33
1487

An Easy Way to Exercise with Toddlers

Ever since I had Sunshine, I’ve been trying to find an easy way to exercise with toddlers hanging around me.

An Easy Way to Exercise with Toddlers

When we lived in northern Alberta, the local pool offered moms n tots aquafit, which was awesome, but I haven’t found that anywhere else (most pools have too many moms to offer in-pool childminding for toddlers).

Biking with the girls in a trailer is, well, a LOT of exercise, plus sometimes a lot of whining from the back. (And when I’m out breath from pedaling, it’s hard to issue dire threats about what will happen if they don’t keep their hands to themselves).

Most of the time, I get my exercise by piling them into the stroller in the late afternoon (when they’re bored and tired) and walking down the steep hill to the beach and back up again.  However, there’s a Starbucks at the bottom of the hill that sometimes makes the trip there and back negligible, if we’re looking at calories lost.

Then I saw this on Pinterest:

7 minute workout (aka how to exercise with toddlers)Bingo.  Something I can do from home, anytime, that doesn’t require a huge time commitment or exercise equipment.  And something I can get the girls involved with.  Or at least not bored out of their minds and whining at me. They think it’s funny to try what I’m doing.

And believe me, it’s a workout.  The first time I tried it, I was sore for a week, and I don’t often get sore from exercising.  I couldn’t even complete the whole 15-minute workout.  I’m working up to that…

While exercising, I turn on the girls’ favourite CD and they try to do the exercises with me. At first, I tried timing the workout as suggested, but realized it was better to be flexible.  Now, I do one exercise (say, jumping jacks) for as long as their interest holds (or until I run out of breath) and then start something else (like running in place).

Another idea I’ve tried is home workout videos.. Like the poster, these get the girls involved and can be done at home. The workout videos vary the above workout a bit and offer more tips for doing each exercise. Now, if I’m short on time, I just go through the quick routine in the poster. If I have a bit more time to exercise or feel like trying something new, I’ll turn on a video.

Overall, it achieves two objectives for me: I get to spend time with my girls and I get some exercise.

How do you fit in exercise with toddlers?

This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Show Comments

7 Comments

  1. Sara March 22, 2017
  2. Koala Bear Writer April 5, 2012
  3. Kimberly April 5, 2012
  4. laborofwonder.com April 4, 2012
  5. Jenni April 3, 2012
  6. Koala Bear Writer April 2, 2012
  7. Jo @ To a Pretty Life April 2, 2012

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.