You’re up early packing lunches, feeding the dog, getting the kids to school, working all day, doing afternoon drop offs, pick ups, dinner, coordinating bedtime, laundry, prepping for tomorrow… PHEW. Who has time to exercise when your day is so hectic already?
Being a busy parent can take a toll on your waist line, but making time for exercise not only benefits the number on the scale, but also your energy levels, giving you more “Mom Power” to get all of your daily duties done. You don’t have to spend hours at the gym either. Here are some tips for squeezing exercise in to help you reach your health goals.
1. Put it on the calendar.
You always stick to your doctor’s appointments, meetings, and your daughter’s field hockey games don’t you? They’re on your calendar, so you commit. Try adding your workouts to your calendar in the same way.
2. Make it a family workout.
Sure, you can’t leave the kids behind while you head to the gym, but you can make the workout a family event. Bring them on a bike ride while you jog behind, go for a walk, or kick a soccer ball around.
3. Walk and talk.
As you talk on the phone, keep moving. Pace around your yard, do some toe raises, leg lifts, squats—anything to get your muscles going.
4. Step to it.
If you don’t have a pedometer, invest in one to keep you motivated. Try to improve your step distance every day for a little challenge.
5. Stop being so efficient.
You’ve probably mastered the art of efficiency, but being less efficient may be better for your health. Bring your groceries into the house one bag at a time to make multiple trips; park far away from your destination; walk AND take the long way; use the stairs. Those extra calories burned add up.
6. But you can still multi-task.
Does your family wind down with a little TV or movie? Do some light yoga, stretching, or pilates while you tune in.
7. Break it up.
Maybe you don’t have a full 30 or 40 consecutive minutes. Try mini-workouts. Take a 15 minute jog in the morning, and then fill that extra 15 minutes in the evening with some strength training moves.
Need more motivation? Join an online weight loss challenge group full of other busy parents like you for that extra push.
Guest Blogger Caitlin Heikkila is the Community Manager at Everyday Health.
