Stay Fit ... With Kids in Tow

I used to work as a teacher and during the summer I finally had time to exercise ... but I also had a three year old. I loved my time exercising and I loved having my daughter around but I found it challenging to have both at the same time. Here are some things that I found worked great for us.

1. Exercise while at the park - Little kids love love love going to the park, at least mine does, and I love exercising at the park because for me, exercising outdoors is always better than exercising indoors. There are several ways to "exercise at the park" with your kid.

   1. First if your kid always wants to be on the playground then go there and use what you can. You know trying to force your kid to move over to the grass if he/she doesn't want to is not going to end well for either one of you. So go with the flow and follow your kid, just be ready to do the following if you're at the playground.

      1. The seesaw - If you're lucky/unlucky enough to have a seesaw at the playground and your kid loves to play on it, then you can hop on the other end and go up and down doing SQUATS while they have fun riding. Hold onto the seesaw but don't you dare let it take any of your weight. Control the motion of going up and down to really get your thighs burning. For extra fun add a jump as you go up to involve your quads. Just don't jump too hard or else your kid will hit the ground hard on the other end.

      2. Swings - This is gonna sound embarrassing, and it probably is, but hey, who cares? When you're at the swings you can do LUNGES with each push of your child. You might have to go fast to keep pace with their swinging, or just take it slow. You can also work on your forearm strength by pushing your kid just with the tips of your fingers, and make sure you're actually pushing them so that you get your forearms burning.

      3. Platforms/bars - playgrounds have high platforms and bars all the way around so that the kiddos don't fall off. These provide great places for you to do some PULL-UPS while your kid plays. If you're not ready to embarrass yourself that much in public, you can instead just lift your kid onto that high platform over and over. You lift them up, they slide down and run back to you. Do it again and again until your arms are burning.

      4. Benches - if there is a nearby table or bench and your kid will happily play while you head to the bench you can do TRICEP DIPS. If there isn't a bench nearby I'm sure you can find something on the playground to use.

      5. Other - there are a ton of other exercises you can do, jumps, jump squats, push-ups, sit-ups, etc. The thing I want you to realize is that you just have to get creative with this. Look at the playground equipment and see how you can use it to tone your muscles and get your blood pumping. And remember, if you get halfway through your push-ups and your kid wants you to stop and play then do it! They won't be this young forever and you can always go back to your workout once they get distracted again.

   2. If your kid doesn't necessarily need to go to the playground, and would be just as happy running around on the grass then go there and create an exercise routine for yourself. I memorized a yoga routine that I found on YouTube (I love yoga and after a week of the same routine I more or less had it memorized) and started doing that at the park. It's a little nerve wracking if other people are around, but once you learn to ignore them it feels great to do yoga outside on the grass. I started doing this at the park and my daughter actually began to join me. I had so much fun teaching her the poses and watching her try to do them. She also gives me an extra challenge because she grabs onto me to balance so I have to balance my own weight as well as hers. We fall over a lot but we have so much fun laughing about it together. However, she can't do a whole yoga routine straight though, so what I found works is we pull out some snacks and water (my daughter loves goldfish so that's what we use, but make sure it's something you're willing to eat too) and put them on a nearby rock or bench which becomes our home base. Then we stretch our legs for a few seconds before running as far as my daughter wants to go across the grass. She picks a good spot and we go through one round of the yoga routine. It only takes a few minutes to go through one round of a routine and I speed it up a bit for more of a cardio push and to keep my daughter entertained. Then we run back to the rock/bench as fast as we can and grab a snack (one goldfish) and a sip of water (my daughter insists on a drink each time) before starting over with stretching our legs (which is really the end of the yoga routine - you reach down to touch your toes before jumping to plank, I just split it up with some running in the middle). Stretch, run, routine, run, snack and water. I have two different routines and I try to get through each of them twice for each side of my body so it keeps us busy for a while and as long as I keep up a good pace my daughter stays entertained. Some days she loves it and will stay with me through both routines, some days I barely get through one routine but as long as I get some good stretching in I don't make a big deal about finishing the entire workout.

