By Mike B Christie
A big challenge for busy moms is trying to fit in the time to workout consistently. Sure, you can find an hour here or there, but nothing that is consistent enough to really see results. And what you want is results. Right?
So, I came up with the "Busy Mom" Fitness Formula. It consists of a few time-hacks that will allow you to get in your workout while attending to the endless demands of raising children running a household.
Being the father of 4 kids (who are all grown up and out of the house), my wife and I know all about this. It takes a lot of creativity and thinking "outside the box" to get your exercise time in when the demands on your time are so crazy. Trust me when I tell you that if you work at getting your exercise time in everyday, the payoff will blow your mind. You will be able to function both physically and mentally so much better every day when you exercise.
Here are 3 things you can do today:
1. Rise Early:
I know what you are thinking - "You must be joking. I barely get enough sleep as it is and you expect me to get up earlier every day? Seriously?" I do.
Set your alarm to wake you 30 minutes earlier than normal and get a heart-pumping workout done at home. You don't need to use weights or special equipment. Bodyweight will do just fine. A couple weeks of doing this routine everyday and you will be looking and feeling awesome.
2. Use Your Downtime:
If you look at your schedule for the day, there are most likely little blocks of time that are "wasted" sitting the in the car waiting or in between picking the kids up and dropping them off. If you work outside the home, you have breaks in the day where you can exercise, like lunchtime. Use this time to get moving. Even if it is only for a few minutes.
For example, if you have to wait for 15 minutes while your child finishes soccer practice, get out and walk around the field. Better yet, run around the field. If you have 10 minutes to kill before heading out of the house or office to your next activity, crank out some bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, incline push-up, planks, etc. You can easily do 3 sets of 4 exercises with 20 reps each in 10 minutes.
3. Learn How To Say "No":
This one actually should be at the top of the list. Learning how to say "no" to things that prevent you from exercising is a critical. Not allowing yourself to become overwhelmed by saying "yes" to everyone and everything is a learned skill. It takes a bit of practice at first, but once you get the hang of it you will feel like you have been given your life back.
So those are just a few time-hacks that can help you get back into a consistent exercise routine. Remember, you should be doing "something" in the way of exercise every day. Cardio exercise like walking, jogging, or riding your bike you can do every day. If you are lifting weights, you should keep that to no more than 3 times per week. This will give your muscles time to recover and adapt to the stress.
My promise to you is if you carve out some time to exercise every day, you will look better, feel better, be a better parent, and a better spouse. Your body and brain need to move, so get moving today.
About The Author
Mike Christie, personal trainer and nutritional counselor, invites you to visit https://goo.gl/7k7sbX for more fitness and nutrition articles like this one. You may also feel free to contact Mike by email at mike@mikechristiepersonaltrainer.com for fitness and nutrition advice and questions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_B_Christie
A big challenge for busy moms is trying to fit in the time to workout consistently. Sure, you can find an hour here or there, but nothing that is consistent enough to really see results. And what you want is results. Right?
So, I came up with the "Busy Mom" Fitness Formula. It consists of a few time-hacks that will allow you to get in your workout while attending to the endless demands of raising children running a household.
Being the father of 4 kids (who are all grown up and out of the house), my wife and I know all about this. It takes a lot of creativity and thinking "outside the box" to get your exercise time in when the demands on your time are so crazy. Trust me when I tell you that if you work at getting your exercise time in everyday, the payoff will blow your mind. You will be able to function both physically and mentally so much better every day when you exercise.
Here are 3 things you can do today:
1. Rise Early:
I know what you are thinking - "You must be joking. I barely get enough sleep as it is and you expect me to get up earlier every day? Seriously?" I do.
Set your alarm to wake you 30 minutes earlier than normal and get a heart-pumping workout done at home. You don't need to use weights or special equipment. Bodyweight will do just fine. A couple weeks of doing this routine everyday and you will be looking and feeling awesome.
2. Use Your Downtime:
If you look at your schedule for the day, there are most likely little blocks of time that are "wasted" sitting the in the car waiting or in between picking the kids up and dropping them off. If you work outside the home, you have breaks in the day where you can exercise, like lunchtime. Use this time to get moving. Even if it is only for a few minutes.
For example, if you have to wait for 15 minutes while your child finishes soccer practice, get out and walk around the field. Better yet, run around the field. If you have 10 minutes to kill before heading out of the house or office to your next activity, crank out some bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, incline push-up, planks, etc. You can easily do 3 sets of 4 exercises with 20 reps each in 10 minutes.
3. Learn How To Say "No":
This one actually should be at the top of the list. Learning how to say "no" to things that prevent you from exercising is a critical. Not allowing yourself to become overwhelmed by saying "yes" to everyone and everything is a learned skill. It takes a bit of practice at first, but once you get the hang of it you will feel like you have been given your life back.
So those are just a few time-hacks that can help you get back into a consistent exercise routine. Remember, you should be doing "something" in the way of exercise every day. Cardio exercise like walking, jogging, or riding your bike you can do every day. If you are lifting weights, you should keep that to no more than 3 times per week. This will give your muscles time to recover and adapt to the stress.
My promise to you is if you carve out some time to exercise every day, you will look better, feel better, be a better parent, and a better spouse. Your body and brain need to move, so get moving today.
About The Author
Mike Christie, personal trainer and nutritional counselor, invites you to visit https://goo.gl/7k7sbX for more fitness and nutrition articles like this one. You may also feel free to contact Mike by email at mike@mikechristiepersonaltrainer.com for fitness and nutrition advice and questions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_B_Christie
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