Staying fit while parenting, especially while raising babies or small kids, can be challenging. It’s the long, busy days of balancing working hours, family needs and unplanned events you constantly need to manage can be more than a challenge for the goal of being fit or for your Outdoors and Fitness lifestyle you probably wish to have.
In fact, having kids can be your #1 motivation being fit, for doing what you love or need to do for your mind and body’s health.
Moreover, apart from what your mind and body need, it’s also how you raise your kids, and what you consider important for them to have while growing up.
You want both of you to have fun together, to set an example, to be motivated by each other, to spend quality time.
Yes, it is good if at some level you are able to track your calories intake, BMI or BMR, to be aware of the macronutrients and micronutrients and the level of energy you actually use but the first thing is to bring back the right mindset to be an active person while parenting.
It’s about making it pleasant, fun, and something that will grow in time to allow both ourselves and the kids to enjoy being active indoors and outdoors.
Time for training is tight and we might need to balance and mix activities and behaviors with the kids. To allow decent time as exercising while giving the kids the example for being active during shared quality time.
As this balance is complicated, and kids usually have a different set of goals and motivations, or they are still babies and too young here is what we can do:
So, it is all in your head, and some effort is better than no effort at all to keep fit. Five minutes chasing your kids are worth much more than 5 minutes staring at your screen (which is also important! don’t get me wrong… it’s a matter of balance and the importance we attribute to different things).
Stand when you can.
Go outside, no matter the reason. Yes, ice-cream is also a reason! just know how to balance it with the walking outside for example.
When picking a vacation spot, choose one with a pool. It will add some activity in water. If you can find a place that offers hiking, even urban, you are doing great.
How about camping? That’s a great choice for being active. Have a place that offers the space for playing with kids, a river for swimming, trails for hiking, or other possibilities nature and the outdoors have to offer.
Does your kid go to a capoeira class? Play with him or her at home, or join the class yourself! Does your other kid go to a ballet class? Do stretches and flexibility exercises at home together.
Do you have a yard? It provides many maintenance activities that you can get the kids involved in and work on things, together or separately.
Dogs provide a great excuse for taking long walks, in the morning, in the evening, or at any other time.
Going with kids to the nearest playground can be a great fun time combined with some unofficial workouts to keep you fit.
Even by walking to the playground you’re doing more than just staying at home, so don’t underestimate it, and remember it’s a matter of mindset.
Kids like to chase and to be chased. That’s a great opportunity for interval running, which also allows for quality time with the kids.
Kids like to be thrown in the air (remember to catch them, right? J )
Ball games are great for your cardio, even with smaller kids. It all depends on how much you would like to invest in it.
The playground provides many more opportunities to be active of course…. Go to your local park and see what else you can do there with your kids, or without them.
At home, the kids can be your weights. Do you have several kids? That can be great for changing your weights.
From hand exercises to push-ups and crunches. Kids will enjoy being thrown in the air or “air-delivered” from one parent to the other. You can also do static efforts while the kids circle around you. You will see how much they enjoy and how much that can be a challenging workout for you.
For the kids, learning to jump rope can be a very enjoyable activity.
Sometimes the kids might not be ready for rope jumping but can do great using “skip-it” or other alternatives that will make them move, with you, together.
Don’t like the idea of spending time or money on a gym membership? That’s fine.
Home exercises can offer enough options for a great workout. It’s true that if you don’t have heavyweights for squats or bench workouts, you will not necessarily gain the highest muscle volume if that’s your goal. But that is only a small part of being fit, and surely not the most important one. In addition to having your kids exercise with you, you can easily set up a home gym with simple affordable accessories that will provide you with additional workout options and routines.
A Yoga Exercise ball, balance ball, resistance bands, pull-up bar, abdominal wheel and, of course, jump rope! These affordable accessories are great exercise tools. Jump rope and resistance bands can be easily carried outdoors, to the nearest park, on your vacation or business travel; they can be used in a routine by yourself or with the rest of family and can add a lot of fun time and cardio and muscle workouts.
Think you don’t even have time for this? You could do Tabatha workouts, which are short, high-intensity interval training sessions.
Find an activity that gives you the pleasure you are looking for in an exercise.
Here are some examples of short and effective workouts, home edition:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_TmMwqtWYU
The exercise ball is a great example of an accessory for many easy to challenging exercises.
If you are an outdoors guy and family try spending more weekend in the wilds. These can be great hikes that apart of the great achievement of being outdoors with the kids, you will earn the opportunities to hike, to carry a day pack or even a baby in a back carrier. You might be surprised by the so many physical and mental benefits of being outdoors.
Here are The useful tips for hiking with kids
You are also might be surprised
We mentioned many options for being active and to stay fit, even without a gym or an instructor-led class.
Still, going together with a friend to the gym or class can be an obligation you will try harder to keep.
Remember, even once a week is better than none. Even a 20-minute intense workout can be rewarding.
Test yourself, see if you can adapt to morning workouts before you head to work and start your day with a smile and a sense of accomplishment.
Can’t make it? evening times can be more challenging when having kids or babies, but you might be surprised how many gyms in your area offer babysitting services or kid-friendly environments.
Did you check if there’s a gym at the same place your kid goes to some afternoon class, or nearby? You could use the time they’re in class to get some exercise yourself.
Just as there are challenges, there are also many solutions or good compromises we can make to benefit in all aspects.
And if we couldn’t fit it in last week, we can build the right mindset, and manage better next week.
Make it enjoyable, build your mindset and have quality, healthy time alone and together with your family.
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