5 Ways to Get (and Keep) Your Exercise Mojo Once You’ve Had a Baby
Do you find yourself busy at work? Busy at home? Busy with the kids? Busy running errands? Busy running your kids around? Yet too busy (and too tired!) to actually run???Lack of time and energy are the two most common reasons women give us for not exercising once they’ve had a baby. While this isn’t surprising given the demands placed on us by our children, and the demands we place on ourselves (yes, I’ve been there myself – my daughter is 15 months old), to help those of you who can’t seem to find the time or the mojo to exercise, here are some of our top tips.
1. Wake up and put your exercise clothes on
This way, you can assure yourself that you’ll get some form of a workout in during the day. Whether it’s fitting in a quick 20 minute run when your mum comes over to say hi (and sneaking in a bit of babysitting) or turning your play with your kids at the playground into something a little more active. If you’re wearing your gear, you’ll be more likely to get and fit your workout in.
2. Be a multi-tasking mama
We all know there’s nothing better than a girly catchup with your BFF. So why not switch it up and meet for a stroll instead of a coffee? This way you can stay on top of the girly goss and get fit! Another way to multitask is to use your baby as a weight. Yes, seriously! When my little one was a baby and I was trying (and struggling) to get her to sleep every day, I used to do squats, plie squats, calf raises, lunges and woodchops using her as a weight as well as bouncing on a swiss ball with her in my arms. This was a nice and easy way to sneak in a few resistance moves into my day and also a gentle way to get back into exercising after my c-section. Helps at 3am in the morning to relieve the boredom too.
3. Squeeze it in
There are no hard and fast rules for getting fit. No one says you have to do an hour of exercise. In fact, quite the opposite. At Bondi BUF we love short, intense workouts. For some variety and to help take the thinking part out of your workout, pop in an exercise DVD (Tracy Anderson, Jillian Michaels and Jackie Frank are some of my favourites) or log on to one of our favourite websites www.bodyrock.tv for their daily 12-minute workouts. Yes, you read that right, they are only 12 minutes. Everyone can fit 12 minutes into their day.
4. Stroller-derby
One of the best things I’ve bought as a mum (I’ve bought many ridiculous things too) is my jogging stroller. One of the easiest ways to get some exercise in to my day without having to make a choice of whether or not to be with my daughter at that very moment (mother’s guilt is a lovely all-encompassing thing isn’t it!) is to strap her in the pram and go. This means I get to spend time with my daughter and get my run in. I did lots of research on this and decided on the Baby Jogger Summit XC. It’s a little like an SUV (huge in fact) but it’s very smoothe and she seems to love being in there. If you aren’t a running fan but love your walks, buy a pedometer and set yourself a goal (say 15,000 steps each day). This will make your walks more purposeful and won’t upset your quality time.
5. Mix playtime with workout time
Another great way to sneak your workout in while keeping your child entertained and feeling loved is to take them along to a mum’s n bubs exercise class. You’ll be able to connect with other mothers and have fun while exercising (a win/win!) I also like the fact that while I am exercising with her by my side, she can see that I place a priority on my health and I feel good knowing I am setting a positive example for her.Just as time and experience allow us to become more comfortable as mothers, finding your way again as a fit mum is a similar journey. While at first it may seem as if the two can never coexist, eventually working out becomes part of your way-of-life routine and the effort to do it all becomes far less daunting. Yes, finding fitness in the chaos of parenthood has its challenges. Sometimes though, those challenges are just excuses. And as we all know, there are no good excuses. So, find an exercise you love, set a good example for your kids and if vanity is what motivates you, remember, you can’t get a great body without trying! If you’ve had kids, tell us how do you fit in exercise?