In my youth, a playground was a place where you could be active without thinking of it as a form of exercise. Perhaps that's why I think "working out" is such a chore now. Thankfully, the future generation will be burly body-builders... Brantford city workers have installed the next-gen playgrounds in our area.
Look at this fine piece of machinery!Ha ha! No, not me. I meant the piece of machinery that they're passing off as a playground.
The fun here comes in the arm movements. You push your arm out, and then you pull them back in! Whee!
If you find your upper body is strong enough, you should switch it up with something good for your gastrocnemius muscles. In this playground game, we push our bodies out, and let them fall back in. Caution though! Don't fall back in too hard; this machine can be extremely dangerous for people with short legs. (Say... People under the age of twelve?)
This device is a more conventional take on the stair-master. Your arms and legs slide back and forth, as if you were gliding on cross-country skis. Another person can stand opposite you, adding additional fun to this game as you move in time with each other.
That's not the only risk in this device. Notice how close that bar gets to my head?
This was by far my least favourite machine. I lift my legs, and when they feel too heavy, I lower them... Then I do it again. Ya-hoo!
This one was actually fun. All you do is swing on it, but there's something about your centre of gravity on this thing that makes you feel like your alpine skiing! Look at the smile on Candice's face! And yet, once again, if she were shorter she wouldn't be able to ride it...
If you find your upper body is strong enough, you should switch it up with something good for your gastrocnemius muscles. In this playground game, we push our bodies out, and let them fall back in. Caution though! Don't fall back in too hard; this machine can be extremely dangerous for people with short legs. (Say... People under the age of twelve?)
This device is a more conventional take on the stair-master. Your arms and legs slide back and forth, as if you were gliding on cross-country skis. Another person can stand opposite you, adding additional fun to this game as you move in time with each other.
Reminds me of the teeter-totter from my day, where one kid would hold the other kid up while he'd cry, but instead one kid will move too quickly for the other to safely get off.
That's not the only risk in this device. Notice how close that bar gets to my head?And again, if I were any shorter, I wouldn't be able to use this! Somehow, I don't see many children being six feet tall.
This was by far my least favourite machine. I lift my legs, and when they feel too heavy, I lower them... Then I do it again. Ya-hoo!
This one was actually fun. All you do is swing on it, but there's something about your centre of gravity on this thing that makes you feel like your alpine skiing! Look at the smile on Candice's face! And yet, once again, if she were shorter she wouldn't be able to ride it...
This is the final machine. Yes, we've done arm exercises already, but this one's different. As you pull your arms down, your body is lifted up. Do you feel the burn? I do.
So, that's my report on children's parks. And yes, in all seriousness, I did pull a couple of muscles while trying some of these playground accessories out.
--
D. Phillips
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