Kiddipedia
For lots of mothers, it is hard to get a chunk of the day that you can have the luxury to call all yours. It takes a lot of commitment, especially after a poor night’s sleep to get up early and exercise before your partner leaves for work. And often the evening exercise motivations has left you because the day has just worn you out!
Even though I am a Personal Trainer, just like you, I am often time poor to fit some “me” time into my schedule. And just like you it is a challenge to find time to exercise. However, I like to take a multi-tasking approach to my exercise and this is how I do it.
Earlier this year, I started to wear a FitBit to monitor all the exercise that I did through the day. I could download the results daily and analyse when my heart rate spiked. Here are some of the things I noticed.
When I ran up my stairs in my home, my heart rate spiked for 1 minute. I calculated that I could easily add another 10 minutes of cardio into my day, just from putting away the washing!
When I swung my arms purposefully (don’t think octopus, think purposeful walking and not something you can manage while pushing a pram!), my heart rate went up over 50%. I also noticed that my obliques and core muscles switched on.
Then it became a bit of challenge of how much “other” incidental exercise I could fit in my day….
For example standing on one leg and while brushing my teeth and perform some ballet type movements (I have never had a ballet lesson in my life and this in the privacy of my own bathroom!) All the balance work is a sensational workout for my deep core muscles.
Try a deep squat when picking up heavy things, like your little one, shopping or washing – rather than bending at the waist. Don’t forget to exhale on the way up to protect your pelvic floor!
When I sit at my computer (like right now) I focus on how long I can sit taller and activate the muscles in my upper back to keep my shoulders back and my head upright (think golf ball on a T, rather than drooping sunflower).
And don’t feel bad about multi-tasking, regular changes of body movement impact positively on the body. Our bodies are simply not designed to sit passively for long stretches of time!
How can you be creative and incorporate more cardio, core, pelvic floor and postural workouts into your day?
You might also like to read:
Top 10 tips for creating a body positive culture for you and your children
