Finding Time To Exercise

When you were younger you exercised yourself without even knowing it. Look at your kids, you will notice they run to their bedroom or they jump on the couch they are always doing something active without even noticing it. That’s why most children can get away with eating a the odd happy meal as they burn it off just by being a kid. However as we get older we get so sedentary, we go from bed, to the computer chair, to the kitchen bench stool, to the car, to our desk at work, back to the car, home to the couch, then back to bed. We are of course seeing the results of this kind of life style all over the world with everyone turning pear shaped. If you don’t use it, you will lose it, it is really that simple.

Now that you are a mum, you will find it hard to make time for yourself to exercise. You will convince yourself you need to bath the baby, do the shopping and then cook dinner so how the hell am I meant to fit in a run. Easy, you have to make it a priority! You must do something active everyday you don’t need to train for a marathon but you do need to do something. If you don’t life will take hold of you and steel you away from your health. Then one day you will look in the mirror and see someone else’s body looking back at you with your head on it. Take control of your health ditch the excuses and do something today your future self will thank you for.

There are many ways to stay active while on maternity leave, here are some that you can fit in to your daily life without too much effort or money:

1. Put the baby in the pram and go for a walk every morning. The only day you don’t go is if it’s raining.

2. If you have school kids, take them out the back after school kick a ball around, if the back yards too small take them to a park near by, you don’t need a trainer you just need a 5 year old who wants to play chasey, your heart rate will be up in no time!

3. Buy a fitness DVD and do it at home every week day. There are so many out there now there will be one to suit you. There is Zumba, Pilates, Yoga, Aerobics, Core workouts you name it. They can be cheap second hand on ebay.

4. Google, there are many free online fitness programs on the net that you can do in the comfort of your own home.

5. Join a gym, this worked for me I found a gym with a free crèche and I try to go each week day. This is great for getting you out of the house for an hour a day and you may even end up making some new friends. There are gyms everywhere you look so find one near you, my membership is $20 a week, small price to pay I say. I don’t have a fancy trainer I just go to classes there.

You must make it a priority and pen it in to your diary like it’s an appointment you have to keep then work the rest of the day around that. After a few weeks of doing it, it will become a habit, and before you know it you will start to see the results of your efforts. Do not even stand on the scales, who cares how many kilograms you weigh, you can tell any changes by the way your knickers or bra is fitting, these are the places you will probably loose fat first.

Tools To Get You Motivated:

Buy yourself a cute diary with a day to a page. Each day write what you ate, and the next day try to make it better. Also record what exercise you did that day.

Take a picture of yourself in your bathers/knickers and bra. Keep in on your computer so you can look back at it after a month. Then each month take a new pic and you will physically see the results rather than guessing or trying to figure out what the scales are saying.

Get a friend or your partner to do it with you, that way you can motivate each other.

Buy yourself some nice gym gear and an Ipod. Load it with all your favourite songs, and some fast ones for when you get going!

Make a goal and work towards it, last year after I had Mr Chilled 1, I set a goal to run the 12km City to Bay Fun Run and it was just the motivation I needed and it helped me lose the last 5kgs.

You have to find time everyday to be active, you are doing it for your future self she needs you to take action now so she too can live a healthy long life to see your babies grow up. Now get off the net and get your running gear on because today you are starting to find time to exercise!

Renee

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