Oxygenfit News Letter: Mom’s on the Run, December 2007
By: Karla Adams
Does having a baby or taking care of kids mean no time for exercise or no time to eat right? No way! How can you not exercise or eat right! I know, I know time is always a factor. What that means is that it is time to think creatively! When the desire is strong enough the actions will come.
Sit down and take a look at your schedule, even 20 or 30 minutes in a day can count! Most gyms have babysitting, if that does not work than a home workout system and walking or running around the block may be more of your style. The point is to get it done. Don’t think on how it does not work but how you can make it work. Prioritize what is important.
The first step is to make a plan! Write down your schedule and block off your exercise time. Even if it is 15-20 minutes, make it a goal to have a certain amount of time exercising each week. Also, follow a nutrition program. If you do not know a good one do some research? The more limited you or on the amount of exercise you can do each week the better your nutrition needs to be.
Taking care of your self leads to less stress and that leads to better parenting.
If you stay home watching kids most of the day, invest in a walker and home workout system. With these two things (which can be an investment under $150) you can get everything you need to get it done. The beauty of the combination is with a home workout system your kids can be in the same room, you’re at home anyways. Just pop in a DVD and get that heart rate up! Then, put the kids in the walker and go for a jog around the block. There are so many options in this day and age. If you are unsure of what some of those are take the time to find out. Exercise and nutrition is more important than given credit for. Also, if your children are watching you workout they will be more attracted to repeating the same habits.
If you are exercising in front of your kids you are teaching them that exercise is important. Just like your brain is programmable with habits so are your kids. Program them young with healthy habits! They will be grateful for it later. It is harder to change old habits in an adult than teach a kid how to do it right from the start.
“Be the Best You”
If you have lots of task to do during the day, maybe you want to split up your workout to morning and night or pick 2 or 3 days where you have a very long workout. Look at your schedule and have a plan each week. Joining a running club and walking or running long miles on the weekend is a good way to get a couple hours of cardio in. Two hours of walking on the weekend can make a huge difference in your program.
If long miles are to extreme, get up every morning and walk or jog for twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of cardio or more is the most beneficial for a healthy lifestyle.
Remember, this is about the way you are thinking about things. This is about changing the way you are viewing your lifestyle. You are becoming a new you. Your brain is like a program. What you are use to doing and thinking about you do and think about. If you want different results than what you are getting it is time to reprogram the brain. At first it is always harder, but the longer you have been practicing new habits the easier it becomes to repeat them.
Where there is a will there is a way!