      1. If yoga isn't your thing you can easily adjust this to whatever exercises you love to do (or whatever ones you want to do, even if you don't love them). The running is already built into the workout, when you run from the rock/bench and find a spot to exercise you can do push-ups, sit-ups, planks, burpees, bicycles, jumping jacks, squat jumps, etc. Anything that is mostly a stationary workout will work well. Do 10-30 reps then run back to the bench for a snack, then run back to do another set, over and over and. over. Whatever you do just don't stop moving. My kid loves running back and forth with me, getting the snacks for both of us, and after a few days of doing this she took charge and told me what to do each time (at least what she could remember). It might not work very well the first few days, but stick with it and soon your little one will want to copy all the things you're doing.

   3. My last suggestion about exercising at the park is that if you want to take your kid to the park every day and you want to exercise every day, then don't miss the easiest way to do both of those things. RUN to the park every day. I always laugh when people drive to the gym to go exercise. In my mind it would be cheaper to run to the gym and back for your exercise. So make sure if you're serious about exercising then find a good running stroller and use it every day (you can probably find a used one online for cheap). The park near my home is about a mile away so it gives me a nice run and some time to myself. Think about it, your kid is strapped in and not demanding your attention constantly so you can actually spend a few minutes to get lost in your thoughts while getting those endorphins up. If you're starting out, just run a bit and walk the rest, don't expect to be in great shape at the very start. Just make sure you're getting out, spending time with your kid, and staying active.

2. Exercise while at home with your kid

   1. If you're like me, then you might find a minute where your child looks like he or she is going to play by themselves so you steal those precious moments to do some exercise, but three seconds after you start push-ups your kid is all over you asking what you're doing and if they can try. If that's you then you are in a great position to workout with your kid! Seriously, this is the best! Okay, not always, but it can be really fun. You may have to adjust the exercises you do but you can still get a good workout in and have lots of fun laughing with your kid at the same time. Here are some things my daughter loves to do with me (and how I modify it to work for us):

      1. Jumping jacks

      2. Burpees

      3. Skipping - surprisingly a pretty good workout if you really get into it

      4. Jogging in place - make sure to go fast and get your knees up.

      5. Lifting weights - I would recommend using dumbbells (not a bar) and make sure you have some small weights for your child to use next to you. My daughter loves to copy whatever exercises I do with her own set of hot pink 2 lb dumbbells.

      6. Planks - For an extra challenge and if your kid is bored, have them climb on your back while you do these. Just remember to laugh when your muscles ache and smile through the pain.

      7. Sit-ups - sometimes my daughter does these with me, sometimes I have her stand on my feet while I do them, and sometimes she ends up crawling all over me and sitting on my knees while I try to do them. I just tell myself to laugh at her always getting in the way instead of getting angry that I can't do my workout.

      8. Squats - do these face to face with your child and make sure you make silly faces while doing them. You can add a jump when you come up because what kid doesn't love jumping around. For an extra challenge or if your kid loves to climb, have them climb on your back while you do these, just make sure you balance your center of gravity right so that you don't hurt your back.

      9. Squat jumps - either do them with your kid, or do them with your kid on your back. If you have your kid on your back then jump softer because their chin will come crashing into your shoulder/head and it's not fun for either one of you. We like to do 180s or 360s with our jumps to add an extra element of fun.

      10. Wall sits - have your kid sit on your lap if you're feeling extra adventurous.

      11. Try out whatever things you love. I'm sure with a few days practice at this new routine your kid will start joining you and stop bothering you as much. Remember to be flexible. If they suddenly tackle you from the side while you're doing planks then laugh and play for a few minutes with them to let them know you are still paying attention to them. After you've given them some loves, get back to the workout, even if they're hanging onto your back while you do it.

   2. If your kid simply isn't interested in exercising with you and demands your attention, it may be hard to know what to do for exercise. I recommend memorizing a routine you can do (this is why I memorized two yoga routines) and have it on hand for those spare few minutes when your kid gets distracted by a toy and plays by themselves for five minutes. Even if I only get through my routine one time this way, I count it as a success because at least I got some exercise in. If your kid never gives you even a few minutes to exercise and you really want to, then buy a running stroller or bike add-on and hit the roads. Most kids love going on walks/runs/rides and seeing the sights while riding in a stroller. Make sure you bring snacks because you know they're going to ask for something while you're out. If you have older kids they can run with you or ride their bikes alongside you.

Whatever you do to workout with your kids, just remember to have fun, push yourself, and stick with it. Once your little one(s) learn the daily routine it'll be easier.