The biggest complaint I hear from moms who want to exercise is finding the time. When it comes down to it, the workout is always the first thing that falls off the list. If only we had that extra hour in the day. But we don’t. Some say we all have the same exact 1,440 minutes in every day, it’s up to you how you use them. But once you become a mom, how you choose to spend that time is not entirely up to you. If I had my way, I wouldn’t have spent 12 minutes cleaning up the “milk rain” from breakfast this morning. I certainly wouldn’t have spent 8 minutes coercing my 3 year old to put on pants or the 18 minutes walking my 5 year old to school, which should have taken 8 minutes, but he had to walk backwards the entire way. That’s 38 minutes gone and it’s not even 2 pm yet. Do you know how much I could do in 38 minutes? And let’s not even mention all the wasted minutes spent on Facebook, twitter, instagram etc. I would be lying if I said, I’ve spent less than 22 minutes on social media so far today. So in theory, all those lost minutes add up to the hour I need to exercise. But that’s not realistic, is it? The whole concept of parenting small children is you have to always, always be prepared for whatever curveballs are going to be thrown at you. Here are some ideas to help you find that extra time that you need to fit in your workout.
Wake Up Earlier – This one makes a lot of sense for moms with slightly older children. This does not make sense for new moms who are still adjusting to the shock of waking up for an hour or two every morning at 4 am while baby nurses, plays, goos, etc. and then goes back to sleep at 6 am for two hours. But eventually their sleep schedule does even out. However, after three plus years of early morning wake ups, we’re suddenly conditioned to being awake early. If you do find yourself wide awake at 5:30 in the morning, and everyone else is sleeping, why not use that time to go for an early morning run or sneak out to the living room and throw on some P90X or Dance Dance Revolution. Even better, go to bed an hour earlier the night before and plan for it.
Schedule It – Seven days a week, put exercise into your calendar at a time that is realistic for you. I am in no way suggesting you exercise seven days a week, but if it’s in your schedule, even if you get to it twice, that’s way better than nothing. If you treat your workouts as important as you would anything else on your schedule, it’s harder to drop.
Get a Jogging Stroller – I can’t tell you how often I hear, oh my baby hates being in the stroller. Ladies, this is Brooklyn. They don’t have a choice! Remember who’s in charge (hint: it’s you). If you are a runner, then you know what you have to do. But even if you’re not a runner, a jogging stroller is a great thing to have to do interval workouts with (keep your eye on the listservs, they are always available from other families who had the best of intentions). Go for a brisk 10 minute walk to warm up, amp up your walk to a power walk for 3 minutes and then run for 1 minute. Do that 5x in a row and then cool down with another 10 minute brisk walk. Safety first – unless your jogging stroller has a car seat attachment, do not run with baby in a jogging stroller until they have full head control or are six months old. Check your stroller recommendations and ask your pediatrician before you begin. However, as long as your kiddo can fit in the stroller, there’s no reason they can’t accompany you on your run. My five year old is still game for heading out with me, he thinks it’s a blast to go fast with mom.
Use Your New Mommy Friends – You know, all those women you met before and after the baby was born. I bet they would love some exercise too. Maybe one of you has a large space to work out in, or you have the use of a gym in your building or go to the local park. See if you can organize a playdate where one of you watched the babies for 30-45 minutes while the other one works out and then switch.
Find a Stroller Workout Program – Brooklyn is full of stroller workouts. These classes are great for getting out of the house and getting your exercise in with your baby and meeting up with other moms. Google search stroller workouts and find one that’a right for you.
Use an App – There are so many apps for so many things – check out the 7 minute workout app. I dare you to tell me you can’t find seven minutes and if you go full out, even seven minutes will get you sweaty. It’s not ideal, but it works.
Make Friends That Live Far Away – Eek, you’ve met an awesome new mom friend but she lives more than a subway stop away. Don’t fret about getting on the subway with your stroller, do a map search, wait until baby’s naptime, put her in the stroller and walk. I don’t have to tell you what great exercise walking is, and if you have a destination in mind, it’s even better. You can even download a favorite podcast and keep yourself entertained while you walk.
Go to the Park – This is the easiest one. If your kids are still little but no longer in the stroller, what is stopping you from going to the park with them and kicking a ball around. Or teach them how to throw a frisbee. Don’t just sit on your butt and blow bubbles. Get up and run around, challenge them to see who can run up that hill faster. Or if it’s cold and rainy go to the Y and play basketball. There are countless ways to get in some exercise while at the same time making memories with your kids.
Multi-task – If your kids are already involved in organized sports then use that time to get your own workout in. I’m not saying don’t stand around and cheer them on, but if they’re not up at bat or they’re sitting on the sidelines, use that time to do some interval runs or plank every time there’s a time out, or do jump squats every time someone scores or makes a goal. Sure, the other parents (and your own kid) might look at you weird, but it’s not about them.
You need to be around for a long time for your kids and you need to be healthy… and you need more time. Remember your children are always watching and paying attention, even when they’re teeny tiny babies, and you need to lead by example. Show them that fitness can be fun and how important it is to get out there every day and move your body.
Anna Catherine Rutledge is a certified pre and post natal fitness instructor and personal trainer. She runs Brooklyn Fit4Mom offering Stroller Strides and Body Back and Run Club. She randomly blogs at How To Build a Better Mother and is always looking to interview moms who do cool stuff.