I recently joined a gym but it was the first time I have been in a place where I could do so. Up until now I have had to find ways to workout from home with my kids around. This was no easy task.
Whether it was because of where we lived, lack of childcare options with a deployed husband or lack of extra funds to pay for a gym membership, I had to figure out ways to do so on my own. I couldn’t rely on going to a gym a few times a week.
The first thing I did was invest in a few workout videos. I knew I could do these at home and work around my kid’s schedule. I found that once I got into a good habit of watching them I started to see success. There are a lot of different choices on videos and programs you can get for home.
You don’t have to always buy them either. A lot of libraries offer copies and some can even be found on Netflix. You might want to try a few different types of videos before you decide on one that really works for you.
Another way I was able to workout with kids around was by using my stroller. My older two boys are just over 2 years apart so when they were little I used a double stroller. I tried to take them out everyday for at least a half an hour but sometimes a lot longer than that. I found it easy for me to put them in the stroller and go, no matter what was going on. I could do it whether my husband was home or overseas and it didn’t depend on him, which was nice.
I have recently heard about a great program called Stroller Warriors. You can find this program at many different military bases. They host weekday morning runs as well as other physical activities you can take part in. You can always bring your children which is the best part. You don’t have to worry about childcare or what you will do with them when you are working out. Besides group exercise like this is also a great way to make some new friends. Both for you and your children. It is always nice to be able to make mom friends doing something that you enjoy. Stroller Warriors also does a lot of outreach and fundraising which is a great way to give back to your community. You can view a list of their chapters on their website.
When you first become a mom it can seem very overwhelming to try to balance the needs of your baby with your own needs. After a few weeks, most moms feel like they should get back to a workout schedule but it might be a bit of a challenge to do so.
My best advice would be to see what you have available to you and go from there. Most people have a living room or other area that they can work out in. Come up with a good schedule, find a workout buddy and get back to working out on a regular basis. You will be glad that you did.
put the items that you use most on LESS convenient places.( diapers on the bottom shelf means extra knee bends)