Regular workouts offer well-known benefits, including better strength, endurance and stamina, and reduced risk of obesity-related diseases. But knowing that exercise is good for you doesn't magically add a half-hour of exercise time to your day or give you the equipment to work out. If there's a playground within jogging distance of your house, you can use the play equipment for a quick, free, convenient workout.
Swing Set
A full-size swing set --- as opposed to the smaller, bucket-seat child's version --- makes an excellent stability training tool. Your muscles will work overtime to stabilize as you use the swing as a base for exercises like pushups, trap pullups and bench lunges. For an extra challenge during pushups, use two adjacent swings, with one hand in each swing and both feet planted on the ground. Or try archer pushups, extending one arm out to the side as for an upside-down fly while you do a conventional pushup with the other arm.
Monkey Bars
If you're strong enough, the monkey bars are an excellent apparatus for doing rollups and front levers. If you're not quite ready for these advanced exercises, the monkey bars are also an excellent substitute for pullup bars. If you're not strong enough to do full pullups yet, some monkey bars have a foot bar in just the right place to give yourself a bit of an assist. Just using the monkey bars for their intended use, traversing from one side to the other, is also an excellent shoulder workout.
Park Bench
Park benches might seem boring as exercise aids when compared with the unstable swing set. But you can use the bench as a base for many of the same exercises. Place your feet or hands on the bench for pushups; putting your hands on the back of the bench is easier than putting them on the seat, but putting your feet on the back of the bench will feel harder than resting them on the bench seat. You can also use the bench as a base for bench dips; sit on the bench with a hand to either side of your body, then scoot slightly forward and extend your arms to push yourself straight up.
Cargo Net
Not all playgrounds have a cargo net large enough for you to get your arms and legs on it. But if you do find a large cargo net, try doing starfish pushups --- with both arms and legs spread --- completely on the net. The instability will make this a challenge; make sure to limit your range of motion to protect your shoulders. Your shoulders should never go lower than your elbows.
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