How in the world do you find the time to exercise after kids?
If you were like me, before kids, I loved to run. I wasn’t great at it by any means, but it gave me time to myself, and made me feel good about eating whatever I wanted.
Fast forward to two kids later. And I’m wondering how can I find the time? How will I not feel guilty for taking time to exercise when I could be spending it with my kids?
Things to remember…
It’s okay to do things for yourself. If it’s important to you, find a way. Maybe your husband can watch your kids for 30 minutes (I know this might be impossible!), or maybe your sister or neighbor could play with the kids while you go out for a jog.
If you don’t have someone to help…again FIND A WAY. Maybe keep a pair of dumbbells near your couch. During every commercial squat and lift your weights. Or, if you have steps, take 2-5 minutes and just run or walk up and down them. Pop in a video and let Jillian Michaels kick your butt with your kid hanging on your back.
Take baby steps. This was hard for me. I had to take a break from walking as exercise during pregnancy, so jumping back into a workout regimen after nearly a year was not easy. I was expecting to be able to plank as long as I used to…. Pshhh!!!!!! My core was gone. So right now, I have to just understand this is OKAY, and now I am working up to it. I’ll get back there eventually!
Put on tennis shoes. I find if I put on my shoes I am more likely to stay active–whether it’s actually getting on the treadmill, or just getting my steps in cleaning my house. I have to admit–I stole this from my mother. When I was younger, I always used to ask where she was going when she was putting on her shoes. She said, “Nowhere! I’m just going to clean the house.” And now here I am… when I have my tennis shoes on…it really does keep me moving!
Do NOT feel stressed about working out after a baby. Your body just did something AMAZING. You worked up to 9 months growing your baby, so expect it to at least take that long to get close to normal again.
Maybe you don’t need to work-out…If you are producing milk (yay! go you!) You might be able to shed some pounds that way. I was lucky in that sense with the first babe. However, the second didn’t work that way, so I was nervous that baby weight would not come off. But I am embracing my body as it is…it just did something incredible! And just watching my portions and making sure to get my steps in every day!
Whatever your obstacle…guilt, or physical inabilities of some sort…just remember to love your body. No matter your look on the outside–most people are not wondering why you haven’t lost the baby weight…they are probably just wondering if or how you slept last night. 😉
xoxo,
Brittany
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