7 ways to fit in a workout
What would all Mum’s love more of? Time.
We feel like there is never enough time to do all the things that we want.
Are we are trying to cram too much into our day? Does what we are squeezing in serve us well? Or does it not only consume our time, but our energy, too leaving us unhappy. Such as scrolling through social media. Or standing at the kitchen bench stressing about what Billy’s mum thinks of you instead of cooking dinner. How about watching six episodes of your favourite show instead of just two?
Does everything in our day combine to make us happy and healthy? If not, perhaps it’s time to trade out some activities and use that newfound time to get fit.
Seven ways to get moving without spending hours at the gym:
- Swap driving for walking – The kids might complain at first, but the wonderful thing about children is how quickly they can adapt. Make it a hard and fast rule that unless there is a storm or blistering heat, you will walk to school or the shops, etc. My kids now love the walk to school, we spot flowers and talk about the clouds. When I drive I have to ask them to be quiet, three voices at once while I’m trying to find a car park just doesn’t work. It’s easy to look outside and think it’s too cold, windy or too hot to walk. But once you get out in it, you realise it’s actually not that bad. Since I’ve committed to walking with my kids in winter, I find that the cold weather blues don’t come to visit, because I get Vitamin D and fresh air every day. Honestly, there are a lot of beautiful days in winter. Every time it rains, I imagine a farmer smiling. Rain is a beautiful and necessary part of life, embrace it and walk in it.
- Work out while they watch TV – Do you use the time while your kids watch TV to get dinner made? How about fitting in a fifteen-minute workout before making dinner? My kids are often asking me to watch TV with them and I’m often in the kitchen prepping food or cleaning up. Now I do a few of my exercises in the lounge while they’re watching so I can hear about what they find funny or scary. Sometimes I’ll only have five minutes to spare so I’ll do some stretches before heading to the kitchen, which leads to…
- Exercising while doing everyday tasks – Push ups against the bench or squats every time you empty the dishwasher, there are so many ways to add exercise into your day. Yes, it might make the task take a little bit longer but how good will it feel when you’ve emptied the dishwasher AND completed 30 squats? A clean kitchen and a firmer booty? We all want that!
- Get the kids involved – find a type of exercise where the kids can join in. At home, my two-year-old gets under my legs every time I practice yoga, but if I take her to a nice big grassy area near our home she loves running around and then coming back to strike a pose with me. All of my kids love rock music, so we turn the stereo up and get dancing. I add in some tai bo moves and after fifteen minutes it’s hard to tell who is sweating more. Do your kids love to ride their bikes? Take them to your local running track, set age appropriate goals for the number of laps and get moving together.
- Get up earlier or do it on your lunch break – does everyone wake up at 7am? Get up at 6.00am and fit in a work out while they sleep. Eat lunch at your desk so you can use your lunch break to squeeze in a gym session. Try to wrangle your shifts so you can fit in a workout before heading home. Even if you have a bad day at work, you can go home feeling good because you’ve spent some time doing something just for you.
- Carve out some me time – Is there a Pilates class on a Sunday morning you’ve been wanting to try? Get your partner, parents or a friend to watch the kids while you get some much-needed mummy time. Yes, Sunday morning’s use to be for lazy sleep in’s but now that the kids wake you up before sunrise there is no point wasting that precious time. Go to the beach for a swim, run a few laps around your local park or join a weekend boot camp.
- Visit an inflatable playland – find the nearest inflatable play centre and buy a pass for you and the kids. My son has never been happier or moved faster than when we first visited one of these. My husband and I took turns keeping up with him. By the end, we were both sweating, puffing and smiling so hard our cheeks hurt. Nothing beats watching your kids race around, laughing the whole way, to inspire you to get moving. Is there an indoor trampoline centre near you? Go and get jumping! Having fun with the kids while you get fit is the best example you can set for your kids to have a healthy lifestyle.
Hi, I’m Kara, your friendly fitness copywriter.
I help health, fitness and wellness professionals make their words sell. From writing epic sales pages to making their content SEO friendly, I’ll get your words working for you. A healthy living nerd, you’ll often find me doing a yoga or weights session finished off by a swim at my local beach on the stunning Mornington Peninsula.
If you like my style and you need blog posts written, let’s chat.
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