Whether you are a working mom, stay-at-home mom, or a modern mompreneur, all moms struggle to keep it together! From shuttling the children from soccer to swim lessons, to figuring out the best bed time routine, to throwing together dinner after an exhausting day of work -- all of these duties can drive any mom crazy. However, there is one secret weapon that every mom can adopt to remain sane... working out!
Not only is working out beneficial for the obvious physical reasons, but for the mental health ones as well. Working out is a great way to relieve stress, it provides an excellent opportunity to take time out for yourself, it allows you to clear your head of all the clutter that comes with being a parent, and it is a great time to come up with new ideas and strategies. Where do you think I came up with this latest blog post -- in a kickboxing class of course!
Here are a few tips for adopting a workout regimen in your weekly routine:
1. Schedule, schedule, schedule. Make your workout a priority when you schedule your week. Put it in your calendar as an appointment just as you would a playdate, work meeting, or dinner with friends. And stick to it -- no excuses!
2. Create an exercise routine that compliments your interests. Working out does not mean you have to run endlessly on the treadmill. Find an exercise that correlates with something you are passionate about. If you love dancing, zumba may be right for you. If you love biking, then it may be a spinning class. Kickboxing, swimming, karate, barre method, circuit training -- there are so many options, so get creative!
3. Develop an at-home workout routine. There will inevitably be occasions when you have to squeeze in a workout at an odd time when only a quick 20-minute workout will do (e.g. late at night after work or during the day while your child is napping). For this reason, it is important to have an at-home option. On Demand cable programming and fitness DVDs are a great resource when you are in a pinch at home. On TheModernMompreneur.com I've shared a quick and simple 20-minute workout that will compliment any weekly fitness routine and can be done from the comfort of your home.
4. Don't let childcare be an excuse. Use the childcare option at your gym, hire a babysitter for a couple of hours a week, or invest in a jogging stroller or bike trailer so that you can take your children with you on your workout. Or, make a pact with your partner that they will watch the children for those three to four hours per week. Again, no excuses!
5. Set goals and stick with them. Start small and work your way up. If your goal is to run a 5K, or if you are working out for the first time, start with committing to one workout per week and increase the amount you work out as time goes on. I have found that the most rewarding aspect about sticking to a fitness routine is pushing myself and seeing how much stronger I become as I work out more.
I recently completed an intense eight-week boot camp at Equinox Gym. As part of the boot camp we completed a fitness assessment both before and after. It was extremely gratifying for all boot camp members to see the inches and pounds that we lost as well as the physical endurance that we built as a result of the intense training. In fact, many in the group enjoyed the consistent schedule, intense training, and impressive results so much that we have formed our own mini boot camp to keep the workout going!
Start by setting your goal today. Try these tips and tweet or comment to let me know how it works out -- pun intended of course!