Before having children, I was extremely diligent in my exercise regime. But having kids is no joke!
Though I was able to regularly start exercising postpartum after one baby, it was hard. And now, with two, it is so much easier to just skip the workout. However, I had a lot off health scares postpartum with my first, and I want to be able to keep up with my kids as they get older and faster, and carry them both up the stairs on my back like a mountain goat. So, I force myself to make it a priority.
My situation, I know, won’t apply to everyone. Longtime readers may recall that I hired a personal trainer when I was pregnant with my second, and I started back with her around 3 months postpartum. At the time, I thought I’d work with her until I was 1 year postpartum, or when I lost all the baby weight. Well, I’ve still got about half the baby weight (but, hey, only half!), and Todd and I have realized, since he started joining me for workouts last year, that we may just always need a trainer to force us to prioritize fitness while we have little kids/forever. Most people aren’t working with a personal trainer (though I would highly, highly recommend it, if you can swing it. We put all of our ‘extra’ money into it). But I also do workouts by myself at home, as we only train twice a week now. In both situations, the kids are present. Almost like they’re drawn to my struggle haha
Working out with kids. How does it work? Well, mostly through determination, and a lot of, “I need you to get out of the way, so I don’t kick you”’s.
I think the most important place to start is figuring out when you are most likely to exercise. For me, that’s mornings. Though I’m not a morning person, I find that moving my body a lot first thing (or, you know, pre-lunch) makes me feel SO good, and literally improves my mood for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, working out with my husband, who has a day job, means we train in the evening when I’m feeling very sluggish from the day. But when I’m working out myself, I try to shoot for mornings. Maybe you’re the same way. Or maybe an early morning or afternoon with a kiddo asleep is better for you. Or even after the kids are down for the night. Just whenever you have the highest motivation and capacity—even if they’re not that high.
If you are exercising while your kids are around, it is going to be a bit distracting. When I do Zumba now, the kids every frequently run around me in circles during their favourite songs, which greatly restricts my ability to travel. Harry went through a phase when he’d run between my legs. During strength workouts, I often have someone shadowing me in the workout (cute), or climbing on my person (not as cute).
Even if my ‘me time’ workout has a lot more thems in it now, I know I’m still going to feel better afterward. Even if the struggle is more of a struggle, it’ll be worth it with the improvement to my mood, and up-keeping my health.
I’ve been doing at-home workouts since just before I was 15 (I’m currently 29), so I know how hard it can be to be your own motivation. Especially, especially, especially once you’re a parent, and have a million other things needing your attention, and draining your life-energy. But it absolutely is worth it to take 30 minutes to an hour out of your day to do this—not just for you, but for your whole family. You, and they, deserve the best version of you.
Now, unless you already have a home workout you like, you may be wondering what regime you ‘should’ do. I’m going ot give you the advice my favorite Zumba instructor gave my class 10 years ago:
“The best workout for you is the one you will do.” So, find something you think is fun.
I am a long-time lover of the Tracy Anderson Method, and have done it for 13 years (yikes??). I love the results I get from it so, so much. And I used to enjoy the challenge of it, too. As of late, I’ve had a bear of a time motivating myself when I’m not with my trainer, though. She’s the b e s t, and suggested I just make a goal of doing Zumba, because it always makes me so happy. Recently, I’ve told myself that, if I felt like doing Zumba, I should do Tracy first. But that is a longer workout total, and it kept me from just moving my body for fun. So, my currently fitness goal is to just do Zumba on my non-trainer days.
As further motivation, you can ‘give’ yourself a dollar for every workout. Pre-babies, I did this—I just had to reach 100 days of exercise (not in a row), and then I got to spend my $100 on myself (but it couldn’t be food-related). With my new fitness goals right now, I’m hoping to shed some more baby weight, and when I hit my first goal, I’m going to invest in an exercise mirror. I’ve wanted one for y e a r s, so it’s a good motivator.
So whether you’re into strength training, dance fitness, yoga, or historical European martial arts, I hope this post helps you figure out a way to make it a regular part of your life, even as a parent.
Good luck!
