“Gosh, I’m so tired, I’ve been up with the baby all night!”
“I literally don’t know how I’d find the time to exercise, I’m so busy with work, after school activities
and the rest.......!”
“Coffee date? Gym? Walk? Coffee Date???”
“As soon as I’ve got the kids to bed, I’m heading to bed myself, I'M DONE!!”

Who can relate?

Finding time and motivation to exercise with little ones is sooooo hard, we feel like there is not enough hours in the day, it all feels too overwhelming. (as you stare at the mahooosive pile of washing that needs putting away!)
I think its important to think about the benefits of exercise.
Prioritising yourself will help to keep yourself, and your family happy and healthy.
For a lot of parents, exercise also provides that one time in the day where we can be alone and just
focus on ourselves, even if it is only for a short period of time. It’s a great way to recharge and reset.

Exercise Releases Happy Hormones, Wooo hooo!!!

We all need some of this when we are up against those terrible two tantrums or in my case my little Three-nager's attitude and tantrums!!! It’s a mood booster, It improves our self-confidence, helps us think kinder thoughts about ourselves and helps us feel stronger mentally and physically.
It also improves the quality of our sleep, which I know is hard when our little ones are awake in the night, but if we can get a few hours of quality sleep in between your wake period at night, it’s got to help, Right??

Exercise and general physical activity can help with weight loss or weight management, it Improves creativity and productivity.
A lot of us are working mums we are spinning a lot of plates and if we can be more productive and get a bit more done, I’m so down for that!!!!
I also think its great for your little ones to see you being active as this will benefit their health as theygrow up.


HERE ARE SOME TOP TIPS OF HOW TO FIT EXERCISE INTO OUR BUSY LIVES

Go Easy on yourself!!

Being a parent is very time consuming and takes a lot of energy. You may not have much time to do exercise so try not to put pressure on yourself to do too much too soon, start off slowly.

Just remember doing something when you can is better than doing nothing at all. Short home workouts are a great way to start, you can fit these in between nap times, meetings or even do them with your little one and just get a little sweat on at home! This is a great start.

Make the most of your lunch break!

If like me, you struggle to exercise in the evening, then why not try and fit 30 mins of activity into your lunch break, even if this is going for a walk!! Any kind of exercise that gets your body moving and raises your heart rate is a winner!! Plus, a walk is a great way to clear your head if you have had a busy morning!!!

If you work from home maybe look for a local lunchtime exercise class or yoga/Pilates class.

Dance!!!

Hands up, who loves a kitchen Disco with the kids? GUILTY!!!!! It’s the only rave I go to these days!!
I LOVE IT! Pop on some good tunes and dance! The kids love it, we love it, we are all smiling, laughing, and having fun!!!

We are all moving our bodies!! Raising that heart rate!! Releasing lots of happy hormones!!!

Family walks

The benefit of a good walk is sometimes overlooked. Getting in more steps daily can help massively with our mental and physical health.

So you are getting all the benefits whilst spending some quality (In amongst those insta reality moments) time with your family.It's also a great way for the kiddies to burn off some excess energy, you never know, they may sleepbetter which then in turn means that you will sleep better!!! #smallwins!

Team up with another parent

As I stand in the playground, I have conversations all the time about how other parents struggle to fitexercise in.

So, why not speak to fellow parents, and see if they would be interested in teaming up. Maybe your kids have the same after school activities, you could take them one week, and then the other parent could take them the next week, so that you have a free hour every other week.

Or, maybe there's a time when a couple of you could go and exercise together, whether it’s the gym, arun, a walk, yoga?? Exercising together can be a lot more enjoyable than on your own if you dostruggle with motivation.

I think the main thing to remember, is that fitting some kind of exercise into your week will massivelybenefit you and your family.

You will all be happier and healthier.

If you would like any help or support with how to fit exercise into your busy life, please get in touch
via Facebook & Instagram @Jen_Harden_Personal_Training or whatsapp 07825089791