The dog days of summer are slowly coming to an end and the backpacks and school supplies are right around the corner. In one sense, it’s a relief. The kids will be in school and there will be quiet around the house again (unless you have toddlers or babies at home like I do). But we all know it’s not that easy. With the school year comes the added stress of homework, extracurricular activities, making lunches, and waking up early.
For some of us this might also be time to get back into the swing of a workout routine that we strayed from during the summer. As a mom, it’s hard enough to keep up with exercise without all the added stress thrown in. Here are eight tips to help you stay on track and maintain your sanity throughout the craziness of back-to-school season.
1. Plan Ahead to Stick to that Exercise Routine
It’s important that you are prepared for your workouts. If not you’ll find it’s really easy to end up skipping them. The first step is to take a look at your schedule and see where you can squeeze those workouts into your day. By choosing a time to work out, you’ll be more likely to stick to your workout program. And remember an effective workout can be done in 30 minutes or less.
2. Lay your workout clothes out the night before
This saves you time and is an awesome reminder before you leave the house to make sure you work out. You can also have a gym bag in the car as a constant reminder.
3. Use Fast Effective Workouts
Be sure to get the most out of your workouts by using circuit training, compound movements, and interval training, which will all help you save time in the long run.
4. Find Something You Enjoy
If you pick a form of exercise and you absolutely hate it, chances are you won’t stick with it. On the other hand, if you find an activity you enjoy you’ll be a little more excited about working up a sweat. So if you hate running, don’t do it. There’s plenty of other ways to get in cardio such as biking, swimming, or taking a fitness class. Also, by participating in a variety of different activities it will help keep you from getting bored.
5. Wear a Pedometer or Fitness Tracker
A pedometer or fitness tracker is a great way to be more active every day. Most experts recommend getting 10,000 steps each day. By having a goal, such as reaching those 10,000 steps, it’ll motivate you to walk more.
6. Make exercise your “Me time”
Sometimes parents forget to take time out for themselves. Exercising is the perfect opportunity to focus on “you,” because it sends endorphins throughout the body while relieving stress. You wouldn’t skip out on a massage, so why not give exercise that same priority?
7. Consider Hiring a Personal Trainer or Accountability Coach
If you still have problems getting in a workout you could consider hiring a personal trainer. However the reality is that personal training is expensive and most of us cannot afford it. Instead consider an Accountability Coach. What is that you ask?? Basically a coach that supports and motivates while providing exercise and diet guidance virtually for a quarter of the price of a personal trainer. Interested, shoot me a message, let’s talk accountability! 😉
8. Include Your Kids
Watching TV and playing video games shouldn’t be the typical family activities. Instead, get up and move around. It could be practicing a sport, going for a bike ride together, or playing on the playground, whatever activity you choose, be sure to include the whole family.
Remember,
Don’t let Facebook and Instagram photos or updates of perfect moms fool you. Taking care of kids and keeping up with exercise is not easy or glamorous. There are days when the last thing I want to do is put on my running shoes or pick up a weight.
The key is to remember its not just about fitness or loosing weight, it’s about a healthy lifestyle. It’s about being an active role model for our kids, because they are going to copy us …so we should be worth imitating.
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