Finding time to exercise as a busy parent can be an ordeal.
Your day job takes up most of your time, and what few hours you have left of the day is spent on the couch.
Exercise is important for maintaining a healthy body mass index as well as preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Working out on the regular can help boost your mood, help you sleep better, fight off stress and even increase your libido.
You may think it’s impossible to squeeze in some exercise as a working parent; it’s not. Here are a few tricks that can help you stay fit.
How to Maintain an Active Lifestyle as a Busy Parent
Plan and Schedule
Young kids often have a set routine laid out for them.
Breakfast, school, pick-up, homework, dinner, and bedtime, etc. It’s important to fit your activities around their schedule.
Of course, exercising becomes easier if you send your kids to daycare and you’re a stay-at-home spouse. You have the entire day to yourself, that is, after you’re done with chores and errands.
However, if you are a working parent, it may be a little difficult to squeeze in a workout between your regular 9 to 5. The most important thing you need to decide on is time and place.
Whether you prefer your own home or the gym, in the morning or evening. But once you work out the kinks, it should be smooth sailing from then on.
One more tip I have is to make full use of your weekends. An average adult typically needs to exercise four to five days a week.
So skip two days off your work week and dedicate your Saturdays and Sundays fully to your exercises.
Wake Up a Little Earlier
Early morning exercises are usually the best. You’re not exhausted from work and there’s plenty of time before you have to get ready for the day.
Morning exercises are great for fat loss, especially if executed on an empty stomach.
Getting moderate to high intensity workouts early in the day can boost your mood and mental functions, allowing you to function better at work.
Exercising outdoors offers the added benefit of helping regulate your sleep and wake cycle.
The serotonin you produce when exposed to the sun is converted to melatonin at bedtime.
Melatonin helps you get good, productive sleep throughout the night; helping you function better the next day.
Make Time
Even in corporate jobs, you don’t spent all 8 hours of your day in front of a desk. Most employees take multiple breaks throughout the day.
So this is your opportunity to not only stretch your legs, but get some much-needed exercise in.
Depending on the size of your office, you can take laps around the building, walk up and down the stairs and even squats.
Of course, it’s important not to do a full-blown workout routine. You don’t want to return to your desk all sweaty and gross.
Enlist Your Spouse
Many parents are in charge of fetching their kids after work.
This may throw a wrench in your workout plans if you plan to exercise straight after work.
If this is the case, get your spouse to take over pick-up duties.
If your spouse has their own exercise routine, perhaps you can take turns picking up the kids. This frees up a lot of time for you to get home or to the gym before nightfall.
Exercise as a Family
If you want your kids to adopt your healthy lifestyle or if you’re just bored working out alone, get your kids to join.
A football game can burn as many calories as a full workout session at the gym. Alternatively, you can mix exercise with chores.
You can get your kids to do some spring-cleaning or yard work.
Exercising with your spouse and kids will not only help you stay fit and healthy, but will also bring you closer together as a family.
Try an Energy Drink
It’s usually not the lack of time that parents have trouble with when it comes to exercising but energy.
You may be so mentally exhausted with work that exercising seems like just another chore to finish. An energy drink may help with that.
Of course, energy drinks are a double-edged sword. Some are often laced with inordinate amounts of caffeine, sugar, and supplements.
So for the best options, choose energy drinks with artificial or botanical sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit extract.
These offer you a quick dose of vitality minus the calories.
Invest in a Home Gym
Home gyms may sound expensive and wasteful, but then again, so are gym memberships.
If you can afford it, I definitely suggest setting up a home gym.
Even if it’s just a couple pf free weights and an exercise bicycle. You’ll eventually accumulate more equipment throughout the years.
Besides, you can have them all to yourself instead of sharing them with dozens of other people. Moreover, gym equipment are built to last.
You only buy one set of each, and you get to use them throughout your entire life.
An Active Lifestyle is Not Impossible
Being a parent does not mean you have to sacrifice your health and wellbeing. If anything, you should be working twice as hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
You have a spouse and children to take care of, and you can’t do that if you’re not in the best physical condition.
The most important part about making time to exercise is to have a workout plan.
Whether you prefer jogging, aerobics, callisthenics or weight training, make sure you get at least half and hour each day.
That’s it. Exercise doesn’t have to be a backbreaking activity. The most important part about having a sustainable exercise routine is to not make it too hard.
As long as you’re getting some physical activity each week and maintaining a healthy diet, you’re well on your way to leading a long and happy life.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner.
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