On the Lose Baby Weight plans we are big believers in doing exercise as well as following our food and nutrition plans. Exercise is crucial to your health and wellness and you must do it. The housework and the chores can wait. The phone calls can be made later. The errands can be done later in the day. You must make exercise on the top of your priority list.
If you’ve ever said the words, “I can’t find the time to exercise,” or said to someone, “I’m too busy to cook dinner, so I just get a take away,” consider yourself one of millions of mothers who have been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and gained the kilos.
Lack of time is the number-one reason mums give for their inability to stay physically fit, but when we hear that excuse time and time again, we have to ask, “How did you manage to find time to go to the doctor when you were sick last week?” Or “How did you manage to watch the one hour Ellen show every day this week?” and so on…..
The truth is that we all make time for the things that we consider important and we procrastinate or avoid activities that seem unpleasant or not fun. The same person who has the 30 seconds it takes to open a present can’t seem to find the five minutes it takes to write a thank you card.
That is because opening the presents is fun but writing cards is boring. Likewise, the mum who has time in her busy schedule to watch her favorite TV program at night or go shopping during the day certainly has 45 minutes to push the pram around the park.
Make an Appointment with … Yourself
Exercise depends on two points: prioritization and anticipation. First, you must stop thinking of it as a chore and start thinking of it as Me Time, something healthy that you do to make yourself and your body feel good. It’s preventive medicine which has been proved time and time again to ward off diabetes, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast cancer. Exercise also improves your sleep, your mental well being, your confidence and even your sex life.
There should be no debate -breaking into a sweat each day should be at the top of your list EVERY DAY! So sit down right now and write it on your calendar or input it into your iphone for every day until the end of the year. Exercising is like taking a shower, or having your daily smoothie, or putting your face cream on or going to bed at night: It is non-negotiable. It must happen no matter what.
Love It or You’ll Leave It
The next step is to find an exercise that you enjoy. If the thought of a run or the gym sends you into a panic then join or set up a weekly or twice weekly walking group (see our walking groups here)– you will make friends and shape up. If you don’t have a walking group or don’t have anyone to walk with then still go on a walk with your pram and take your mobile phone with you and connect with someone while you walk around the block or park. Or bring headphones and catch up on the news or walk to the beat of your favorite songs.
Keep It Fresh
Try something new like an exercise/dance class – Zumba is so popular right now and you may feel self-conscious at first, but you may fall in love with it like millions of mums and women already have.
Get a bike. It doesn’t have to be high tech. Just get a regular old bike and hop on and take off. Explore your area. Discover streets you’ve never been down. Go fast. Feel the wind on your face and the sun on your arms. Get away from it all and leave your baby with your hubby or family for an hour. And if that isn’t possible get an exercise bike and put on your favourite tunes and cycle away!
Join a team. It may have been a decade or more since you were part of a sports team, but there is bound to be one in your area looking for a a new team member. Check with your local community centres for team sports – netball is always popular.
Arrange for Childcare
If you belong to a gym that has on-site childcare, then that is great. If not, ask a friend or neighbour for a childcare swap deal. You offer to look after her children while she exercises and she does the same while you exercise – or if you have family that live nearby, -use them!
So, no matter how you make it work, find something that works for you and stick to it – you won’t regret it! For some more inspiration about doing the top 5 exercises to do at home click here.
