Am I the only one who has a hard time getting a workout in the schedule?! My life is full, as I’m sure yours is. Trying to fit in a consistent, official workout has been difficult since the twins joined our family. My current solution is to attempt to work it in naturally. Here are some of my strategies:
1. Play with the kids!
Chase and tag are great options to get the heart rate up! I’ve also found I can turn “Mother May I” and “Simon Says” into exercise by adding jumping jacks, bunny hops, basketball shoots, tires etc. to the games. Even with cold weather, we’ve found ways to keep active. Our current favorites are creating obstacle courses (crawl under the dining room table, hop over a pillow, etc.) or playing “Follow the Leader.” Our “leaders” always have us hopping, skipping, and bouncing around.
2. Go for a walk.
Okay, this is HARD right now because it is frigid outside, but on warmer days, I take the whole crew, including the dog, for a walk. Since we have to walk at two-year-old speed, this doesn’t get the heart rate up so much, but we’re still moving! Since we homeschool, we also notice animal tracks (and scat), types of plants, etc., and we’ve come up with some fun nature poems during walks! I like to take my phone and record them using the voice memo app. so we can write them down later. Walks are a wonderful bonding activity, too, as we are away from technology and share our observations and discoveries. I love family walks!
3. Join the cartoons!
Now, I limit tech time for the kids, but when I do let them watch something, I’ve noticed that most have songs and dances to get kids active. Why not mom, too? I experimented with this by doing the “Hot Dog Dance” the whole time my littles watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This got the blood pumping and encouraged the kids to move more, too. Here’s a link to the dance and song. Some days, this is as good as it gets!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHhheCf0G1I&sns=em
4. Make little changes.
I don’t know about you, but I usually park as close to the store as possible, take as few steps as possible at the store, and generally prefer to finish my errands quickly. When the kids are with me, I might still hurry through the store, but I can park a little further to walk a little longer. Again, this will probably happen after this crazy winter weather is gone for good, but it’s a plan!
If you are able and aren’t lugging a stroller (I usually am), take the stairs when you can. Speaking of stairs ~ do you have them at home? I do! I’m usually pretty lazy about going up and down and make my kids fetch things for me (yeah, yeah….), but I am trying to go up and down more often each day. You can even jog the stairs to get a more intense workout.
5. Work with what you’ve got.
We’re also trying to add spurts of activity to our days. My four children are pretty much always with me, so we take turns choosing an activity. For example, after breakfast dishes are cleaned up, I might say, “20 jumping jacks!” and everyone has to stop and do them. Are your kids competitive? Turn it into a race or see who can do the most. Later, when we need a break from homeschool, my 10-year-old might yell out, “10 push ups!” My 9-year-old daughter inevitably calls for “Cartwheels!” It’s a fun little game and adds some activity into our routine. We’re already together, so adding a little action using our bodies (no equipment required!) is easy.
You can also get a pretty good workout using things around the house. Canned goods can be hand weights. What if you did 20 arm exercises every time you went to the pantry? 20 overhead lifts here, 20 bicep curls there. It all adds up. When you brush your teeth, do dishes, or fold laundry, why not do some calf raises or squats? How about stretching when you watch the evening news? All of these allow you to work with what you’ve got to get active.
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I hope these ideas help you get a little more active! If you have other great ideas to get active at home, please feel free to share in a comment. I’d love to hear!
One Woman's Journey 