If you’re trying to balance work, organize a household, and take children to school (or still have children still at home), working out might be the last thing on your to-do list. Maybe it was a big part of your routine pre-kids. But now life has caught up and it doesn’t seem like there can be an extra hour in the day to fit in some time for yourself to exercise….do one of those scenarios sound familiar?
If so, don’t be concerned. It can be overwhelming to even think about how you’d begin to manage your schedule with a workout thrown in. Especially if you’re already tired and have a ton on your plate. Let’s think about exercise in a different way though – what if thirty minutes out of each day actually boosted your mood and gave you more energy to tackle the daily grind, rather than wear you out? It can be hard to imagine, but exercise can do just that.
Determining the “Why” Behind Workouts
Thankfully, you don’t need to spend two hours at your local gym each day in order to reap the benefits of getting a good workout. In reality, before getting started with any workout program, you need to determine what will work best for you, your schedule, and your goals….and why you’re doing it in the first place.
Yes, time might be limited, and you might feel as though your efforts could be better used in another arena of life – but try and picture the end result of your exercise. Do you have more energy? Are you feeling better during the day? Can you keep up with your toddler more easily, or carry more bags than you could before? These are the types of questions to ask yourself, and the answers can be the way to get you up and moving.
Even if you had the time before kids to spend hours in the gym, that might not be the case anymore….so yes, time might be very limited as to how much you have in regards to your exercise now. That doesn’t mean you can’t fit it in though! Let’s look at some ways that you can incorporate workouts into your everyday routine, so that you can stay healthy and maintain realistic goals.
Ways to Incorporate Exercise
Set specific goals for yourself:
If you’re going to carve out half an hour out of your day to exercise, then you need to know why you’re doing it, what you’re going to do to reach your targets, and how long it’ll take you to reach those goals. It’s easy for us to say that we want to “lose weight” or “get stronger”. But those aren’t goals that are specific enough to power you through your exercise time each day. Especially on the days you don’t feel up to it.
Sit down and decide what your goal is for yourself, and then figure out what steps you need to take in order to reach said goal. Do you need a better break down of your nutrition? Do you need to schedule workouts 3-4 days a week to get your goal done? Or even more so, do you need to speak with a trainer or fitness specialist, who can point you in the right direction and get you on track?
Figure out what type of exercise is best for you:
This means if you hate running, then don’t lace up your sneakers each morning just to hit the trails for 3 miles of pain and suffering if you don’t enjoy it. That not only leads to a decrease in motivation, but who really wants to do an activity they loathe? Instead, play around with different workouts…. if you love to swim and know you need cardio, find a local pool! If you love weight training, grab some dumbbells and kettlebells when they are discounted. In essence, start building your own mini fitness area in your house or backyard. Love to bike? Pop out and go for a ride through your neighborhood or local trails. Fitness won’t be a cookie-cutter program for everyone – so play around with what works best for you!
Workout at home:
Does the idea of going to the gym cause more stress? No worries – you can get an excellent workout in, right from the comfort of home. No need to make it more difficult than it already is…. you can even use your own bodyweight and get a wonderful heart pumping workout done! Do you have kids that use a stroller? Perfect, put them in it and take a walk through the hilly roads of your neighborhood. Not only are you boosting heart health, but you’re getting your kids outside as well.
If you need help with reaching your fitness goals, or finding other ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine, speak with a local fitness specialist. They’re usually more than willing to help point people in the right direction. Either way, you’ll be on the path to a healthier lifestyle. This will not only benefit you, but your family as well.
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