Trying to manage exercising/children

[Sable4489]

Over the past couple months I've been really focusing on exercising. With 2 young children under the age of 2 years old that can be hard at times. If your a parent you know that your children taking naps at the same time doesn't always happen. I try to include my 1 1/2 year old in my workout. She has her own mat and her own fake weights. How do other parents manage to get their workouts in while taking care of their children?

[MeadeRubenstein]

My kids are older now (16 and 19), but going by memory - I would try to get in 5-10 minute quick workouts when I could (you'll be surprised at how tough doing pushups or body squats for 5-10 minutes is) and not worry to much about having a regular workout schedule...the stress is counter productive to your overall health.  Focus and appreciate the time you do have and appreciate the time with your kids at that age (teenagers are a bit on the rough side).  Best of luck.

[awood08]

I have a 6 and 3 year old and I would take them on walks with me in a wagon when I first started. Pulling a wagon with 75 pounds of weight in it will give you a workout! I would also lift them in the air as a form of "weights" and they found it hilarious and fun to do.

But eventually I got to the point where I got a gym membership that included child care. I work Mon-Friday 8-4 so by the time I pick them up, get home and cook dinner it's dark. The gym was much better than walking in the dark. If you are a stay at home mom, definitely try out the walking with a wagon or stroller and using them in your workout.

[emili]

first of all you deserve a medal for two kids under 2. Mine are 4 years apart and that's because I couldn't commit to the first one let alone do it again until she turned 4. I love the suggestion of putting them in gym daycare. But what about their dad or another family member. Couldn't they be with the kids for an hour every day to give you time away? I am not prying or stirring the pot, I just know when my kids were little, my husband stayed with them whenever I needed to be out and about without them. And that was pretty much everyday for hours at a time. Work, errands, girl things. Whatever it was. Every mommy needs time to herself- it makes her a better mommy.

[Tiffanie]

Naptimes, including them in the work out, short intreval work outs.. It can be super easy to space things out and get some things in even while playing with the kids. Do some squats.. start low and build up the number, it's not too hard to squeeze like 10 squats into daily things. Add in some lunges, etc. When my girls were younger I usually squeezed in the work outs after they went down for the night if they wouldn't nap that day. Walks! Load them up into a stroller or wagon if the weather is nice and take them for a stroll. My girls are 4 now so naps are out of the question 99% of the time lol I just include them in it if they want to join or I'll turn on a cartoon on the tv and pull my work out up on my tablet/laptop, give them some playdough (though this one may be iffy if your older one still tries to eat stuff like that). I did lots of walks when my girls were smaller, and even that helped a ton. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things now myself. I gained some weight after a move and have been struggling to get my motivation back. lol

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If you have an instagram account check out BwmcFitness. She's got 3 young kids and posts daily workouts she does while doing everyday activities like bath time, snack time, bedtime ect. 🙂