I am a father of 3 kids: a 6 year old daughter, 2 year old son and a 3 month old baby.  I definitely find it difficult to stick to a workout regime between working, kids programs, doctor appointments and trying to spend some quality time with the family.  My single days of heading to the gym to pump some iron after work and relaxing Sunday morning yoga are far behind me.

I'm now living a life of changing diapers, driving like a madman to get my kids on time to their after school programs and even finding the time to buy groceries.

So if I'm so busy, how can I find the time to workout?

Well I try to kill 3 birds with 1 stone by finding something active to do with my kids - I spend some quality time with them, I get some activity in my day and my kids get in the habit of doing something active.

I thought I would share some of the activities that I do with my kids that may give you some great ideas:

I bought my kids some small snow shovels and get them involved to shovel the snow with me. It not only gets me active, but them too!  We can also get creative and use the shovels to create a winter obstacle course.  I try to make a combination of little hills the kids have to run up, barriers they have to climb over and even caves that need to be crawled under.  The combination of shoveling, running, climbing and crawling all work different areas of the body and all outdoors to get some fresh air.

There are many other outdoor activities I can do with my kids such as go ice skating, tobogganing, skiing or even a winter hike through the park.

I run a boot camp and I bring my kids to participate as well as let participants with kids to bring their little ones. I adapt the class to be child safe to get the kids involved at an early age. The kids usually love trying to do what their parents do and burn off a lot of their energy participating!  I'm sure many fitness instructors would adapt their class for the March Break.

Gaming consoles these days have tried to change the typical gamer from sitting on the couch to standing and active.  These interactive games have users mimic actions that are shown on the screen from sports, dancing and even fitness workouts.  My personal favourite are the dancing games where users have to copy the dancing on the screen to score points.  We all get a good sweat going and a lot of laughs with the entire family. You don't have to run out and spend a fortune to try these out as you can always rent them from your local video store to play for a day.

My wife and I brainstormed some fun activities we have always wanted to try that the kids can do as well.  Activities such as cross country skiing, snow shoeing, rock climbing and rollerskating. Many of these activities are done in a facility where they offer lessons.  We can also save some money by renting the equipment.  Overall, it makes an active, new and fun experience for everyone.

Try to get active with your kids.  It will not only get you active, but it's a fun and great way to spend some time with your kids while getting them healthier!