Are you one of those busy mums that just don’t have time to keep fit having kids? I got it all covered for you so keep reading…

How to keep fit having kids?

I believe that we all owe it to ourselves to look after our mind and body as life is too short. We deserve to make the most out of it and I believe that by keeping fit, we can prolong this.

 

 

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I try to keep as healthy as I can by eating good food and exercising regularly.

I try to stick to such a lifestyle as much as I possibly can. Eating well helps with keeping my weight at guard and exercising not only tones my body but also calms the mind.

Caring for kids, working long stressful hours, studying for upcoming exams as well as juggling many other responsibilities might leave us thinking there is no time for keeping fit and healthy but here are a few tips I’ve learned over the years which may help you:

How to keep fit having kids?

Point 1.

Understand that you are the one that wants to change yourself and you are doing it for yourself so that you can enjoy the healthy life and can age without needing medical assistance or worse being a burden on your relatives once old. Hopefully keeping fit will also influence your kids and they too will lead a healthy lifestyle prolonging their lives.

Having the right mindset is key to keeping the new lifestyle forever and not going back to your old habits.

Point 2.

If you can afford and have time- sign up to a gym and get a PT at the start especially if you’re new to exercise or have some medical conditions or had a baby not long ago, or are pregnant (get a go-ahead from your doctor first) that might restrict you from what you can do at the gym.

If like me you don’t have time /or cannot afford the gym or PT, try to start from a simple walk or running outside.

You can also use one of the hundreds available YouTube video training and follow what the instructors say so that you don’t injure yourself. Remember to start of a gentle warm-up and end with stretching to prevent injuries.

If you are a total beginner and do not know where to start and are also looking to lose a few inches of your waist- I have it all covered for you in the below post:

Home Exercise Tips for Beginners for Weight Loss

 

Point 3.

Stick to your routine and exercise at least 3 times a week. I do have days where I don’t feel like working out and that’s OK, we all do have weaker days and as long as you stick to a minimum of 3 workouts a week (minimum 45 minutes each) you’re fine.

I have a schedule that I keep hanging on my fridge where I record my workouts, weight and measurements of my body.

This helps me keep track of how much I exercise and also benchmark how well I did each month in terms of weight and workouts. If you would like me to send you the schedule please let me know.

After two weeks of regular workouts, you should start feeling the difference.

After one month you should start noticing changes in your body.

After two months people should start noticing too 😉

Point 4.

If you exercise at home, invest in a good mat and a few small weights to start with. Start slowly so you get into a good routine before jumping into hardcore exercise.

There are plenty of good accessories available on Amazon, eBay etc so shop around as it’s much cheaper to get it online as opposed to the actual High street shops.

The day you might not feel like exercising, jump into your nicest sports gear and see how you feel – you might change your mind!

It also works a trick when I see pictures of fitness models – seeing how good they look makes me want to work out straight away!

This is Ewa Chodakowska- I have started training with her over 5 years ago and she is my fitness, Guru.

Point 5.

As to healthy eating habits, I would say one thing that you have probably heard before-

You are what you eat!

My general rules are – cut down on sugar. If like me, you have a sweet tooth, try slowly withdrawing sugary stuff from your diet and substitute the processed sugar for natural sugar found in fruit and veg.

It is also a good idea to plan your meals, as not only you will save money as they will be less waste, but most importantly you will avoid takeaways as you will have all the ingredients you need available to cook a homemade meal.

I also practice the Intermittent Fasting which you can read all about here.

 

 

If you drink tea or coffee and put sugar in it, try to first reduce the amount of sugar and then completely cut it off, it’s just a matter of adjusting your taste buds to the new taste. Also, try to cut it down and reduce as much as you can and substitute it for still water.

I was never very good at drinking water as this was not something that backs in the days was known as a great benefit to us hence I have not got this natural habit of drinking water. I try my best (still far from perfect).

Junk food

Fizzy, sugary drinks are also not very healthy so if the water is not an option juice is better than fizzy drink, though again it does have a lot of sugar so glass or two a day is probably maximum you can have.

It’s not a secret that alcohol is bad for you as well as cigarettes or drugs so needless to say that this should be cut down. However I have never been a smoker neither I have taken drugs so can’t comment on how to do it but, I can assure you this is not a good habit to have around kids.

I used to enjoy a drink or two occasions as a single young party animal. Although at times probably it was one cocktail too many but, have totally given up over one year ago and never looked back.

It was my decision (after having a bad hangover after a girls night out) that I will never poison myself again (I honestly thought I would die and lost a day from my life recovering from the hangover).

If you enjoy a glass of wine or pint or two now and again it’s OK, just be sure you are aware of how much this adds to in a week/month. Here is the link to a website with the UK guidance for your reference

 

Conclusion

I really hope the above tips on how to keep fit having kids was useful.

Keeping fit should be part of your habits of looking after yourself. It should be part of your Self- Care routine. 

So stop looking for excuses and take care of yourself. You’re worth it!

Let me know what are your favourite ways of keeping fit? Do you like running, going to the gym, or have some less common ways of staying on healthy?

Cheers 😉