Kids are running rings around their puffed-out parents

  • 85 per cent of parents think their children are fitter than them
  • 45 per cent claim they find running around after their kids more exhausting than their full-time job
  • Argos has teamed up with celebrity personal trainer Tyrone Brennand to create ‘playground fitness hacks’ using the Samsung Galaxy Fit e
Parents Fitness
  • 65 per cent of parents is worried about how they will keep up with their children over the six-week summer holidays due to their lack of fitness.

A new study by retailer Argos has revealed that many parents are experiencing ‘fitness anxiety’ when playing with their children outside. 85 per cent think their kids are fitter than them, and 90 per cent agree that they would be fitter if they were as active as their children.

Despite Brits working more than ever, almost half [45 per cent] of parents find running around after their kids more exhausting than their full-time job, which averages 48 hours a week.

To tackle this, Argos is working with celebrity personal trainer Tyrone Brennand to help increase parents’ fitness in the playground and track their progress with the Samsung Galaxy Fit e tracker. Tyrone, who trained Made in Chelsea star Binky Felstead, has put together five fitness hacks parents can do while spending time with their children at the playground, all of which will get their heart rate racing, increase their steps, and burn some serious calories.

1. Piggy monkeys

Give your child a piggyback, run from one end of the playground to the other. After this, pop your child down and run to the monkey bars and hold on for as long as you can. Challenge your child to beat you! If you do this for 10 minutes, your Samsung Galaxy Fit e will tell you that you’ve burnt just under 100 calories, and your heart rate will rise to 160.

2. Stuck in the Squat

Kids love playing stuck in the mud. To make it tougher, when you become ‘stuck in the mud’, squat non-stop until you’re rescued out of the mud. 15 minutes of this will burn 140 calories, and your heart rate will reach 169.

3. Hop Scotch Run 

Hop Scotch is a classic playground activity. Do this with your kids, then race them around the roundabout, and you’ll burn 113 calories in 12 minutes, with your heart rate reaching 174.

4. Jump Rope Challenge

Skipping is a key exercise for boxers and top tier athletes and is, therefore, a great way to keep fit. To make it more competitive and exciting, challenge your child to do more skips than you. For 10 minutes of skipping, you’ll burn 146 calories, with a heart rate reaching just below 180.

5. Piggy Back Squats

Squat with your child on your back, and if you have another child, challenge them to do more squats than you in one go. Swap them around and go again. If you repeat three times, you’ll burn roughly 60 calories, and your heart rate will hit 163.

The research also found that 93 per cent of parents wish they were fitter than they currently are. When asked why this is, 64 per cent wanted to set a good example for their kids, and 57 per cent wanted more energy to play outside with their children, so this a great way to start putting that into practice.

Tyrone Brennand said, “Doing a little bit of exercise every day, such as playing with our kids, can make a huge difference to our fitness and wellbeing. As a parent, you want to stay fit and healthy to watch your children grow up. The Samsung Galaxy Fit e tracker is an affordable way to stay motivated by watching your step count and heart rate increase in real-time.”

Emma Lethbridge, Buyer of Wearable Tech at Argos, said, “Many parents feel that they have to sacrifice time to keep fit to be present for their kids during the holidays, but this is not the case! Small changes can make all the difference, and by wearing the Samsung Galaxy, Fit e parents can track their progress, which is an added motivation to keep moving.”

The Samsung Galaxy Fit e is available exclusively at Argos, priced at £35 and comes with Auto Workout Tracking, which automatically detects three activities (walking, running and dynamic workout). The Samsung Galaxy Fit e allows users to track their activity and heart rate through the Samsung Health app.

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