I’ve always enjoyed being active, and thus struggled to understand how people could have such a hard time with it. In my fitness career, the vast majority of my clients have been moms. These women constantly blamed their lack of exercise and bad eating habits on motherhood, stating that they just couldn’t make their own health a priority anymore. I preached to them the best way I knew how, but I was ignorant to the challenges a mom faces each day when it comes to health & fitness! Well… with a 23-month-old and a 9-month-old in my life, I am now able to relate to my clients’ struggles! If they could only see me now, ha! They’d probably laugh @ me, say I told you so, and ask why they haven’t seen me at the gym since December 😉
I have adapted my
fitness philosophy drastically since my early training days. I have a passion for making a healthy and FIT lifestyle accessible to busy moms. For all you mamas who have given up on incorporating exercise into your day, I offer you a more laid back approach to keeping your body in shape. We all know the effort it takes to drag your whole crew to the gym, so a lot of us choose to just skip out. However, our health is even more important than it was before that sweet little munchkin came along! How do we solve this major dilemma? Here are some ways to fit exercise into your every day without blocking out time for an “official workout”. Some may be a little unconventional, but what’s wrong with that? Motherhood kind of makes LIFE unconventional 🙂
- DANCE PARTY! I’m serious. Don’t hold back. Go crazy! What munchkin doesn’t LOVE a good dance party?
- PARK IT & WALK IT! Park in the FIRST empty parking space you see. Sound small? It adds up. Make it your new norm.
- GIRLS DAY OUT!! Meet up with some girlfriends. Bust out your strollers. Get your walk on! Did you know that power-walking 1 mile burns approximately 100 calories AND is a great tush-toning exercise? What better way to have some uninterrupted girl-talk w/your faves??
- PUSH/SIT-UPS! Anytime you’re down on the floor with your babes (or picking up their toys) do 10 push-ups or 10 sit-ups. Some days you might total 10. Some days you might total 70. Every little bit helps!
- PLAY! Take the kiddos on a wagon ride to the playground, and climb WITH them!
- SWING SQUAT! Push them on the swing and do a squat between each push.
- SIGN UP! Sometimes all you need is some motivation. Sign up for a 5k with some friends and train together (w/your strollers of course!)
Fit these lifestyle tips into your days and make them habit. You’ll be amazed at the results!
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Roxanne is
a personal trainer and wellness coach. She & her hubby live in McKinney with their 2 little girls and dog. She loves people, the outdoors, cupcakes, and Jesus. She writes a personal blog and a wellness blog with great health & fitness tips…check her out!
I’m totally meeting a girlfriend today to go walking/chatting! I’m excited for the little work out it should be. You know if we find some swings we will be getting our Swing Squats on!
My friend and I just committed to meeting once a week with our girls and walking/jogging to the park so the girls can play and then walking/jogging home! Fun for us, FUN for the babygirls, and FUN when our jeans fit a little better in a few weeks 🙂
Great post Rox! I love how you give everyone the confidence to just get out there and get active with simple things, like a push up while picking up toys! Ha, I can totally see you doing that. And obviously, it works because you look fab. Very helpful tips for Moms with busy schedules… but also for non-mommas like me! We all get caught up in feeling we have to do the “typical” workout and be at the gym/yoga studio 🙂 5x per week for 1.5 hours at a time to actually be “fit”. I love your approach to being “fit” as it’s smart, fits with our schedules and allows us to spend QT with family while getting “fit’ :).
As a fellow colleague in the fitness industry, I too have to say that its hard to “practice what you preach” when you finally have munchkins of your own.. At 28 and 3 kids 6 and under I have had a hard time getting ME back.. Thanks for the fun read!! Nice to know there are other SAHM’s out there just like me!