I tend to oversimplify my journey to healthy living. "Eat good foods, eat them in appropriate portions, and move your body." Those are the three simple steps I try to live by, but achieving those steps takes some work.
Having a toddler means I have to actively PLAN how to achieve the "move your body" part of the equation. I often talk about when I first started trying to lose weight my main form of exercise was walking. I started out barely being able to walk a mile at a time and within three weeks I was walking 6-10 miles each and everyday.
Being able to get those miles in takes planning on my part. The first thing I would do is split the miles between two trips if it was over 6 miles. For an example, I would walk 6 miles in the morning with my son in the jogging stroller and then another 4 in the evening as a family.
I learned how to make the walks fun for my son as well. Along the way we work on things like colors, shapes, sizes and animals. By asking questions (What color is that sign?) and pointing things out (Do you see a square?) along the way I am able to educate and engage my son. This way its no longer just about ME getting in some exercise, its about spending time with my son while working on my health.
I also plan "destination walks". Instead of just walking so I get in miles we pick a location. We are lucky enough to have a park just a few miles down the road from us. But we've found a "long" route to take. This way I get in several miles to walk and talk to my son and he anticipates a visit to the playground. Once we arrive at the playground he gets to run off some energy and I try to master pull ups on the monkey bars. :) Other locations we walk to are the library and my husbands work.
On the longer walks I pack snacks and drinks for my son. I also bring along books for him to look at and small toys for him to play with. We have speakers on our jogging stroller so we can hook up our mp3 player and sing along as we go.
Another option I used was to plan my trips around his naps. We would take off close to nap time, I'd recline the seat in the jogger and before I knew it he would be sound asleep and I could get in a nice long walk. Its important to make sure your kiddo is comfortable and protected from the elements. Even now if I have a hard time getting my son to sleep I will put him in the stroller and head out for a walk.
And finally we come to my favorite walk, our "family walk". Each and every evening after dinner my husband, son and I go for a walk together. It has become such a routine that my 2 year old now thinks EVERYONE goes for a walk after dinner, its simply what you do. How long we walk depends on our schedules, occasionally its only 30 minutes but more often than not its over an hour. On this walk my son is often out of the stroller and running along beside us. Its a great way to spend time as a family AND a good outlet for my toddlers energy.
I believe that with a little planning you can overcome any obstacle that is keeping you from working out.
Most of these tips can be applied to other forms of exercise as well. The main thing to remember is to plan ahead and engage your child in the activity.
What are your tips for finding time to work out when you have kids?
What obstacles do YOU have that keep you from working out?