Calling All Parents: How to "Fit" in Fitness during the After-School Rush
Are you lost in the haze that is your daily schedule after 3pm? Between school lunches, drop offs and pickups, after-school practices and dance lessons, finding 30-60 minutes 3-4 times per week to dedicate to maintaining and improving your physical (and mental) health is a hard-pressed task to complete.
My three children range in age from 8-14 years old. They are each involved in one sport and each takes music lessons. They have a plethora of homework every night. I realized I was spending anywhere between 3-7 hours per week just sitting around waiting for my kids at any given activity. I concluded that I needed to become a time management ninja or I was going to get lost in the shuffle. I decided to use that time for my cardio workouts. On days that I simply can't make it to the gym for a resistance training workout (I usually hit the gym during my lunch break a few times per week), I incorporate a variety of body weight resistance exercises into my cardio workout so my fitness level doesn't backslide during extra busy weeks.
During the average hour and a half practice or lesson, I average 5 miles while walking briskly. If you incorporate that aspect alone twice per week and change nothing else (assuming caloric intake does not rise) you could lose an extra 10-15lbs in one year's time. Obviously, that's over simplifying it and we will discuss metabolism and physiology in other posts. However, it becomes clear that a little bit of effort can result in substantial changes with consistency and time.
If you are thinking about starting a fitness program but, aren't quite sure where to begin, my mantra for fitting in fitness is: "Something is always better than nothing" as long as that something follows these guidelines:
- Safe - Getting injured while exercising is counter productive
- Progressive - So that you continually challenge your body as your fitness level increases over time
- Relevant - Considering your individual fitness goals and limitations (not a one size fits all workout).
To get started, we've put together some suggestions just for you. Check out our sample "anywhere" workout with how-to videos for each exercise. If you have questions about this workout or anything fitness related, we'd be happy to answer you in a flash! Just email us here: info@360fitnessonline.com.
"Anywhere" Workout #1
Warm-up - Walk 10 minutes
Perform 1-5 sets of the entire circuit of the following exercises resting 2-3 minutes between each set.
Body weight Squats (Advanced: Jump Squats) 10-20 repetitions
Push Ups 10-20 repetitions
Stationary Lunge (Advanced Reverse Lunge) 10-20 each leg
Side Plank 10-20 repetitions each side
Stationary Lunge (Advanced Forward Lunge) 10-20 repetitions each leg
Crunches 10-20 repetitions
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