Welcome back to Women’s Wellness, a series all about wellness issues that particularly concern women (if you couldn’t figure that out by the title!). Today we’re talking about exercise.
Yes, the dreaded E-word. It’s not a 4-letter word, but it might as well be for some of us! If you are a busy mom (can I get a witness?) who isn’t real keen on exercise to begin with (another witness?) it can be a seemingly insurmountable task to carve out time in your day to get the job done.
But it is possible! I have 5 easy ways for you to squeeze moments of exercise into your day, without costing you an arm and a leg. Because if you can barely afford the time to exercise, you certainly aren’t going to dump your hard-earned money into a gym membership.
Do a 10 or 15 minute routine.
If you’re serious about it, you can squeeze 15 minutes into your day, at least a few times a week. Here are a few suggestions for fitting it into your schedule (I’ve done all of these at one time or another):
- Get up early before the kids wake up.
- Exercise during naptime.
- Exercise before you go to bed (after the kids are already in bed).
- 10 Minute Solution: Pilates
- 15 Minute Total Body Workout
- 10 Minute Solution: Fat Blasting Dance Mix
- Crunch: Pick Your Spot Pilates
- Crunch: Burn and Firm Pilates
- I found most of those on Netflix (the availability fluctuates; they may or may not be available all the time). If you already have Netflix, then these resources are already available to you. If not, you can get unlimited streaming from Netflix for $7.99 a month.
- Amazon.com has a similar program; if you’re already a Prime member, you can upgrade your membership to unlimited streaming for only $39, which is a little over $3 a month and gives you access to all kinds of streaming exercise DVDs. Or you can pay for each individual title you purchase (same with iTunes) and download (still cheaper than buying the actual DVD).
- If you already have cable or satellite TV, chances are, they have an on-demand channel full of exercise routines, including mini-routines like these.
Take a Walk with Your Kids
Use a Pedometer
- Walk in place as you load the dishwasher or the washing machine.
- Take the scenic route wherever you go, even if it’s just to the bedroom in the back of the house.
- Stand up, stretch, and walk around during TV commercials.
Play with Your Kids
- Piggy-back rides
- Horsey rides
- Catch
- Jumping Jacks
- Leap frog
- Kickball
- Soccer/Football/Basketball
- Jump Rope
- Hopscotch
- Races/Relay Races
- “Wrestling” or Rough-Housing
- Ring Around the Rosie
- Duck Duck Goose
Turn Chores into Exercise Opportunities
- Stretch or do basic Pilates/Yoga moves while the mixer is mixing or the blender is blending.
- Squat with each handful when loading clothes from the washer into the dryer.
- Do lunges while vacuuming.
- Do in-place step/aerobic exercises any time you’re standing in one place (at the sink, over the stove, looking in the mirror).
- Use a walking mower instead of a riding mower.
- Practice ballet positions and plies while blow drying or curling your hair.
- When doing any household chore that involves rhythmic or energetic movement already (like scrubbing, reaching up high, dusting, etc.), focus on even movements, strengthening from the core, and breathing with your movements. (It helps to have some experience with Pilates or yoga in order to be effective with this.)
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