Working out with mommy

A lot of my friends and acquaintances are now moms and wondering how to pursue their fitness goals. I know for a fact that its possible, though not always easy. In my experience with my cousins (who are now 8, 6, and 3) and my fiancé's nephew (4) I have learned that there are ways to involve your kids in your workouts or use them to help you achieve your fitness goals.

One thing (that i've found from experience) is that pushing a stroller adds a little bit more effort to a walk. On a recent walk with a friend who has a little one, I volunteered to push the stroller for a little while (we had already been walking for at least 2 hours in a hilly area). Pushing that stroller uphill was an AMAZING workout. I feel like I'm in pretty good shape, but I was breathing hard and my glutes were working full-force!

how do you like THIS dancing workout?

SO that's one thing. grab a friend and go on a walk with the little one in the stroller.

Obviously, your children are only going to be content to sit in their strollers for a short while. When they are older they are even more fun to have around to help you achiever your fitness goals. The best part is they will adore you for spending the time with them! The best thing you can do is play with them at the park. If your back is strong enough, toss em around a little! push them on the swings and that'll involve your chest and upper back muscles as well as your abs to stabilize and your legs because you're standing on them! chasing them around is great cardio and kids have SO much energy, they will keep you running for as long as they can keep you upright (and even after you've fallen over).

One thing i've noticed with children as they reach 2 and older, when you start doing yoga poses or 'unusual' moves, they want to be involved and often either climb on you or mimic your poses. My cousins were always saying that they wanted to do headstands like daddy (who practiced yoga regularly at that point in time). Whenever I did pigeon pose, one or more of them tended to climb on me like I was a human jungle gym. Older children love playing ball in the backyard and love you even more if you go out and kick the ball around with them for 30 minutes. They also love riding bicycles. You can ride with them, run alongside, or move with them in anyway you see fit! Uncovering your inner child will re-teach you how to play again and give your body some of the physical activity it craves.

I guess what I'm saying is if you can't fit a 10-20 minute workout in your day, you CAN fit in some active playtime with your children and beyond the fitness benefits, the bond you'll develop with your child will make every silly game they invent worth it's while!

Hiking with extra weight. Even more calories burned!