Yes, I know. You have a never-ending to-do list and other little humans to take care of. How are you supposed to squeeze in time for your self let alone workout? Sound familiar? Incorporating your kids into your fitness routine may be the answer.
The thing is your kids should be a reason to reach your fitness goals, not an excuse that you don’t have time to workout. Get rid of the excuses and show those little humans what you’re made of. Let’s talk about how you can incorporate your kids into your fitness routine so that you can reach your health and fitness goals!
Walking is a great and easy cardiovascular exercise to do with your kids. If you have a little one grab the stroller or wear them in a baby wrap and get moving. You can also ask the older kids to ride their bikes alongside you so they can exercise too. A great way to make sure you get some exercise each day is to make it part of your family’s routine by walking before or after dinner!
Working out at home is one way to squeeze in a quick and effective workout. You can workout at home using a fitness DVD or by utilizing one of the many amazing workouts on Youtube. Don’t be picky about where and when this happens. If you have 15-30 minutes and the kids are playing in the living room, grab your computer and go for it! If they choose to join in have fun with it and allow them to workout with you. If this becomes a regular occurrence buy some fitness equipment just for them. By doing this you’re inviting them to join you during your next workout session. If you’re short on weights use your little ones. Not only will it benefit you, but they’ll think it’s fun too!
Finding balance in life is hard. Especially when you’re the mom who’s holding it all together for everyone else. If you are a member of a gym that offers childcare take advantage of it! Typically this added benefit comes at a low cost and could be the difference between you making or breaking your fitness goals. By doing this you’re simply incorporating your kids into your fitness routine by allowing them time to play with others and get out of the house- we all benefit from this.
Next time you get to the park lace up your tennis shoes and get moving. A play structure is like one huge piece of fitness equipment. You can run up and down the stairs, use the bars for body weight exercises, jump on and off the bottom steps, or simply walk in circles around the play area while you keep an eye on the kids. Other moms may give you an odd look while you’re doing these things. This is an opportunity to make some new friends! Invite them to join in and you just found a workout buddy and a new mom friend- because we all know how hard it is to make mom friends.
To sum things up here’s how you can incorporate your kids into your fitness routine:
- Go for a walk and make this part of your family’s routine each day before or after dinner
- Workout at home
- Buy your kids their own workout equipment to encourage them to join you during your at home workouts
- Use your little ones as weight and get lifting
- Take advantage of your gym’s childcare
- Workout at the park while the kids play
Incorporating your kids into your fitness routine may not always go perfectly and that’s ok. Give yourself grace and get moving. You have 24 hours in a day. Let’s do this!
