Busy Mum? No time to exercise?
by Rosemary Marchese
Are you a busy mum struggling to find time to get to the gym? Can’t even find the time to get out for a walk? You’re not alone! The good news is that research is showing you don’t have to exercise for one hour straight to have some health benefits! As a busy working mum myself, even I (the self-confessed exercise-junkie) had to come to terms with the fact that since becoming a mum there just isn’t always time to get into a full gym program. Since my first child was born over three years ago I have had to re-learn ways to get regular exercise, and yes, get back into my pre-baby clothes, without getting to a gym.
So how? How in this busy world do mothers, and mums of young babies in particular, find the time. The answer is simple - break it down, and make physical activity a part of your day. Of course you should eat healthy as well and although I am not a dietitian, I do advocate a healthy balance between eating a wide variety of nutritious foods as well as the occasional treat. But in regards to physical activity I look at my day in two ways:
1. The first way is that I try to make as much of my day as physically active as possible.
2. The second way is that I try to find 10-minute bouts of time to perform physical activity on days when I can’t get 30-60 minutes straight. Ideally it would be great to find three to six of these ’10-minutes’ but if I don’t, I know that even one or two bouts of 10 minutes will count for something!
Let’s look at the first suggestion – make your day as physically active as possible. If you are running around looking after children there is the first step mostly taken care of…but there’s more. Are you already performing more physical activity than you realise? How many of the following activities do you manage?
- walking kids to school
- hanging clothes
- ironing
- washing
- making beds
- cleaning the house (vacuuming, sweeping and mopping to name a few)
- getting the mail
- cooking
- shopping
- carrying shopping upstairs
- holding a baby or toddler
- pushing a pram around
And that’s for those of you who didn’t make it to official ‘work’ that day. For those that did, did you:
- walk to work or at least part of it?
- Take the stairs not the lift?
- Get out at lunchtime for some exercise?
- Get up from your desk every hour?
All of these activities burn kilojoules…and that is the key…to burn kilojoules!
The second suggestion involves finding the time for some structured exercise, no matter how short the duration. Of course if you can find the time for a 30-60 minute session outdoors or at the gym, then go for it! You probably need the mental break too. But on those days where it is all just too hard, try combining some of these exercises whenever you get 10 minutes spare. Add up more than one session over the day and you have yourself a mini workout!
Note: These are just ideas and your starting point will vary depending on how fit you are to start with…consult your doctor before starting any exercise regime.
- running up and down stairs at home, if you have them. Take it easy at first and give yourself regular breaks but decrease your rest-time as you get fitter.
- Star jumps 3 x 20 repetitions
- Push ups 3 x 10
- Squats 3 x 20
- Running on the spot (try one-minute running then 30 seconds to rest…repeat four to five times depending on fitness).
The other thing I recommend is getting into a sport once per week…tennis, netball, soccer…whatever you fancy. But that can contribute to your fitness as well as your ‘time out’ as a mum. For those of you who can continue your ‘pre-baby’ exercise routine, well-done (and I envy you!). But for those of you who can’t, due to lack of time, work commitments, money or whatever the reason, hopefully some of these ideas will help you kick-start back into a regular and healthy exercise routine. Good luck!
Rosemary is a registered physiotherapist who has combined her expertise in health with fitness. She has over 15 years of experience teaching and consulting in the fitness industry. She is the co-author of the best-selling text book ‘The Essential Guide to Fitness: For the Fitness Instructor’, which was specifically written for those people wanting to start a career in the fitness industry. She is also Editor for Ultra Fit Magazine, which presents the fitness industry (experts and participants) up-to-the minute fitness industry research and workouts. For more information on Ultra Fit Magazine or Rosemary’s book, visit www.ultrafit.com.au.
October 8th, 2008 at 5:57 am
Before chldren, I was a keen cyclist. Long bike rides are time-consumnig. When my first daughter was born, I was very frustrated at being unable to exercise the way I wanted. Rosemary’s recommendations are certainly helpful, but I needed more than that. I craved exhileration.
With two daughters (3 and 5yrs), I have found the following strategies very helpful.
1 Transport self and child/children by bike instead of car whenever possible. There are a variety of means suitable for carrying children of different ages. Kids love it - far more interesting than by car.
2. You’ll find that most of your daily journeys are achievable on foot instead of by car. You just have to stop rushing so much. Great if there’s a nice coffee shop en route! Again - kids love the adventure of walking. They always arrive with rosy cheeks - and they can usually walk further than you think.
3. I swapped cycling for running as my main sport - a quicker fix when I need the endorphine rush. I have recently joined a running club for all abilities, which makes my exercise regular and removes the stress of deciding what to do.
4. My husband works away a lot. I bought a turbo trainer - something that I attach to my bike enabling me to cycle on the spot like an exercisebike. They are less than £100. I use it for those occasions when I really need a blast but there’s no escape from the kids. During periods of prolonged husband absence, it has kept me sane. I usually use it in the evening. I haven’t used it very much, but the few times I have really needed it make it well worth the initial cost. Stores easily too.
Hope someone out there finds some of this useful.