I think this is the most popular question asked by moms these days. Staying at home for weeks, due to the COVID-19, is the reality for everyone now. We still don’t know how long it will take to get our previous lives back. In the meantime, though, we need to figure out how to cope with the new reality that we so suddenly found ourselves in, and how to split our time between work, childcare and household duties. How about spending some time doing sport or exercise? It’s an essential activity that you shouldn’t skip, especially in this rough time.
Any exercise is like a blessing for your physical and mental health, boosts your body with endorphins, and strengthens your immune system. After exercising even for a few minutes, you will feel much better. Start with small steps and increase the length and strength of your workout day by day, then, feel the difference. I’m a mother and I know it is not easy to exercise at home having kids around. But I also know that impossible is nothing for those who believe and especially for mothers! We are true superheroes and our crucial skill is creativity. That’s why I want to share with you some suggestions on how to exercise during self-isolation time having your kids around.
Choose your activity
If you love running, you are in the best situation. Just find some motivation in yourself and make a running schedule. The weather is getting better and days are getting longer, there is no excuse. You can run in early mornings, before your kids wake up, or in late evenings, after they fall asleep. Of course, try to run in isolated places and keep one and half meter distance from the others. Don’t forget to do some stretching exercises after every jogging session. Stretching tired and sore muscles after doing the workout is essential as it enhances flexibility and reduces muscle tension.
Exercising at home, with training videos from YouTube or other training platforms, is a perfect replacement for a session at the gym. To successfully follow up most workout videos online you will just need to have your favourite pair of training shoes on and a yoga mat. If you are more advanced, you should equip yourself with dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance band and Pilates ball, at the very least. You can easily, and without leaving home, order all fitness accessories from online sport shops. Those shops will deliver your fitness equipment in a few days directly to your doorstep.
One step to start
Do not over exercise yourself! In the beginning, it is better to choose a lower intensity training and start with 30 minutes long gentle workouts. The aim is to build your resistance gradually and stay motivated.
Your kids also need to get used to it, so give them time and make workout part of daily routine. Of course, it depends the age your children are, but you can try to involve them in your trainings. They can mimic what you’re doing, or you can ‘use them’ as weights in squats or push-up exercises. Alternatively, your little athletes can be next to you during your workout session and play freely with their building blocks or other favourite toys. You can make up something enough entertaining and engaging for them to focus on for little longer, while you are sweating on the mat. Don’t worry about giving them little extra screen time. Personally, I don’t ‘love’ using technology as a crutch but do what you got to do to be able to perform your workout session at home.
The truth is that in the beginning, it may be more challenging to exercise for 30 minutes or longer. You need to know that it is okay if you are not able to follow up the entire workout session the first time you do it. Have real expectations and do not look for excuses to give up! You can break your workout into shorter sessions you can do throughout the day. When the kids are more used to it, you can add in time.
Sweat and play
How about teaching your kids some healthy habits? One brilliant idea is to do trainings dedicated for children. You should choose easy and simple exercises and make it fun. The best way is to turn your family workout into a game and use some accessories like a jumping rope, a stability ball, colourful rings and bands. You can convert the workout into a simple dice game. Take 30 cards and one dice. Assign one simple exercise to each card. The number on the card will indicate the number of repetitions. Mix the workout cards with cards containing some funny tasks or questions, to make your game more interesting and fun for your children. The content of the game cards depends only on your imagination, and obviously you should match it with the age of your kids.
Another excellent idea is to choose favourite music and dance with your children until you all get tired. You can pretend to be an awesome rock star and play on an imaginary guitar (or a real one if you can) or mimic a glam pop star with a hairbrush as a microphone in your hand, singing as loud as you can. Children like fooling around and will engage quickly with out-of-the-box activities.
If you prefer something more peaceful, you can do yoga for kids. Inspire your children to get up and move. On the internet, there are tons of engaging yoga videos for children. Yoga helps kids to relax, relieve stress and anxiety, sleep better, and improve emotional well-being. Practicing yoga with kids also teaches them how to be more mindful and self-aware.
Stay healthy!
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to exercise during self-isolation period, with or without your children around. The hardest part is to get started but once you do, you will love it and get used to your new active routine. After completing few workouts, you will start loving the feeling when endorphins are released, and you get this energetic and powerful kick. Moreover, regular exercising improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative moods. Do you still need some extra motivation? Just imagine how your body would look like after several weeks spent sitting at home, watching TV and skipping workouts! Scary, right? My last advice: Don’t wish for a better body, work for it!
Written by Monika Huss.
