How to Incorporate Activity into Your Busy Life

Let’s face it – it’s not always easy or even convenient to workout most days of the week, even if we really want to. As parents and especially moms, our time is not our own and days sometimes weeks can go by before you realize you haven’t been to the gym. But let’s face it moms, if we go down, the whole ship sinks with us. It is vital that we remember to take care of ourselves. It’s not selfish, it’s smart, proactive and actually good for the whole family because a healthy mommy is a happy and effective mommy. A rundown mommy just equals bad news all around.

Just because you can’t make it to your spin, pilates, the treadmill doesn’t have to mean NO exercise at all.

These are some tips to keep you active and stay the course until you can find some “me time” when the storm settle:

1. Take the STAIRS – always.

2. Walk whenever you can or park farther away.

3. Playground play – why let your kids have all the fun (and exercise)?

4. Stand instead of sit.

5. Fidget – yup, all that fussy foot wiggling, knee bouncing, squirming in your seat is actually good for you especially if you have to do a lot of sitting.

6. Kitchen calisthenics – when you’re cooking or cleaning in the kitchen do pushups and dips using the counters, stretch, squats etc.

7. Bathroom body weight workout – morning and night when you’re brushing your teeth or just before shower throw in squats, lunges, calf raises, pushups against the counter, jacks etc

8. Lunch/coffee break muscle movers – make your breaks active, go for a walk or do some stairs. Consider meeting up with colleagues for some form of lunchtime exercise from taking a class to taking a walk outdoors

9. Office (home/work) intervals – set a timer for 45-60 min and get up from your desk and stretch, move, stairs squats, p/u for 5 – 10 minutes.

10. Click here to find out how many calories you burn doing household chores. It’ll make these chores even more satisfying!

Let’s face it there will always be something needing your immediate attention, the kids, their activities, your hubby, the house, errands, chores and so on but if you start carving out a little time each day, it will become habit forming. Eventually this workout habit will mean you’ll miss it when it doesn’t happen and you will work that much harder to protect this precious time and hopefully your family will learn to respect that time too.

Click to Find Out if Chocolate is Good for You.