A few squats at a time
It’s a completely understandable statement - I don’t have an hour to exercise today! I mean, right now, who does?! As a mom, not only does it feel impossible to find the time, but at home there are so many distractions and demands.
The all or nothing approach can make us feel that we have failed. We need to feel we are succeeding!! It will keep us energized and on the right path. When the pandemic began I wanted to keep moving – for my physical, but more importantly, my mental health. I found that 12 minutes was the perfect amount of time. It’s not intimidating, you can sneak it in between commitments and it can completely turn your day around, a little sweat and a lot of energy. The energy from exercise is a real motivator for a lot of us as we juggle ALL the responsibilities right now! If even 12 minutes seems out of reach (or maybe this is in addition to the 12 min) here are a few ways to incorporate little bits of movement throughout your day that can really add up!
1. Do 10 squats before and after: brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, drinking coffee, 10 when you wake up… you get the idea. Habit stack – add 10 squats or lunges on to a couple tasks you are already doing during your day and have it add up to 5 – 10 minutes.
2. While pushing a stroller –
1. walking lunges for 2 minutes
2. arm presses for 2 minutes
3. side crunch elbow to knee 1 minute on each side
4. side shuffles 1 minute on each side
5. high knees for 2 minutes.
3. 10 minutes of yoga as soon as you wake up. Pick out the video the night before, lay out your clothes, set an alarm across the room, wake up and move your body for 10 minutes.
4. 4-5 bursts of 4 minutes throughout your day. Pick something that will get your heart pumping fast – mountain climbers, burpees, jumping jacks (modify all as needed), squats, lunges. Pick times, maybe before meals or some other time that is already baked in to your day.
5. Create a list of exercises (or use one of mine) and pick 6. Work for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds each minute. Do each one twice. 12 minutes done, and you will feel like a whole new woman!
Bonus: do 5 squats every time someone yells “mom”. You’ll have buns of steel in 24 hrs (totally kidding, your legs will give out, this is a terrible idea, at least if you live in my house!)
Repeat after me; I WILL find 10 minutes today to move my body!
As with most of what I teach, it is simple, but it’s not easy. Use tools like alarm setting, block your calendar, put a timer on repeat to go off every 2 hours. There are hacks to make this happen, but if you don’t put it on your calendar or remind yourself some way, it’s easy to let the day pass you by! Finally, you can ask for help. Find an accountability partner – friend, spouse, me! Good luck, keep moving and come back here for more!
xo
