As all parents know, having children typically ensures seemingly endless sleepless nights, an overwhelming daily schedule with never enough time to complete it, as well as a car backseat loaded with chips and cheerios.
However, it also means having a deep unconditional love and joy for your child which makes all these inconveniences worthwhile.
Being a parent also means giving a child your undivided attention around the clock, which doesn’t leave a lot of space to take care of yourself. New parents tend to neglect their well-being and health by constantly making sure everyone and everything else is taken care of.
While this is understandable – taking care of a newborn requires a lot of work! – you should always leave time for yourself. However, this is usually easier said than done.
That’s why we have created a guide on how to sneak a workout in while taking care of your baby. At the end of the day, by loving and taking care of yourself you can completely allow yourself to love and take care of others.
As we know, every family dynamic is different, and below you will find different ways to work out which will suit whatever situation you are in. So both parent and child can remain happy and healthy!
Incorporate ‘Playtime’ Workouts Into Your Daily Routine
Depending on how old your children are, you can either work out alongside them or with them. The first option involves challenging your child to rock out some of your favorite exercises together or regularly going outside to hike, play games, or participate in sports.
The key thing with this option is to make whatever exercise you do fun to fully entertain your child so they will look forward to these regular sessions.
The second option is to literally make your child a part of the workout. This could range from holding your baby while doing squats to planking with your toddler on your back. Not only will this be enjoyable for your kid but, if you’re consistent, you should begin to see results.
This keeps you and your child healthy by helping you stay in shape while educating your child to be health-conscious in the future.
Create Your Own Home Gym
This doesn’t have to involve any fancy equipment or a whole room dedicated to working out. Instead, have some backup ‘tools-at-home’ to get your workout in without even leaving your home.
With some nifty shopping, you can find some at-home gym equipment at an affordable price. This could be anything from dumbbells, BOSUs, resistance bands, TRXs, and anything else to create your personalized at-home workout space.
Whether you complete your daily fitness routine in your living room, yard, or even your garage, you now have the equipment you need to do it virtually anywhere.
The best part about having your own kit is that when you do get the chance to go to a gym, you’ll have all the knowledge you need on how to use the gym equipment.
Spread Out Your Exercises
If you don’t have enough time in your day for a full workout, why not spread your exercises throughout the day with mini-exercises? Much like a grazing board, instead of eating everything all at once, you can pick and choose what workouts to do when, and where.
The easiest way to do this is by creating a morning to-do list of all the exercises you intend to do throughout that day.
This should be completed with the corresponding set of reps to be done when you have a few minutes to spare (this could be when your baby is taking a nap or is entertained by an activity) and progress through the exercises as much as possible. An example of this could be:
30 Squats
25 Jumping Jacks
20 Push-Ups
5 Staircase Climbs
50 Bicycle Crunches
Depending on your schedule, you can either alter and adjust your exercises to suit your day or create themes (such as cardio, upper body strength, cardio, legs, etc.) for a specific day – taking your workouts up a notch.
By the end of the day, you will have completed a whole workout without even realizing it!
Replace Screen Time With ‘Me-Time’
In today’s society, we are constantly surrounded by technology and screens. Whether this is a smartphone, television, laptop, or tablet, these screens are taking over our households and it is sometimes difficult to get away from them.
The next time you find yourself looking at a screen, why not use this time to incorporate a workout into your day? We are all guilty of it, the endless scrolling when we could be doing 101 different things.
Therefore, why not get into the habit of switching your screen time to hammer down on some exercise time?
Likewise, if your kids have a daily screen time allowance, odds are that they will be completely preoccupied with their devices – allowing you to achieve your workout!
Follow A Schedule
Rather than saying you don’t have time for a workout, why not make time for one by scheduling it? Generally, we schedule most things in our day such as, what time the kids get up, what time we eat dinner, and what time we go to bed. So why not schedule 20 to 30 minutes of ‘you-time’ too?
While we realize that a parent’s day can be extremely unpredictable, and a workout may not be possible every single day, it should be possible some days.
A great time to fit in a workout would be in the morning, when the kids are still sleeping, or in the afternoon after you put your youngsters to bed.
If you write down your schedule and fit time in for a workout, you will be holding yourself accountable and more likely to achieve your goals. Remember, consistency is the key to success!
Healthy Habits
While we all know how important it is to have a healthy diet, it isn’t easy to stick to one. When we start to eat with our health in mind, our quality of life increases rapidly.
Not only do you feel good on the inside, but you will also feel good on the outside. However, we know that this is not an easy feat.
In simple terms, as humans, we find pleasure in many different ways, and one of the more common pleasures is food. As a result, you could be unconsciously, or consciously, eating foods to help soothe your emotions that are not the healthy kind of foods.
If you create healthy habits and set your sights on eating as clean as possible, you will be in the right mindset to feel motivated for any kind of workout, rather than feeling unmotivated and lethargic.
Remember, a healthy body maintains a healthy mind.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, it’s hard to find time for ourselves with the hustle and bustle of children. However, it’s important to find time in your day to keep yourself healthy.
Not only will your body appreciate this, but also your mind. Hopefully, this guide has provided you with different ways on how to sneak a workout in while taking care of your baby.
Hi, my name is TJ Daniels. I am a certified personal trainer dedicated to health and fitness for the past 20+ years. We have found that consistency is the key to wellness and our company is founded on this philosophy. If you would like to learn more, please see our About Us page or Contact Us with questions, feedback, suggestions for future content, or collaboration opportunities. Let’s enjoy this journey together!
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