You asked for the answers and here we go. We talked about building the busy mom workout earlier today and now we’re going to build a personal program for the busy mom. As most of us know between our commitments to work, school and the kids, there are just never enough hours in the day. This workout program is designed to help you meet your goals despite the time crunch. It takes about a month to really get used to this so adjust your expectations accordingly.
Sunday
Take the family out for a brisk walk on Sunday. You can go before Church or after. Set the goal to be one mile initially, but build yourself up to an hour of brisk walking. Provide a stroller for the kids too young to be walking or maybe a bike for the older kids. After a couple of weeks, challenge yourselves by adding a few hills to your route. This is a great way to spend time together and get in a nice cardiovascular workout.
Monday
Lunch break? You need to plan 30 minutes in that lunch hour (if you get an hour) to do a couple of laps around the building or the parking lot. On the days that I am subbing at the school, I like to use recess as an excuse to walk briskly around the playground. Not only can I keep an eye on the kids, I can get my own exercise in at the same time. It’s a great way to get the blood pumping if you’ve got the afternoon snoozies too.
Plan to do 20 minutes of strength training or stretching at home in the morning or at night. You can basically do lunges, sit-ups, push-ups or use weights or weight equipment if you have it. Use that time to quiz the kids on their day, too. My daughter likes to talk about class, her homework and more when I’m doing mine.
Tuesday
Make today an aerobic day. Plan a family walk or bike ride. But spend about 45 minutes getting your heart rate up. If you enjoy aerobics classes, this might be the day to set aside to hit one or you can just do your own thing.
Wednesday
Take the day off Mom. If you want to go play with the kids at the playground or hit the treadmill for 20 or do your lunch time walk, fine, but don’t push yourself. Today is all about rest and recovery for the body.
Thursday
It’s another day for a 30 minute brisk walk at lunch time. You also want to do 20 minutes of flexibility or strength training at home. I have some 5 and 10 pound weights that I use for upper body work. If you concentrated on your core on Tuesday, you might want to focus on your upper body today.
Friday
Go out dancing with the spouse. If you can’t go out, how about turning the music on at home and cutting a rug together for 20 to 30 minutes. Not only will you enjoy the intimacy and the fun, but dancing is working out especially if you get your heart rate up. Any kind of dancing will do whether you prefer hip hop, line dancing or some good old fashioned partner waltzing. If the kids are home and want to dance with you, make it a family affair.
Saturday
Play actively with the kids and your spouse for at least an hour. Go to the park, play ball, go bowling, take the bikes out. Be sure that whatever activity you choose it involves all of you and a lot of laughter. The best workout you can get is time spent with your family doing something you all enjoy.
What do you do to keep active Mom?
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