Staying Fit When Life is Busy

Soon after having Little back in 2015, I wrote about being strong and not necessarily skinny.  It was my resolve to focus on being strong after having some knee trouble toward the end of and following pregnancy.

If I’m honest, I fell a little off the health train with the holidays and especially once I was able to fit back into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes and the number on the scale went back down (it’s SO easy to just be fixated on that one number!).  We recently got a smart scale though that helps measure not only your weight, but also your body fat % and let me just say that after taking one step on that bad boy, I am in need of some toning up.  Of course, this is just a reminder of what I already knew.

You would think that staying at home affords me lots of time to exercise.  You would think that chasing around an adventurous toddler would keep one in shape.  The fact of the matter though is that while I run around a lot, it can be hard to think about and stick to an exercise routine.  At least for me anyway and I can’t believe that I’m alone in this. I started going back to the gym before the holidays, but only went a couple of times with Little because he wasn’t a fan of being left in the kids’ room.  I’m hoping to keep trying with him though so that he can get used to it.

That said, today I’d like to share a few of the quick exercises that I try to do during the day at home in effort to keep my muscles toned and keep be thinking about health when I don’t have time to be in the gym.

1. Free weights
These are easy peasy.  I can easily pick these up almost any time of the day and do some bicep curls or lifts.  This is true even while I’m playing with Little.  There are often times when he is playing by himself and I can pick these up and squeeze in a few repetitions.

2. Plank exercises
These are hard for me, but I like them because I can feel them working quickly.  I like to take one minute when I can and do a plank on the floor.  One minute.  I promise you will feel the burn and that you can find one minute in your day.  If I think about it, I’ll do this a few times a day.

3. Climbing the stairs
This one seems a little bit silly, but from time to time when Little is napping, I’ll try to walk up and down our stairs 10-15 times.  It’s cheaper than a step machine and after a few times of brisk stair climbing, I actually feel like I’m getting a work out.

4. Chair Sits
I’ll be honest, I only really do these when I think about it, but this is an exercise that I save for stuffing diapers.  We cloth diaper with pocket diapers so once the diapers have been washed and are dry, the inserts all need to be stuffed back into their covers.  I find that it’s helpful to bring the drying rack near a wall and do chair sits against the wall while I stuff.  It’s totally multi-tasking and that’s really helpful.

5. Mommy & Me Dance Videos
If your child is fighting nap, or is otherwise cranky, try dancing together.  This is probably the least “exercise” like thing on my list because Little likes to watch specific music videos about driving cars, boats, airplanes, or trains these days and not so much dancing with baby music videos – but the point of this is to be intentional about keeping on moving rather than just sitting back on the couch while there is music to be danced to.

6.  Short workout videos
This is one of my favorites.  There are so many quick workout videos that you can find online.  This is one of my current favorites – it takes just 10 minutes and only requires a medicine ball!

7. Going for a walk
When all else fails, put your son or daughter in the stroller and go for a walk.  Our guy actually really enjoys going out in the neighborhood in his stroller.  It’s good for all of us to get some fresh air, talk about the things we see (trees, dogs, neighbors, airplanes, etc.) outside and to talk to our neighbors.

Of course none of these moves are miracle cures or get fit fast tools.  But, I have found that it feels like every little bit helps and when I am being intentional about doing these small bits of exercise throughout the week, I am much more intentional about eating healthier and being fit in general.

What about you?  What are ways that you try to stay fit when life is busy?