Fitness Tips for Busy Parents

It can be hectic being a parent. Most of the time you are preoccupied with your kids, and there is very little time to spend on yourself. It can be exhausting to say the least. If you do get in any free time, all you usually want to do is take a nap or get in some rest. You definitely do not want to waste your little bit of free time on a workout. However, if you want to live a happy and healthy life, you may want to reconsider your options. There are many benefits to regular exercise, and you do not want to be a parent that is just too busy or tired to take advantage of these benefits. You need to treat your fitness routine as a top priority and find the time necessary to squeeze in some form of physical activity each day. Here are just a few tips that may help you along the way.

 

Workout first thing in the morning

If you are having a hard time finding the time for your fitness routine, it may be easier if you exercise first thing in the morning. You can get in a quick thirty minute fitness routine while the kids are still sleeping. It could also be extra helpful if you could talk your partner into feeding the baby or getting the kids ready for school for you. However, I know this may be difficult for a lot of us, so it may be easier to plan your workout early while everyone, including your partner, is still asleep. If you are able to squeeze in a workout first thing in the morning, you will most likely feel less stressed and more prepared to take on the day.

 

Go outside and move

It is easy to sit in front of the television for hours with your kids; however, just because it is easier does not mean you have to do it. You can always take your kids outside. You can go to a park and push your child in a stroller. There are many parents that meet in parks and walk the trails with their strollers. There are even exercise classes designed for parents who have kids in strollers. If you have older kids you can play games with them, like tag, dodgeball or kickball. If they are into a certain sport, such as soccer, basketball or football, you can help them get in some extra practice. This can give you some extra quality time with your kids and help you and your kids get in the required amount of time for physical activity.

 

Be prepared for your workout times

If there are certain times of the day when you know you can squeeze in a workout, you need to be ready for them. If you know that the baby usually takes a nap at ten or your kids will be at school until three, then you should have your workout area set up and ready to go ahead of time, so when the time comes you can go ahead and workout. This ensures that you do not waste any unnecessary time having to get things ready for your workout. You should already have your workout clothes on, your yoga mat and weights already out and your dvd ready to play. These few extra steps taken ahead of time can really help your fitness routine flow more smoothly.

 

Be okay with shorter workouts

It can be unrealistic to think that as a parent you can fit in an hour long workout. This may seem to be impossible and unreachable for most of us. So, we need to remind ourselves that something is always better than nothing. We may not be able to finish our fitness dvd or thirty minute jog, but if we can squeeze in ten or fifteen minutes here or there, we are still helping our bodies stay healthy. There are many high intensity exercises that you can do in ten to twenty minutes a day and still see the results that you want. You just have to make your shorter workouts count. You should never be disappointed if you only get in a few minutes of exercise. Instead you should feel proud that you are so dedicated to your fitness routine that during the busiest of days you still found the time to get in some type of exercise.

 

    It can be stressful being a full time parent. It may seem as if every day you are just trying to keep your head above water. However, you need to take care of yourself. You want to stay healthy for yourself and your family. The only way to do this is to find the time to fit in some sort of fitness routine. It may seem impossible to find the time, but if you treat fitness and your health as a top priority, you just may find a couple of minutes of free time in your schedule to set aside as your designated workout time. You should never accept any excuses to get out of your fitness routine, and you need to always stay motivated to achieving your fitness goals. In the end you and your family will be proud of all of your hard work.

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