3 Fitness Hacks for Busy Parents
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Consistently working out is hard enough without the added chaos (and fun!) of kids in the house.
But, if the whole purpose of fitness is to become the best version of yourself physically and mentally, it’s important to reintegrate exercise back into your routine. Your kids deserve to witness and experience the best version of you during their time at home.
We are no experts, but here are 3 hacks that work for us:
1. Remove the gym commute
Time is precious for busy parents. One of the easiest ways to fit exercise into your chaotic schedule is to create a dedicated exercise space at home. Nap time, early mornings, and after kid’s bedtimes all become available workout times. This dedicated space really doesn’t need to be anything more than a yoga mat in a garage.
Here are a few of our favorite basic pieces of home gym gear:
Yoga Mat (anything works)
Box (my brother-in-law made ours!)
As much as we love a good gym, neither Elizabeth nor I have a gym membership anymore. The convenience of doing it all from home trumps the additional gym equipment.
Another added benefit is we seem to get outside more now since our setup is split between our garage and basement.
2. Lower your expectations, but maintain consistency
Your children will always come first and there will be many instances where you must prioritize them over exercise. Being a great parent will always be higher on the “identity” totem pole than fitness. The trick is to aim for consistency rather than perfection.
Before you completely skip a workout, remember that something is better than nothing. Instead of skipping can you simply modify to:
A 15-20 minute workout
A short walk
Pushups/Situps during the commercials of your kid’s TV show
Anything that gets your body moving that will help keep your weekly momentum.
If you can’t fit your workout in, skipping it is not the end of the world - aim to never skip 2 days in a row to avoid slipping into a long term slump.
When circumstances out of your control throw off your exercise routine, remind yourself of your important role as a parent and give yourself some grace.
3. Include your kids
This last one is simple. Really pressed for time? Simply include your kids.
Stroller walk/runs
Burpees in the driveway or backyard
Abs during tv time
Family walk/hike
Bike ride
One of our favorite routines when our kids were smaller was a stroller walk/run around Stone Mountain (an awesome park in the ATL area) that ended at a playground.