Editor's Note: We're following along with the Nipper family as they take the Fit Families Challenge from Special Olympics Arkansas. The six-week program is designed for individuals with special needs and their families, and encourages physical activity and healthy eating for the whole family. Read more about the free program here, and check out more blog posts from the Nipper family here.

“No” Miles yells as his legs go limp and he refuses to hold up his own weight. I plead with Miles to cooperate and do just five more sit-and-stands, so that we can be done and move on to something more fun. It has been a long day and we need to get through his therapy checklist.

After we finish the therapy battle, get the kids bathed and in bed, I contemplate why some days it is so easy to get his therapy in and others it is such a challenge. I remember how as a child I would spend hours each day playing on the monkey bars in my backyard. I loved the monkey bars to the point that I think my parents bought me every type of glove to try and protect my hands from the rough calluses and blisters that took over my palms. No one made me play on the monkey bars…I wanted to.

And that is when the light bulb went off.

Exercise (and therapy) is a battle when it is something we have to get done as opposed to being something fun to do. Luke and I have always tried to make exercise and therapy fun for Miles. But during our busiest times, exercise and therapy become items we need to check off the list as opposed to fun events for the whole family. Teaching Miles to love being active is about more than us just enjoying time together, it is crucial for Miles' health and development.

Miles, like most people with Down syndrome, has hypotonia, or low muscle tone. Many people confuse muscle tone and muscle strength but they are very different things. Muscle tone involves the length and tension of the muscle at rest and does not change throughout a person’s life. Low muscle tone can impact balance, coordination, posture, and endurance, making physical activity more challenging. It is important to develop muscle strength (focus of Physical Therapy) to provide stability and muscle control. Couple low muscle tone with the fact that most people with Down syndrome have a lower Basal Metabolic Rate (calories your body uses at rest) and use up to 15 percent fewer calories than their typically developing peers, and you can see that loving to exercise is especially important!

Over the past two weeks, we have really concentrated on making exercise fun. It requires more planning and creativity to incorporate therapy goals into the exercise sessions but the pay-offs are well worth it. Here are seven favorite activities that have easily fit into our busy schedule!

1. Seasonal Activities

We love going to the pumpkin patch in October and this year we used it as a great opportunity to incorporate exercise. We had to walk up and down the rows of pumpkins searching for the perfect one! We had to step over the vines and lift up several pumpkins before we could make our final pick.

2. Community Walks/Runs

We participated in the 3rd Annual Central Arkansas Buddy Walk on October 11 (pictured at top of post). This is a special event for our family since it celebrates people, like Miles, with an extra 21st chromosome. This was the perfect atmosphere for our family to walk together. Miles walked ¾ of the 1-mile loop by himself. It seemed like every time Miles would begin to get tired, there were sweet volunteers or other walkers to cheer him on and recharge him!

3. The Playground

This is one of our favorites for the whole family and a great therapy time too! Miles gets to work on walking up steps, running, climbing, jumping, and so much more. Molly tries her hardest to do everything big brother does. She crawls up the steps, pulls to stand on the various structures, and goes down the slide. We often throw in games of tag to incorporate some running!

4. Obstacle Courses

We set up obstacle courses in our living room or backyard on a regular basis. The one we did this week started on our back porch and Miles had to open the latch on the gate, go down three steps with use of a handrail, walk across a board (balance beam), step over the rungs of a ladder laying on the ground, go down his slide, back over the ladder, across the balance beam, up the stairs, and kick a ball into his little soccer goal. We time each family member doing the course and include lots and lots of crazy cheering.

5. Running

Miles loves to run this loop in our house that goes through the kitchen, hallway, living room, dining room and back to the kitchen. I can’t remember exactly how this started but one day we started chasing him with this plastic sword (no worries on safety, it has a very soft, rounded tip). He thinks this is hilarious and will run laps for 15 minutes with us chasing him. He collapses into a fit of giggles when we catch him and instantly asks for us to chase him more or takes the sword and comes after us!

6. Workouts

We will combine several therapy activities into a concentrated “work out” time. Things like squats with a weighted ball, crunches, push-ups, and pull-ups. Luke will start and do the exercise with the number of reps Miles is supposed to do. I will sit with the kids and we will count and very exuberantly cheer on Luke. Next it is my turn to do the exercise with the same amount of reps for my cheering squad. By the time I’m done, Miles is so excited for his turn to be cheered on that he quickly completes the activity!

7. Dance Parties

This is definitely our favorite and one of the best aerobic exercises we do with Miles. Luke will play DJ and select some great tunes and we will all dance for 15-20 minutes. The crazier and sillier the dancing, the better. Miles can tear up the dance floor and loves to laugh at his moves. With each dance party we are guaranteed to enjoy many of his great belly laughs that seem to erupt from deep within. At the end of the 15-20 minutes, we are all out of breath and laughing! I will admit this requires you letting your guard down and loosening up, but is a guaranteed good time.