How Moms Can Find Time To Workout
If you’re like most moms, your life is probably more like that of a shuttle driver than a parent. Children require being shuttled back and forth to school for extracurricular activities, recitals, and doctor appointments on a regular basis. This is all in addition to your regular chores of cooking, cleaning, shopping, and everything else in your life that you have to do. It’s hard to imagine how any mom will ever have the time to get in a useful and productive workout in the course of her busy life.
“A growing number of mothers who carve out time to maintain a high level of fitness. They are a far cry from the stereotype of the full-time homemaker as stressed out and starved for time to herself, seeking respite in a hot bath, the television or chocolate.” – Wall Street Journal
If you’re one of those busy moms looking for a way to squeeze in a little you time in between the everybody else time here are a few suggestions others have tried.
At Your Child’s Programs
This doesn’t mean you have to drop down and do twenty pushups every time you drop your children off at a dance recital, but you can make good use of the time you spend waiting for your children to finish whatever it is that they are doing. Try walking around the facility while you’re waiting or even look for opportunities to join in with your children if they’re engaging in physical activity themselves. For those times when you cannot even follow a workout designed for women you might consider using your wait time if your daughter is involved in a dance class, for example, to try using the time to shoot some hoops or doing some aerobics while you wait.
Doing Your Chores
Let’s face it: chores can be hard work so consider visiting a large store that will require you to do a lot of walking while you shop. Try dancing while you cook and clean and avoid using those labor saving devices when you’re working. Take the time to clean up your yard and instead of using a power mower use that old-fashioned push mower your grandfather used to have. The secret is to keep your body moving no matter what.
Be a Good Example for Your Kids
Kids will usually live what they learn. If you don’t want your children to be couch potatoes then don’t set the example. Learn how to toss the keys on the counter and take a walk to the corner store instead. Take your kids for a walk to the local library or park and play whenever you can with your children.
The fact is that everyone must be realistic about their available amount of time. Not every mom will be able to go to the gym to lift weights each week. For most of us this means that you may have to multitask just like you do everything else in your life.
“Unless you win the lottery or are the only living relative of a very wealthy great uncle, the chances of a large amount of work-free time coming your way are slim, much slimmer than your current waistline, probably,so it’s best to look at realistic ways of squeezing exercise into your life.”- How Stuff Works
Trying just a few little changes can help you to find fitness even when you’re on the go.