Okay ladies, let's be honest -
working out when you have a little baby or toddler can be very hard.
Just the thought of working out should be considered a workout in
itself, right? I get it. After having my son and gaining the unwanted
baby weight, I struggled with getting past this "workout thought" stage
to actually working up a sweat. It's hard!
As moms, we easily put our children's needs ahead of our own.
Daily. Hourly. Feels like every minute! But I've come to find that
your kids (babies or toddlers) LOVE watching you get up and move! It
makes them giggle because they think we are playing. Hah! Little do
they know how much harder these exercises are for an adult, but that's
exactly why we do them.
For a while I was training a lady who runs an in-home daycare
in her basement, which is also where we would do our workouts (after the
kids went home, of course). After I had trained her a few times, she
felt confident to start doing some of these same exercises during the
day when she had the kids. I'll never forget the smile that she had
while telling me about how her kids got down on all fours to "bear
crawl" with her. We forget as adults that kids LOVE to move. They are
born to move and it's FUN to see the adults in their lives MOVE with
them.
If you don't believe me, try for yourself! When my son around
4 months, I really tried to incorporate fitness back into my daily
routine. I remember putting him in the swing and exercising right in
front of him. Now when they are that little, they may not become too
amused, but you are still setting a great example for them.
Sometimes it's hard to squeeze in a workout while the kiddos
are awake and that's completely understandable. Children hold about a
zero second attention span - so it may not be possible to entertain them
with your exercises and sweat.
One way to become more likely to workout is to PLAN your
workouts. You can do this before your week begins OR every evening for
the following day. Planning your workouts, just like planning your
meals for the week, gives you a HUGE head start on the week and you are
more likely to succeed. If you are an early bird, set aside an extra 30
minutes to "wake" your body up by sweating. Otherwise, plan them for
nap times or when the kids go to bed. I find that many of my workouts
happen before my son wakes up in the morning and it gives me a HUGE
energy boost for my entire day!
Also, make sure to have a fitness goal in mind. Do you want
to run a race? Be able to do 30 burpees all at once? Carry your child
up the stairs without passing out? One small step at a time will lead
to lasting results because they will stick!
Lastly, have
someone that will hold you accountable. Maybe they can be your workout
partner and you two set aside time to workout together. Maybe you
follow the same program and hold each other accountable every day that
you are supposed to exercise. Either way, having someone there to
support you AND push you is hugely beneficial!
So, here's my challenge for you - set aside 20-30 minutes 3 days a week to complete this total body circuit!
Pendulum Lunges 10x each leg
Stationary Inchworm with Pushup 10x
Squat Jumps 10x
Bear Crawls - Do 2x the length of your living room or workout space
Once you complete those 4 exercises, rest for 1 minute then start over. Try to complete between 3-6 rounds each time you workout.
Whew! Now, it's time to get yourself some nourishing food and water!
Ashton Bond, Personal Trainer
WholeFit Personal Training
NASM Certified, CPT
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