This is a question that many moms ask themselves – how can I still work out and stay fit while taking care of my kids? As a mom, it can feel like you don't have time for anything else but your kids. But that doesn't mean you have to give up on your health and fitness goals. No matter how busy you are or if you think you don’t have enough gear or equipment, it's important to make time for yourself and your health. The good news is that it’s possible, and there are plenty of ways to make it happen.
Here are five effective movements that you can still do.
- Squatting - squatting is important for our bodies in general, whether you're a mom when you need to pick up your child or just an individual because you have to squat in your day-to-day life, on and off the toilet, sitting on the couch, and in and out of the car. When you squat, you don’t just have to put weight on your heels, but you also need to send your hips back. This will help ensure that you use the correct muscles to lift and be in a safe position. Remember to keep your core engaged throughout the entire movement.
- Planking - is a great way to stay in shape as a mom as it can improve your balance, coordination, strength, and overall fitness level. You can easily do it while the child is strapped into the highchair enjoying lunch!. You can be on your forearms, could be straight out on your palms, or you could alternate between the two. Planking can help stabilize your core, so do it as needed to maintain and gain strength in that area.
- Pull Ups – as women or moms, we're not designed to maintain a ton of upper body strength naturally. Hence, developing it is important because it will not be strong if you don't work on your arms, chest, and back. You can do it on a kitchen table! Angle your body under the table, the more parallel you get, the harder it will be. So the closer to 90 degrees you are, the easier it will be. Start at around 45 degrees and put those fingers right on that lip. Shoulder blades down and back, elbows come through, chest to the table and work that upper body. Doing this type of workout can help when you carry groceries, putting your baby in a car seat or lifting your baby from a playpen.
- Burpees – This is a full-body workout that you can do anywhere without equipment while your kids are eating, playing, or taking a nap. So basically, you just flatten yourself (collapse to the ground/chest to deck), push yourself up, bring your feet to your hands and then do a little jump up. Burpees help you tone up all over while improving your cardiovascular health. They also burn tons of calories quickly, so they’re perfect for busy moms who want to fit in a workout without spending hours at the gym. They also help increase your energy and stamina, which come in handy when chasing after kids all day.
- Dead Bugs – This is a movement you do while lying on your back. As you keep your torso still and your core tight, you extend and retract opposing extremities, preventing your low back from arching off the floor or your hips or shoulders from rocking back-and-forth. This movement helps with the core. Our core is a stabilizing feature for everything that we do. You should not just think about your core when you're working on abs; your core should be engaged when you pick up your kids and put your kids down. When you push something over your head or sit on the toilet, it's called the core because everything else branches off from it .
Whatever works for you, just make sure that you schedule time for yourself each week to get moving. Just remember, it takes effort but it is definitely doable!!!
