If you’re at home with the kids during the days, you needn’t forego your exercise routine.
Caring for your children can make for a pretty active routine during the week. It’s important to take the time to care for yourself, too, and that includes fitting in your exercise regimen. How to do it, though, and still mind the wee ones? We’ve got some creative tips below.
Include the kids in your workouts.
This works especially well if you have unlimited access to the great outdoors. Older children can join in with walking, skating and biking. Hiking through a park is fun and educational, too (take time to point out different kinds of wildlife and plants!). If you have enough room in your backyard, why not carve out a space for activity, such as a badminton net, trampoline or place to skip rope?
Buy a bike stroller.
If you have smaller kids, you’ll both enjoy getting fresh air and a workout at the same time. The strollers have enough room for your child to bring along his or her favourite companion toy for the ride, too.
Try carrying baby in a strap on carrier.
You’ll find loads of different strap-on styles on the market, which include front facing slings and backpacks. With baby’s weight being carried on you, you’ll be able to get a huge calorie burn since you’ll be working a little harder than walking alone. An added bonus: you and your child will enjoy the closeness.
Try mum-child yoga classes.
It’s one of the newest trends in exercise – teaming you and your child together for a relaxing yoga session. This teaches your child the enjoyment of gentle, non-impact exercise at an early age, plus yoga helps you keep limber and stress free.
Invest in the ‘good old’ exercise video.
You can find on the market DVDs loaded with Pilates, aerobics, dance and kickbox routines that you can do in the comfort of your living room. Many informative videos can also be found for free on YouTube. Make sure you clear plenty of space in your room to manage these routines and see your little ones’ faces light up as they watch Mum get her groove on!
Encourage your kids to keep fit too.
On your journey to better health and fitness, bring the kids along as well. You’ll be teaching them how good it feels to be healthy through physical activity and encouraging them to set healthy habits early in their lives. Leave the car behind and take them on walks or ride your bikes to the shops; and take the stairs instead of the elevators. Be the physical fitness role model in your children’s lives.
Make exercise a priority.
If you need to get that run in before the kids wake up, set your alarm and get your workout in to start off your day. Once you’ve got that done, the rest of the day can be spent with the kids and other activities.
Get a membership at a fitness centre with childcare.
Warwick Women’s Workout, located in Perth, have a supervised crèche for those women with younger children. You can work out without worry and your kids will be in capable hands! WWW gym members who need to work out but also have young children can drop the kids off at The Ark, which is a supervised crèche within the building.
We recently extended morning operating hours by one hour each day to provide greater flexibility for members.
And, if you’ve no time to work out. . .
Keep in mind lifting loads of laundry, sweeping and mopping, and reaching high to dust shelves does count as physical activity! Even if you have stairs in your home, you’ll get a bit of a workout going up and down each day.
At Warwick Women’s Workout, our professional staff are glad to assist when it comes to getting fit and keeping healthy. Contact gym manager Michelle Monks and start today on your journey to a new fitness program.
