When many people think of exercise and fitness, they picture being miserable on a treadmill, plugging away while dying of boredom and wishing they were anywhere else. This is an unfortunate view and is certainly unnecessary to do in order to get fit!

If I had a dime for each person who blames their low metabolisms for weight gain and low aerobic capacity, I would be retired and living in Tahiti. It is not low metabolism that has caused our nation (and I must note that our state is one of the worst) it is poor fitness due to low levels of bodily movement. In our "civilized society" we are not USING are bodies the way nature intended, and it leads to a sedentary, and idle lifestyle.

So, what is a fun and effective way to fix the problem of being overweight and unfit? Do me a favor, go to Canterbury Park at 54th and the Monon on a nice day and watch the children. They are incessantly buzzing around from here to there, jumping, running, and climbing. No doubt they are burning tons of calories in this process and guess what? They are having FUN!

Yes, you too can have this much fun while moving your body by thinking and acting more like a kid! You don't need to purchase one piece of exercise equipment with Laura's Park Workout. Besides we must take advantage of the nice temperatures while they last. Let's go to Canterbury Park so Laura can show you how!

Grab yourself an average park bench, and you have a wonderful exercise machine.

• Triceps Dips: Sit down and wrap your hands around the edge of the bench beside your hips. Lift your bottom off into the air stepping out from the bench. While keeping elbows into body, bend them so that you lower down toward the ground. Extend them up again and repeat 12-15 times.
• Step Ups: With one foot on the bench, step up with the other. To add more challenge, step up and do not put the foot down. Instead, lift up your knee when you fully extend the supporting leg, and land back onto ground with the step off foot. Repeat 12-15 times
• Push Ups: Place your hands on the bench, and feet on the ground. Perform a push up by bending elbows and lowering chest toward the bench. Your current strength will determine how many reps you can complete so use this rule: stop when your form is compromised!

At many parks, as in Canterbury Park, there are sand volleyball courts. These are wonderful for wind-sprints, walking lunges, jumping jacks, front crawls, and crab walks. Now, how could that not sound like fun, right?

Many parks, a couple being Broad Ripple and Eagle Creek Parks, boast their own fitness trail where there are drills along the course. They often offer advanced and beginner options so just about anyone can participate. Give it a try!

If you have children, even better! Don't just watch them, chase them around and try to keep up. What better way to bond while getting in a great workout. You will soon realize that it is not the fault of the metabolism, but that as a society, we simply don't move enough; like the kids! See, we can actually learn something from the children.