Fitness for busy parents
Mommy tummy or the Dad body, It’s a real thing and it ain’t pretty. You know it happens when you don’t remember the last time you had a good nights sleep much less a work out. Heck you can’t sweat you are not sure when the next time you will be able to shower right? So fitness for busy parents, are you kidding me?!! Trust me I know.
Busy parents have no time to workout, and really busy parents is a bit of an understatement. Now days parents have so much on their plates. Trust me I know. As a busy parent of 4 kids, homeschool, sports schedules, a homestead full of farm life that needs tending to, and a variety of other things, staying fit and healthy can be hard. However if we fall out of shape life can seem even more exhausting as an unfit busy parent. So for me staying fit is a necessity, if I want the energy my busy lifestyle requires. Fitness for busy parents is really about using what time you have or having that time for fitness with your kids!
What are some tricks to stay fit and healthy, or even start your fitness journey as already busy parent? Well I tend to think organization and prioritizing are tools to use to accomplish a lot. So with that in mind let me share a few of my favorite tricks for fitting fitness into an already jam-packed schedule.
Tips and tricks
- Wake up a half hour before you need to, to fit in a HIIT or circuit workout.
- Take a walk at the park and do a few wind sprints while your kids play
- Put the kiddies on bikes or in the stroller (or both if your like me and got a handful) do a walking workout walking lunges, kickback lunges, sumo walk etc
- Make yourself a home gym area no matter how primitively and have your kids do little workouts with you (I let my kids use resistance bands while I use weights)
- Fit in a 15-20 min quick workout during nap time, or some other kid free time.
- Make play time with your kids double-duty. Workout and play, you can hold your babies or toddlers and do squats or overhead shoulder press with them, or sit up peek-a-boo, they think it’s fun, you get the workout.
The truth is there is no mind-blowing trick on my list. However these are things I try to fit in or juggle on a daily basis to make fitness a priority. With years as a personal trainer I learned half of the battle is accountability. A personal trainer’s job is really to hold that client accountable to their health and fitness goals. After multiple pregnancies (in which I gain A LOT!) I make myself accountable to my goals.  I always set my goals and get right back to exactly where I want to be. It is not magic. A little dedication, a little knowledge goes a long way.
Anything can happen with hard work and dedication. -Jerry West
The great part is once you start seeing those goals come alive, and you start feeling great the fitness track becomes easier to stay on! Fitness can become fun and enjoyable once you love how it makes you feel.
Being a busy parent in the 21st century is difficult. Use some of that to your advantage. Walking lunges at the Park, wind sprint zoo trips, Sit-ups with the baby after the diaper change. Seriously just get creative, and go crazy. Set your fitness goals, let them drive you, and you can forever quit worrying about mommy tummy or that dad body ♡♡♡
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From our family to yours, thanks for stopping by
Beth is a mother of 6 living on a handful of acres in an old farmhouse in central Kansas. Beth has a background in the military and health and fitness however her passions come from her homestead life. Beth is an enthusiastic homeschooling mom, avid organic gardener, chicken & goat wrangler, who is obsessed with herbs and natural remedies and maintaining an all-around Do-It-Yourself lifestyle. Beth loves to share all she has learned about and sustainable living. While striving for a healthy, natural life, family-centered life.