simple relay race in which two teams compete at running from a starting line to a fixed object, such as a tree, and back again. When the runner gets back to his team, he tags the next player in line and she must run a lap before tagging the next team member. You can jazz it up by changing the type of movement the players must use to run the race, such as hopping, crawling, running backwards or lunging.
Two-player teams participate in a three-legged race, with the left leg of one member is tied to the right leg of the other team member. Then they run as fast as they can to the finish line. For sack races, you'll need cloth bags large enough for a person to stand in. Each player races by jumping, keeping her feet and legs inside the bag and holding the bag up with her arms.
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