photo by funsportchallenge

I recently was on the road for a three day span and was out of my usual training element.  They were three busy days and it was also raining at my destination.  Finding time to fit some fitness in and also connect with my little boy at home was a challenge.  I actually found that doing workouts from the book 90 Second Fitness Solution really made a difference for me.  It was cold and rainy and a run or outside fitness was out of the question, so I made sure I committed to my usual wall squat and plank to maintain my strength and get my heart rate up.  While the workout is quick and simple (15 minutes) I felt much better getting some strength work in.  I know that I wrote about the book in a prior post (90 seconds to a healthier, fitter, active mommy), but I have really seen a difference in my muscle tone over the past couple of weeks.  I have been regularly adding his short, but intense, 15 minute workouts into my weekly schedule and I have been impressed with the success I have been seeing.

So this brings me back to my “on the road” workouts.  I actually did wall sits while talking to my husband and son.  I have to stay in touch and with my busy schedule it was a great multi-task exercise.  It made me feel better and it actually made me forget much of the burn involved in the wall-sit.  As busy moms, it is always important to prioritize our busy lives.  Make sure you make time for your own well-being and fitness, even if you have to multi-task!

by Hajin0127

Winter time is always a struggle to stay in shape.  While here in Phoenix we have mild winters, it is still cold early in the morning and late in the evenings.  The real problem for me is how late the sun comes up and how early it goes down.  In the winter, I am forced inside because of lack of sunlight and sometimes because of rain or cold.  Keeping motivated while working out indoors is always a challenge.  Your choices for cardio in the gym usually center around the bike, the treadmill, or the elliptical trainer, not leaving much room for variety in your workouts.  Once in awhile I can get a cardio class in at the gym, but due to my hectic schedule as a working mom, it is hard to make their schedule.  I enjoy spinning, but the class is too late in the morning for me to be able to make it to work.  The evening classes cut into dinner time, family time, and bedtime for my son.  So how can we keep variety in our workouts so we don’t become stagnate or bored?

I enjoy doing interval training on a treadmill or bike.  I find a constant speed is good on some days, but on other days I will do cycles of fast and slow running or biking.  One of my favorite cycles is a 3 minute blast at about an 8-9 exertion followed by 2 minutes recovery at 3-4 exertion for a 1/2 an hour.  I like changing up my speeds and getting after it for the 3 minute time frame.  The 2 minutes allows me to recover in between the fast blasts.  I also like to play with the intensity on the elliptical trainer and the incline on the treadmill to mix up my workouts.  You can also mix your cardio blasts with weight lifting.  My husband started a new program called Crossfit, they mix their cardio and weightlifting while focusing on certain muscle groups.

In this day and age, it is so important to have a support network.  We all know how hard it is to motivate ourselves to workout when there are so many other things pulling us away; food, sleep, that TV show, our kids, etc.  That is why it is so important to schedule your workout times into your day.  I have found one of the easiest ways to keep yourself on track and get yourself out the door is to have a workout buddy.

My current workout buddy and I meet three mornings a week at the Y.  While I can only stay for a 30 minute cardio boost, having her there helps to drag me out of bed in the morning and keeps me committed to my goal.  It definitely makes me accountable to someone and I don’t want to miss our workouts.  In addition, she makes it fun to be on the elipitical or treadmill because I have someone to talk and chat with.  Back in October, she was out of town for two weeks and I proceeded to not get up the entire time she was gone! 

My advice, find someone who you can meet up with a couple of times a week.  It could simply be for that afternoon walk after work (I have a buddy for that too!) or someone who you check in with weekly to check on your workouts.  I have a friend in Michigan who is trying to lose the baby weight and we check in with each other on our progress.  Make it an even bigger goal and find something that the two of your are shooting for; weight-loss, a 5k run, or a triathlon.  But even those afternoon walks/talks are a great way to have support and get your body moving.  Accountability goes a long way!

A little tip for working out when your are at home with your baby, DANCE.  Tonight I turned on music while my son was eating dinner, while it may have backfired for a great dinner it was great for a workout.  He asked to get down and dance and we danced around the house for at least a half an hour.  If you want to have fun and get a good workout, turn on your favorite upbeat music and get on the floor and dance with your child.  Add in some squats while you lift your child in the air (they love this), do some high knee marching, and twirl around the room, your heart rate will get up and you will get some strength work too!  ENJOY!