Fitness Routines for Stay at Home Mothers

A fitness routine is usually one that can be followed on a regular basis. There are exercises, routines and trips to the gym that create a workout pattern that assists you when you get in shape. When you are a stay at home mother, with children under the age of five, a routine is only a dream. Then how do we manage to try to stay fit and have a workout routine? It’s all about being creative and working with what you have!

Try to use nature! Kids love to be in the park, running around and they love it (even as older toddlers) when they go for a really fast ride in a jogging stroller. Walking, running or even a pleasant trot is what I do to try to get cardio going. I try to do this twice a week, sometimes with a jogging stroller and sometimes with kids in tow. I do however; find the swings at the end of the walking path often derail my walking effort.

One to two times a week I head to the gym. I prefer not to use daytime daycare even though my gym has a quality program. It’s my preference, but it means I work out at night. I tend to spend at least twenty minutes on a bike or elliptical to get my heart rate up. I find that this gets me a little adrenalin energy to move onto some weight training. The gym I frequent has a nice circuit of machines that are meant to target all muscle groups of the body. I like to try to do the entire circuit in about thirty minutes. This helps with toning and builds muscle.

As a stay at home mother you have to be flexible (no pun intended) and work with the time you have as well as the situation. If I know getting to the gym may be tough when I am unable to find someone to watch the children, I use the Wii Fit or Zumba for Wii. Naptime is the best time for me to work out without interruption. The hardest part is making sure I use that time for working out and not the laundry list of things that need to be done. These programs are fun, but are not in my opinion as efficient as a trip to the gym. In a pinch they get the job done! No matter how it happens, I still manage to exercise 3-4 times a week, but not always a cookie cutter routine!


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