Exercise for the BUSY MOM!
As promised, here I am, back & blogging again! Technical difficulties and just being a Busy Mom kept me off the blog for a bit, but today’s post seemed like a perfect topic to get me back. Exercise!! The wonderful benefits of Exercise make it oh-so-important for everyone alike. As much as I am all about eating well to feel well, I can’t ignore the absolute FACT that exercise is every bit as crucial and goes hand in hand with a clean diet. I listed a few of the major benefits of regular exercise on my Instagram post earlier, but to recap quick the 4 largest benefits are:
-assists with weight loss/control
-boosts your mood/mental health/stress reduction
-good for your health
-Helps you sleep better *assuming you don’t workout too close to bedtime
That being said, how does a Busy ,Full time ,Stay at Home, Homeschooling, Special needs Mom fit in regular exercise? Regardless of your situation and/or schedule here are just a few of many ideas to help you get in regular exercise wherever or whenever you can! Find what works best for your circumstances and then stick with it. They say it takes just 21days for something to become a habit... that’s just 3 weeks.... try committing to 3 weeks of whatever combo of these suggestions .
Here they are:
1: Join a GYM. Yes, that’s sort of a no-brainer obvious option. However, I know it can seem overwhelming or costly or not possible with kids. However, most gyms these days are fairly affordable and have a lot to offer. Not clue what to do when you go? Or have trouble pushing yourself enough to see results? Find a Gym with good group classes that offer a total body workout.
You won’t be left on your own and you’ll leave having gotten a full body workout without having to think about it.
Kids? Many gyms offer Kids Care and even run the kids center much like a Gym Class in school with activities and games that keep your kids active while you get time to workout. In my personal situation/circumstances this has proven to be the best and most beneficial option, well worth the extra expense.
2:No interest or time for the gym: Download a free Daily workout App (there are several right in the App Store) onto your phone. Find one that lets you choose the time and type of workout. There are some that can do as little as 5minutes at a time and choose from: Cardio, Full Body, Abs, etc... Wake up & start your day with 10 or so min , and fit another 10-20min into your afternoon. Have kids? Include them! Make it a game. Try 5 minute bursts in between errands or cooking & have them follow along as best they can.
3:Obstacle Course fun! This is a fav of my kiddos. On days where the weather is nice & outdoor time I s a must we make it into a “workout” that feels like playtime & gets me exercising too. We take turns setting up an obstacle course for each one of us to follow and take turns timing how fast each of us can complete it. An example of one would be: ‘Hop to the far Tree, circle it,drop and do 5burpees, run to the baseball tee and hit the ball off, skip to the ball, 10jump squats, gallop around the house and do 30 jumping jacks....’ We change it up every time and go till we’ve tired ourselves out or we’ve each completed at least 3 different course. I usually get double the workout because when it’s my oldests turn, she needs me to run the course with her and assist her through each move/activity due to her special needs.
4:JUST DANCE! Have you heard of it!? Just Dance is a Dance game created for gaming systems, BUT you can find the videos from it all over YouTube and follow along just the same, minus the controller that tracks your moves. My son is obsessed and he&I have many dance battles! Never underestimate the cardio and muscle workout involved
in full on dance battles. Don’t have Access to YouTube? No problem, crank up the radio and
dance
like no one is watching! 😆😆 Toss
some squat jumps and push ups into your routine.
5: PINTEREST!! Ya, that’s right.... it’s not just for decorating and crafts ideas. Search “circuit workouts, Cross fit routines or HITT workouts.... or anything similar and you will find endless routines you can do with no equipment right at home or even outdoors in your yard. You can set aside enough time to do a full routine a few times over for half an hr or so, OR if that doesn’t work, break it up and do it in 2,3or4 shorter circuits throughout the day. Here’s a couple examples of what you can find:
6:Use every small spare minute. How often throughout the day are we just standing or sitting waiting on something.... standing at the stove as something cooks, waiting at the coffee maker for the coffee to finish brewing, waiting for your kid to come out of the bathroom 😆etc.... use the time to do a super quick set of squats, leg raises, lunges, or just jog in place or do jumping jacks! Broken up throughout the day feels like nothing but it all adds up! How about carrying laundry or other things up or down stairs? What if you purposely carried it in smaller loads so that it takes a couple more trips up and down those stairs? Or what if every time you get to the top and/or bottom of stairs you choose a move to do a quick super set of? If you’re sitting at work or home, how about some reverse crunches at the end of your seat or a “wall squat” hold above your chair.... any small thing you can fit into small moments throughout the day.
7:YOU TUBE! I already mentioned Just Dance videos that are fun to do with the kids, but did you know you can also find full workout videos and channels to subscribe to? Try searching LesMils , Grit, Beachbody and then see all the similar options that pop up and try them out to find your favs! Some are free and some are a very low monthly cost (cheaper than a gym memebership) and have the same exact group classes on that you would find at the gym! It’s perfect for someone who prefers to be at home on their own, kids can be home with you and you can do it at anytime that works for you that day. Most require no equipment and others need just small easy to purchase hand weights and mat. (TIP: if you happen to have the store ‘Five Below’ near you, they have a great section of at home exercise equipment, yoga mats AND clothing!!
8:Join your kids! This ones a no-brainer for most. Find activities your kids enjoy and instead of watching, do it with them! Kids are rarely sedentary for any length of time, they’re constantly “exercising” without realizing they are. They’re playing! So join in! Go for a bike ride on your own bike with them. Go for a Jog through your neighborhood with them. For me, this can be difficult as my oldest due to her complex needs isn’t able to ride a bike or jog, but for most it’s a perfect option! I can push her in her wheelchair if we want to go for a long walk and that is definitely a workout for me!😆 Or, I look for “neutral ground” spaces, such as our nearby jogging track that has a large open field in the middle. I can use it to suit all of our needs. My younger two can bring bikes and ride around, my oldest likes to just be outdoors and roam nearby. I alternate between doing a circuit workout in the grass with them and hen running a lap around them where I can still easily see them. They even join in with me.
9: Recruit a workout buddy! If you have trouble motivating yourself on your own, find a friend that wants to get more active as well and join the gym together, or choose a location/home with good space and you tube channel or Pinterest on the phone and then make definite plans each week for times. It makes you less likely to skip/cancel and holds you more accountable when you’re also helping your friend and vice versa.
10: If meeting up with a friend isn’t an option due to conflicting schedules or circumstances or
distance, no worries, set up a challenge for you both to follow and stay in daily contact to be sure you’re each sticking with it and cheering eachother on. It could be as simple as looking up a 30day ab challenge and then confirming each day to eachother that it was completed.... Or try a jogging routine or text a new Pinterest circuit workout to eachother each week and decide you will each do it at least 3days a week. Hold eachother and yourselves accountable! It helps!
Well, that’s 10 of my simple little suggestions to get you loving and fitting in regular exercise to keep you feeling good! Any of the above or all of them or any combo of hem is going to help! It’s all a matter of finding what works for you. For me it was splurging on the gym membership with kids care mixed with staying active by joining my kids in dancing and play and a few squats thrown in while
I’m busy baking in the kitchen!😆😆 I am the “Uniquely” Busy Mom afterall! 😜
