I recently took a survey for my daughter’s best friend’s sociology class and one of the questions was “How much time do you spend alone each day?”
Even accounting for sleep time, I still had to select the smallest number range offered – 0-2 hours (even as I write this I have 2 boys near me trying to outdo each other on chin-ups).
Moms are busy people – and fitting healthy living options for exercise and weight loss into their routines can be almost as exhausting as getting up every few hours at night with a baby.
Sneak Exercise into Your Daily Routine
My husband has mastered the workout routine – 6 nights a week he spends about 1.5 hours in the basement working out in various routines, and the kids know to only interrupt for emergencies.
On the other hand, I have a hard time sitting exercising for 10 minutes without being requested for a conversation or to assist with a project – moms are just on call all the time! I’ve had to develop some “undercover exercises” that allow me to get moving like I need to while still being present for my kids.
Ankle weights – I wear them around the house like a miniature yet heavy pair of leg warmers. After 3 knee surgeries I need to keep my legs working, so I’ll even sit here at my desk and do leg lifts and other exercises while working on the computer. Even when I’m standing in the kitchen preparing food or cleaning I can get in a few reps of various exercises.
Bikes for all – My kids are getting older and most of them are to a point where they can bike on their own, but we still enjoy it as a family activity. They think Mom is just coming along for the fun of it, but I really am sneaking in some exercise. Hikes at local nature centers are also good for all of us – moving with the kids is sometimes the best exercise of all.
Tennis shoes in the trunk – There is a lot of wait time for moms. We drive the kids to baseball, wait for the game, then drive the kids to the mall and need to wait for the movie to end. If I keep tennis shoes in the trunk I know I can always swap out my flip-flops or heels and get a quick 20-30 minutes power walk into the schedule.
Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy Foods
Even though kids typically do not need to diet, you can still promote healthy eating habits for them that will help you with your own weight loss goals.
- Serve fruits and veggies before meals. If you’re prone to snack as you cook, having these on hand will help to fill you up with healthy options, and it will do the same for the kids. When they are “starving” you can put these choices before them to make sure they get included in their meal.
- Always include something fresh with each meal. Even if the kids are roasting hotdogs over a bonfire, we’ll pull out a container of fresh cut fruit.
- Invest in good water bottles. We do a lot of driving around from one activity to the other and if we don’t have water bottles on board our appetites seem to increase and we are more likely to buy empty calorie/nutrient beverages on the go. Filling up reusable water bottles before we go anywhere is a healthy option for all of us. Sometimes we’ll get the zero calorie drink mixes we can add on the run.
Moms are busy and working to lose weight while focusing energies on the kids is not the easiest thing to do.
However, if you get them on your team towards a healthier life you will find your own weight loss goals easier, and you will see your kids living healthier lives as well.
