To my stay at home Mom family and friends - here are some great tips to help you stay on track with your exercise program.
7 Tips for Busy Moms: How to Exercise at Home
By Contributor on May 2, 2015
When it comes to stay-at-home or work-at-home moms, knowing how to exercise at home is
often not just a matter of timing, but setting your environment,
arranging something for your children while you are exercising, and
planning out both warm-up and recovery routines. With so much thought
required for home exercise, many moms do not take the time to exercise,
even though they know the health benefits: physical, emotional and
mental.
With the issues faced by moms in mind, these 7 tips will help you take the time to exercise without undue stress:
1. Schedule
– There is a reason the best classrooms have regular periods every day,
predictable activities and more. There is also a reason kids complain
any time a new teacher or substitute messes with the plan. Schedules are
comforting and predictable, and ensure that life will have some
structure to work around. When you are beginning a home exercise
routine, it is important that it becomes a part of your regular
schedule. If you have school age children, fit it in in the morning
after they have gotten out to school. With younger children, exercise
during nap times or quiet time.
2. Set the Environment
– In the busy living spaces we call home, there is rarely space to set
up a complete exercise room. But, moms can set the environment by
putting exercise materials out by some open floor space. Pick space
which will not interfere with other family activities when you do your
regular exercising.
3. Set Your Goals – Exercise is an
important part of healthy living, but the vague goal of “being healthy”
is rarely enough to overcome the challenges to a regular home exercise
routine. What motivates you to workout needs to be measurable (lose 30
pounds, run a marathon) and have a time frame. Without the motivation
from a great goal, you will not overcome your natural inertia.
7 Tips for Busy Moms: How to Exercise at Home
4. Involve Others –
As a parent, there are two groups of people who can help you exercise,
free of charge. Friends and your family. Some moms don’t have enough
time with their children, some don’t have enough time with their
friends. Let that desire for fellowship push your daily activity.
Whether it is planning that parent/child run your teenager has been
begging you for, or taking a morning jog with a friend, the companion
will inspire you to continue exercising, and vice-versa. With modern
technology, you can not only connect with friends and family through
home-based exercise routines, but also connect with nutrition and fitness coach on mobile computing devices.
5. Regular Warm-Up and Cool-Down Routines – Often a big obstacle to in home workouts is the mental energy it takes to decide what to do.
With regular stretching and warm-up routines at the beginning of your
exercise, you will have time to calm down and focus on what your
exercise goals are. With a regular cool-down routine, you will be able
to take time to plan how to do the rest of your day, without stressing
about how to cool down. Don’t forget that your cool-down and recovery
program needs to include quick nutrition like a quality shake.
6. Plan Nutrition
– From the cool-down recovery program to your regular meals and snacks,
nutrition is a key part of any exercise planning system. Get rid of the
sugary and fatty snacks: yogurt, nuts and fruit, and cheese are all
healthy, easy alternatives to the candy and bagged goods (chips,
pretzels, etc) which moms so often use. Our “101 Healthy Shake Recipes” is a great free resource for building your nutrition.
7. Plan on Failing –
Whether you are just starting home based exercise or are a pro, the
secret to a great program is it makes you stretch. The important thing
about stretch goals is you often don’t hit them. This is a positive
thing: you can learn how to better plan, set more appropriate goals and
gain better health. Do not beat yourself up when you do not hit your
goals, when your exercise takes too much out of you or when family gets
in the way. Rest, recuperate, learn, and get back in the saddle.
An exercise at home routine is only one decision away, so why not start your work outs today?www.gettingfittogether.com/7-tips-for-busy-moms-how-to-exercise-at-home/#!99
