Ways to exercise as-a family

Being a parent is a full-time job in itself, and anybody who disputes that either does not have kids, or has the best behaved kids in the entire universe. Yes, being a parent to young children takes up virtually all of your time, and although you wouldn’t change it for the world, it can be slightly disheartening when you find yourself gaining weight, feeling tired and sluggish, and just simply not feeling and looking your best. Just because you’re a parent, this doesn’t mean you have to look and feel out of shape, but it can make it hard to find the time to put the work in to get in shape. It may be hard, but it certainly isn’t impossible, as demonstrated here in these helpful hints and tips. Here are a few examples that will help you to find the time to get in shape, and what you can actually do to get in shape:

Clean up your diet and batch cook – If you’re gaining weight and are looking out of shape, the first thing to look at is your diet. If you’re a busy parent, you probably eat convenience food, snack, or just simply grab whatever you can. What you should do however is eat fresh and healthy foods instead (you could even try going for a while and see how that works for you). It may sound hard, but why not batch cook a few day’s worth of healthy meals in advance? Cook them, store them in Tupperware in the fridge, and then simply eat them or re-heat them as and when. Healthy vegetable soup is great because you can make a pan full, then tub it up and simply reheat. That way it’s quick and easy, and you can load it full of healthy vegetables.

Get your kids involved – Being fit, healthy, and getting in shape obviously requires a great deal of exercise and physical activity, which is all well and good, but what about if you have kids? Well, why not get them involved too? You can play on the back yard with them, or, more effectively, why not grab a ball and some toys, and head to the park or local natural beauty spot. If you have a baby, simply sit them in their pushchair, and take them for a walk. That way you’re working on your cardio, you get some fresh air, and as you’re pushing the weight of the pushchair, plus the baby inside, you’re getting a slight resistance based workout that will work your core, your fitness levels, and tone your muscles too.

Get some alone time and train – Obviously you love your kids and dedicate your life to them but even so, it’s important to find some alone time every week that allows you to exercise. Why not set one or two night’s aside a week for an hour or two, and either get your partner, or friend or family member to watch your child/children whilst you exercise and workout? You could head to the gym, the swimming baths, out cycling, the running track, The badminton court, whatever you want. That way you get a little time to yourself, you get some exercise which releases stress and makes you feel happy and content, and you can work on your health and fitness before heading home a few hours later.