How often have you looked at children playing and wondered at the amount of energy they have in their tiny little frames? For many adults, just two hours spent around children exhausts them so completely, they have little patience left–and yet the kids still play on. Children are tiny calorie burners and we can learn a lot about exercise and fitness while playing with them.

Children burn exercise the entire time they play–but they don’t think of it as exercise. Instead, they are playing; enjoying themselves while building and toning muscles, aerobically exercising their hearts, and burning calories like a well-stoked furnace.

When adults play with children, they get the same calorie burning benefits of the play and often, they don’t even think about it as though it’s exercise. Instead, they are so distracted by the fun they are having with children and the goal of whatever game is being played that the normal resentment and fear that creeps into a normal workout is completely missing.

Whether it’s kick ball, soft ball, tag or hide and go seek, children’s games mix exercise and fun in an irresistible way. By allowing yourself the freedom to enjoy them, you can benefit from their positive effects.