As a mother of small children, it’s difficult to stay healthy and fit…or is it?
When you see images of fitness junkies on Instagram, usually you see them hanging out at the gym with their hair perfectly groomed or jogging on the beach in crop tops and hot pants looking like they just stepped off the set of Baywatch. Sadly, life isn’t like this and most of us (especially time-poor mothers) need to juggle being chefs, taxi drivers, party planners, stylists, cleaners, personal shoppers, nurses, housekeepers, and teachers, and yet still find time to recharge and spend quality time with ourselves or for ourselves. Life is messy so we need to embrace the mess!
Exercising WITH your children will not only help you bond and spend quality time with them, but it also teaches them to have healthy and positive outlooks on keeping active and staying healthy.
1). Incorporate exercise into your playtime with your kids
Kids love spending time with their parents, especially when their parents run around with them. Write out a list of bodyweight exercises you can do and make it a game.
“Hey Johnny, I bet you can’t do more push-ups than me!” – Little does Johnny know you only intend to do 10 push-ups before having a short break and doing 2 more sets of 10. I’ll bet Johnny can probably do more than 10 when he thinks it’s a game.
Here are some fun exercises you can do with your kids, do 3 sets of 10 for each exercise:
- Push-ups
- Burpees (I know, I know… burpees are the root of all evil)
- Crunches
- Lunges (For this one, you could even do walking lunges and race your child)
- Jumping squats
2). What about Cardio?
Cardio is even easier! Grab yourself and your kids some skipping ropes and see who can skip the longest. You could even make it a game where you set a timer for 1 minute, skip for 1 minute and then race your child to a tree and back (if you’re in a park) or to the fence and back if you’re in the back yard.
Skipping is amazing cardio and probably the most effective, simple way to burn fat! Doing just 10 minutes of skipping a day is about the equivalent of jogging for 30 minutes, so for time-poor mothers, this is fantastic.
3). Group Fitness
There are so many fitness classes that allow you to bring your children along with you nowadays. Most of the time they can make friends with the other kids who have been brought along to class, but the atmosphere is so relaxed and friendly that they can join in the fun too!
If you’re looking for a friendly, fun, women’s only group fitness class, a quick Google Search should point you in the right direction.
Group fitness classes are great because they usually combine cardio with weight training, both of which are important for weight loss.
4). Calm Ya Farm!
Okay, so this isn’t exactly exercise, but did you know that you will find it much harder to shed those kilos if you’re stressed?
Stress increases cortisol levels in the body which is actually a very good hormone under normal circumstances. However, if you’re stressed out about work, home life, emails, bills, money, etc. that stress is going to affect your sleep, your mood, and energy levels and will make it a lot harder for you to lose the excess weight.
Avoid cortisol overload by ensuring you get enough sleep, try to limit screen time in the hour leading up to bedtime, and try to lay flat for 10 minutes every so often – not to look at your phone, but to rest and breathe! If you enjoy yoga and meditation, make an effort to incorporate them into your day. Even 10 minutes is better than none!
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, your body is a temple. It does so much for you. It fights off infections and nasty parasites, detoxifies harmful materials that you ingest throughout the day, and makes sure you don’t dehydrate. In other words, your body keeps you alive! The least we can do to thank our bodies is to feed them healthy, nutrient-dense foods and move them around every now and then.
If you are looking to take your health and well-being to another level, why not get involved in Martial Arts? At Wu Xing Dao Kung Fu, we take a holistic approach to Martial Arts. It’s not just about learning self-defence and punching and kicking, it’s also about self-discipline, health and nutrition.
After you have enrolled in martial art classes, we take time to help you understand the different types of martial arts and the various life skills that come with them. This allows you to make an informed decision when choosing the martial arts style you would like to learn. We ensure that every trainee learns how to defend themselves effectively as well as enjoy the many other health benefits that martial arts offer.
Please call us today on 0410 249 217 or leave a message and we’ll get back to you ASAP.