Exercise Tips for Busy Moms

Whether you’re working a full time job or are a stay-at-home mom, chances are you’re finding it very difficult to fit regular visits to the gym into your busy schedule.

The following tips will help you to take care of you while you take care of everything else.

Take the stairs: Shopping centers, office buildings and apartment buildings give you the option of using the escalator or an elevator to move between floors. Instead of taking the easy way out, make a point of taking the stairs. Ramp up your workout by taking the stairs two at a time on your way up.

Park at the far end: Don’t kid yourself into believing that you save a lot of time by parking close to the entrance of a shopping center or an office building. The time it takes to wait for a parking space to become available could be better spent walking from the far side of the lot. Add some intensity to your walk by squeezing your buttocks and your stomach muscles while you walk.

Sit on a ball: Throw out the chair in your office or study and replace it with a medicine (Pilates) ball. The effort it takes to stay upright on the ball improves your posture and strengthens your core muscles. Once you have become adept at balancing on the ball, lift your feet off the floor for a more intense workout.

Don’t sit and wait: If you’re sitting next to the field waiting for your son to finish football practice, or waiting outside your daughter’s ballet class, make use of the time to do some stretches or take a quick power walk. Add wrist and ankle weights to burn more calories.

Don’t shout: Have you found yourself standing at the bottom of the stairs calling to your kids to come down for dinner or breakfast? Perhaps you stand on the porch and call to your children when they are playing in the back yard. Make a promise to yourself that you won’t raise your voice. Instead, make a point of walking up to your children and speaking to them instead of calling out. You will cover more miles and they’ll be more inclined to listen.

Weigh your options: Wear wrist and ankle weights while you move around your house doing chores. You may find it exhausting when you first start out, but those endorphins will soon kick in and make you feel a whole lot better.

A dance date: Get your man to take you dancing on date night. Instead of sitting down to a meal in a restaurant or sitting in a movie theatre, get moving on the dance floor. Alternatives to dancing are going ice skating, going roller skating or going rowing on a nearby lake.

A mattress marathon: If all else fails, use and abuse your man’s body for an intense workout that is sure to leave you both smiling like idiots. We’re willing to bet that he won’t mind.

Women's Health Info