It can be difficult for parents to stay in shape during the fall months. Children are back in school and have after school activities and parents may have to work long hours. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to stay fit during the fall season even if you are busy.
Make Exercise a Priority
It is easy to let yourself go when you are a parent because your children’s school and activities take up a lot of time. However, it is still important for you to make exercise a priority. There are many benefits that can be reaped from exercising. When you exercise, you release endorphins, alleviating stress and anxiety, which can be caused by a busy lifestyle.
Work out After You Get Out of Bed
If you know that you have a busy day ahead and won’t get many breaks, try working out after you get out of the bed. Enhance your metabolism and start the day off right by doing planks, pushups and mountain climbers on the floor at home, your body will thank you.
Exercise During Your Breaks
Make the most of your breaks by squeezing in mini workouts. Even if you only get 10 minutes of activity in, this is still better than nothing. In fact, studies have shown that short workouts can be just as effective as long workouts. There are several ways that you can workout during your breaks. You can do jumping jacks, pushups or sit-ups during commercial breaks while you are watching television. You can jog around the field while your children are at practice. You can also walk up and down the stairs while you are at work.
Stand Up
Many of us have jobs that require us to sit down all day. However, you should try to stand up as much as you can. The simple act of standing can help you improve your health in many ways. For example, standing helps you burn additional calories. In fact, you can burn 50 extra calories per hour by standing up. This may not seem like much, but if you work eight hours per day, then you can burn 400 extra calories per day just by standing. You can also burn 30,000 extra calories per year, which can help you lose up to eight pounds. Standing up also helps combat illnesses that are related to being sedentary such as type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Get Organized
It will be a lot easier for you to work out if you are an organized person. You should schedule some time to work out. You should also have your workout clothes laid out the night before. If you go to the gym, then you should have your gym packed the night before.
Hire a Personal Trainer
Hiring a personal trainer can be expensive, but it is definitely worth it. There are a number of benefits that you can reap from hiring a personal trainer. A personal trainer can hold you accountable and make sure that you stick to your workouts. Personal trainers also understand that you have a busy schedule and can help you get the most out of your workout in the shortest amount of time.
If you do not want to get a personal trainer, then you may want to consider taking group fitness classes. Many people find that working out with a group is a lot more fun than working out by themselves. Additionally, taking group fitness classes is also less expensive than hiring a personal trainer.
Make it a Family Affair
You may not have a lot of time to spend away from your children; however you can try to include them in your workout routine. There are several ways that you can work out with your children. For example, you can go for a family hike or a bike ride. You can also put on some music and dance. Working out together will not only keep the entire family fit, but it will also allow everyone to bond and spend time together.
Breathe Deeply
It is important to spend a few minutes deep breathing because this can benefit your health in a number of ways. In fact, if you spend 10 minutes breathing deeply after lunch, then you can lower your blood sugar. You can also decrease the number of free radicals that are produced in your body.
Even though you are a busy person, you should not let exercise slip to the bottom of your priority list. Exercising after you get out of bed, hiring a personal trainer, working out with your family and exercising during your breaks will help you stay fit. Also try to stand up while you are working to help burn more calories and do some deep breathing after lunch, it will improve your health.
