Staying physically fit is very important to me but finding time to work out, the way I would like to, with four children is challenging. With many children returning to back-to-school it can still be difficult to find time for exercising. Parents perform many other responsibilities during the school day and finding time to exercise is limited sometimes. With young children at home, I’ve had to realize that some days my children will not give me 45 minutes to myself so I have to find ways to include workouts in my daily routines. One thing I am constantly reminding myself is that a brief workout is better than NO workout at all.
This is my favorite quote that motivates me to get a workout in at least four times a week.
Lee Haney (source: Brainyquote): Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn’t formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.
You can do a lot of these workouts in between transitioning from one household task to another. For example, while waiting for your shower water to heat up you can do a quick exercise or even when you brush your teeth. Going up and down the stairs and carrying laundry baskets full of clothes can be your weight lifting for the day. There are many activities we do throughout the day that can provide you time to exercise and it sets a great example to your children that physical fitness is important.
The following are some exercises that do not require weights and are effective:
Push ups
If you can do pushups great, if you need more support you can do pushups against a countertop or wall. Start off with two sets of 15 and as you get stronger you can do more sets.
Squats/Lunges
You can do squats and/or lunges while brushing your teeth and even while rinsing your mouth out with mouthwash.
Superset Four: (*)
Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you, knees bent, and heels lifted a few inches into the air; lean back at a 45-degree angle and extend your arms straight in front of your chest, palms together. Slowly rotate your torso to the right, pause, then rotate to the left. Continue alternating.
Get into a modified pushup position with your weight resting on your forearms and toes, elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Your body should form a straight line from your neck to your ankles. From that position, brace your core and lift one foot off the floor. You can hold that position for the entire set—60 to 90 seconds—and then do the second set with the other leg raised, or switch legs halfway through each set.
*-These exercises are usually easier when the kids are sleeping or otherwise preoccupied. (picture sources: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/)
Also there is jumping jacks, crunches and even walks or jogs outside with the kids. There are so many ways you can add exercise to your daily routine. My favorite websites for exercise ideas are www.womenshealthmag.com and http://www.shape.com/.
Gabie Ocasio, Motivational Mami Contributor and Northeast Family & Travel Contributing Columnist
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I forgot how simple and effective exercise at home can be. Great post!
Great post! I needed this reminder 🙂
Back to school for me also means Back-to-exercise! I live in a small enough town that I don’t need to drive everywhere. When the kiddies are in school, I walk to take them to school and to pick them up. With 4 kiddies in 2 different schools, I get lots of exercise. 😛
I am in the same boat! Portion control is also on my list.
really good! I came back to the gym like 4 months ago, I am doing yoga, pilates and body work+plus, going back was the hardest part, but after 4 months I feel so happy and proud of myself. Working out is a very very good choice!
Lately I’ve been doing at home workout videos and letting my girls (2 & 4) do them with me. They have such a blast. Usually one of them plays the instructor and they each get old paper towel rolls as dumbells. It’s pretty funny actually but they totally get the concept of exercising to stay healthy and strong =)
lunges and planks are my fave at home, though I’m not a mami…. they make perfect sense for me and when I do them consistently, I see huge differences! love the image!
Great ideas! My ‘link love’ post was about the same topic (sort of!)