Fancy That!

As a busy Mommy what can you possibly do in between cleaning and laundry and dishes and dinner? That's the trouble when you want to work out. I've found a few places to squeeze in a little time for small workouts during lunch. My gym is very close to the office, so I grab a Luna Bar and head to the gym with my bottled water and a gym bag. No, I usually don't get that sweaty, but just in case, there are some toiletries for that in my bag too!! One of my co-workers in the past brought her workout ball into the office for slow times. I'll bet she was hiding some weights in the closet! She'd go to the rest stop off the interstate near the lake and run during lunch. Wow!! That's Hard Core!

Another suggestion is to pack the stroller and sunscreen and bottled water in the car. After work, pick the kids up from school and go walking in the park. My son really needs the extra energy burn just like I do! It's a great learning experience for the kids. Yesterday, my son had picked up a pine cone and a woolly caterpillar and saw a dead black snake. He was very excited! We got a great walk, and he was more than ready for dinner, bath, and bedtime! I have an MP3 player with a speaker, so I can put the volume on low and play it softly in the stroller tray to keep pace.

I signed up for a Stroller Strides class once. It was a 30 minute drive just to meet up with the coach, but it was really fun! Unfortunately, it's only a weekday morning class which didn't fit my schedule. There was a great route for walking, and we loaded up our strollers with the kids and resistance bands. We did interval training. There were stations where we stopped to do upper body exercises, and then long stretches for lateral squats and then lunges while pushing or pulling the strollers. It was great! Some of the kids even fell asleep! The pregnant moms even enjoyed this workout.

Dealing with the guilt that goes along with working out and still having Mommy duties is something everyone battles. The risks for not taking the time to give yourself the gift of exercise can mount over time. The body can become borderline or even diabetic with high blood pressure or high cholesterol. If you don't keep moving, the joints become stiff and muscle can fade away. Getting fresh air can help improve well-being so much and relieve stress. Every day can build to a better day. If you are a beginner, start slow and progress a little more each week. Endurance takes time, but once you start to feel better and see results it will translate into every area of your life. Your smile will be brighter, and people will notice. So even allowing for a small workout several times a week can add up to big rewards for success.

Sometimes I have tried to put on FitTV, the satellite channel to do a workout with my 4 yr. old while the baby is sleeping. That has gone ok, but watching my son try to keep up tickles me. It's like watching a frog in a blender!

It's easy to give up, but there's no sacrifice that's worth making that costs you nothing. That's a lesson, in itself.