Too busy to exercise? Mums tell me all the time that life is just crazy and they don’t know how to get more time in their week to exercise. I get it, my life is madness too – 2 kids, running a business, play groups, kids activities, studying, family, its nearly Christmas & then the ‘mum guilt’ sets in!
All of a sudden everything goes out the window because your baby is teething.
I really make fitness a priority in my life. I grew up being a sporty active person, so for me, fitness is a non negotiable factor in my week… BECAUSE I know how much better I feel, I feel more energised, I know it makes me a better Mum, It always puts in me a better head space or mood, I feel strong mentally & physically & its caring for myself.
This can be a real struggle for people who don’t find fitness easy or fun! It’s not your ‘normal’ right!?
How I exercise is definitely a different approach now that I have a baby and toddler at home. So here are 5 ways that you can also make fitness a priority in your life.. and maybe just something you normally do everything.
We (hubby & I) always sit down on a Sunday and write down everything we have to do that week. Include appointments, exercises, a bit of meal planning or what ever other commitments we have on. Then everyone in the family knows who needs to be where & when and how we can help each other out.
Each day, or the night before I write down a list of things I MUST get done that day and allocate a time space for them. Sure its flexible with the children BUT if I don’t, procrastination will set in and I get side tracked with facebook! Then if I have spare time I can work on some other things I would like to do IF I have time.
The best part about this step is that most of the overwhelm is in my head is simple my scrambled baby brain going, “I have soo much to do and have no idea where to start!!” Then I write it down and realise that it isn’t actually as much as I was flapping about. Often some things I can’t even do today anyway (for whatever reason) so I don’t have to worry about them until tomorrow. Overwhelm can totally slow you down, so write down all your thoughts.
I was talking with my sister about this last week. She has her own business at home and very similar aged children. None of our children are computer friendly, so whenever the kids are sleeping, that is when we are smashing it out & get stuff done. Even if you are not working at home, you may need to sleep when your baby is sleeping (especially if you had an all nighter), do some online shopping or you might need to do some not so child friendly chores like mop the floor when your baby sleeps.
So, many time during the week I will work out when the kids are awake & ready to play. I call it ‘Active Playtime’. I am going to play with my kids anyway, right!
My boy loves dinosaurs. So we stomp around the house like dinosaurs.. but actually I’m just lunging while going ‘ROOOAARRR!’ We also love to set up obstacle courses to crawl over and under.
Really get involved with your children, be physical and do it WITH them.
If your baby is having tummy time on the ground, you can also be singing and playing peek a boo while you work on your core.
I have a bunch of awesome home based ideas, so make sure you click here to get my New Guide
Mum & Baby fitness classes also tick so boxes for Multitasking. Obviously Kangatraining is my first Mum & Baby fitness love Because, Yes I am getting out of the house, Yes I am improving my health, Yes my baby is happy and usually sleeps during class, Yes I meet other awesome Mums with similar aged babies and built some beautiful friendships. So if you need to make time in your week for a mothers groups, exercise & bonding with your baby, you have a triple whammy right here!
Register here for the up coming casual classes before the Christmas Break.
What do you think about a movement playdate? I love catching up with my friends during the week and it’s a great chance for my children to play with their friends. But this doesn’t always have to involve a coffee shop, or just sitting down to chin way, or just watching your kids on the playgroud.
Get moving with your fellow Mummies. Plan a walk together – get out the prams & baby carriers, meet at a playground and run your own little circuit on the jungle gym. Maybe you could all meet up for a swim at the pool.. again remember to get physical while you are going it. Don’t just float around, but do some aquarobics moves, chase your kids, dive & splash.. Its simple & fun to actually get your heart rate racing… You just have to look a little silly some times.. which your kids will LOVE!
Multitask, Multitask, Multitask! Always a fan if I can kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
I thought I was pretty good at multitasking until a recent skype call to my Mum. She told me I was a terrible multitasker.. Admittedly we were chatting and I was trying to check something on the computer and must have completely zoned out. I blame a sleepless night for that one.
Try these at home.:
Watching TV – get on the floor do some stretching, core & pelvic floor exercises
Doing the dishes – add a set of repeaters
Hang out the washing – do full squats between each garment you hang out
At the computer – bounce on a fit ball & do pelvic rotations
Brush your teeth – do some knee lefts.
Get the idea! It doesn’t matter what it is, but all these small increments of exercise will accumulate over the day. So if you don’t get an opportunity for a solid 30-60min dedicated workout, you have still done almost an hours worth of exercises across your whole day. And most of all, you were having fun with your child.
My final words of advice are:
If you hate running, don’t run. I am not into self torture. And don’t be afraid to try something new things may have changed since you last did an aerobics class (10 years ago!), and you may just really connect with that awesome new instructor. Take a friend with you and have fun laughing at yourself.
Till next week. Keep movin’
Philippa Bowman
Expert Pre/Postnatal Fitness Coach & Founder of Nurtured Fitness
