Exercise with small kids

[shark]

What have been people's experiences with exercising while you're looking after your children full time?
I have got 3 kids under school age and find it hard to fit exercise into my day - actually I find it hard to fit anything much into my day once I've done the feeding, changing and tackled the laundry mountain :lol
Walking is great with a baby in a sling, but walking with all the kids doesn't burn the fat because I can only go as fast as my 3yo can walk.
Gym and organised sports aren't an option at this stage as my baby is too little for childcare and pretty much breastfeeds around the clock, plus it takes me 45mins to get to the closest gym that has decent child care facilities anyway.
So I have just rented a cross trainer while I can use for half an hour or so each night when my older kids are asleep and my partner is home to get baby if she cries. I'm pretty optimistic about this because the only other time I was ever slim AND really fit was when I used to go to a gym and used the cross trainers a lot.

Does anyone have any other good ideas?

[~ffm~]

Would you be able to get to gym first thing in the morning. I was lucky that my DH would be home from work by 4 most days. So he would go, then I would to gym, at 7 that night. But he then changed jobs, and now doesn't get home til 6 ish, so only he gets there at night. As from next week he's starting work at 8, so I will be going at 6 when the gym opens.

[shark]

They don't open until 6.15, and even if I got up at 5 to get there by then, I'd still have to leave the gym by 6.55 to be home before hubby leaves for work at 7.40, so no it wouldn't be worth it. Plus he would freak if he had to deal with all the kids in the mornings! I really admire you being motivated enough to be somewhere at 6am

[Johnny_walts]

Hello Shark,

Kids need special care so prior opting to anything for children you should be sure about that whether they are useful for children or not.

[julie78]

Hey there,

I had the same dilemma with the walking with a 2 1/2 yr old, naturally he walked so slow it was useless. I have since bought him a new bike with a parent control handle on the back, they are a great idea. I went from dawdling to just about powerwalking and jogging with him nagging "faster mummy".

Another good thing I found was exercise videos. Sometimes I will get out the taebo dvd and put it on and my son will come and join in, its hilarious but its a good workout and its just like playing to him.

[mumnbub]

Thankfully my son still has 2 naps during the day for 1 or 2 hours at a time so i can have a workout in the mornings and tackle house work in the afternoons (like washing and moping). I was walking each morning with him in a pram but it got to hot for the both of us.
Have been given a tip from a friend, fitness dvds are great as little kids think it is great fun to jump around being silly while you jump around being silly- at least thats what they think your doing. Have a look around and see if you can find one that the kids can have fun with aswell.

[EvilWombatQueen]

I don't have kids, but I've read two accounts of how women fit exercise around caring for their children.

One was the author of the Clothesline Diet. She would sit her child down and walk only a few metres away, close enough so she could still keep an eye on her child. Then she'd turn around and walk a few metres the other way. She'd repeat this many times over. You could do this in your backyard or down the park.

Another was a runner. She'd go to her local park and let her kids play in the middle of the oval while she ran around them near the edge. She could watch them the whole time and was close by for safety but she still managed to get some running in. And that way you don't have to worry about pushing a heavy pram or having a young child keep up with you.

Good luck! I hope you find a solution that fits your needs.

[sheena]

Exercise with small kids is a good idea Exercising with small children has plenty of challenges but also brings its own rewards. Added to this is the fact that if your children start exercising at a young age, it will come naturally to them and they will be more inclined to carry on with their exercise as they get older. This is, of course, to say nothing of the health benefits to even the smallest children who are getting plenty of exercise.

[Julia68]

I like the idea of running at the park with your children in the middle where you can keep an eye on them. That's a great idea. This site has been great - I keep clicking on links and finding out more great tips.

[Juzzy]

I get up at 5-6 am to head to my local swimming pool. Ive found it has also given me some time to clear my head (as well as exercise, obviously) and i know that someone is at home looking after my daughter so i can inturn look after myself.

Other than that, i would do what others have said and go running in the park with them. Or if they are young enough, put them in the pram and go walking.

I also do exercise while my daughter naps during the day.

[dragonfly]

I have a 2y.o and 2x 1y.o's, so hear ya on the 3 under school age bit. lcky the older 2 go to school.
I thought about getting up at 6am.... then stopped thinking about it HA HA HA.

I have a nanny who allows me to go walk by myself, as its too cold to take them out most days.

but otherwise we all go walking together. I have a twin pram with a toddler seat attatchment.

you can also get those add-ons that are like a bike that clip onto your pram too.

[dAnIeLLe]

I have the same problem.. i have 3 kids aged 18months, 3yrs and almost 5 yrs. The most exercise i have done is walking at night with either my mum or our dog (he is huge so no one will come near me lol) but i wanna do more! i been thinking of getting a workout dvd, i seen this one called 'Zumba' that i thought would be good for me and kids.. its like a dancing work out, im not good at dancing and would probably look like an idiot, but i think it would be one me and the kids could do, i think they would enjoy it. I would love to get out doors and take them to the park but i have a stupid skin condition (not sure what it is yet) but everytime im in the sun too long i get bumps on my face and chest that drive me insane. So the most i have come up with is walking at night and using a dvd..i would like to get into swimming or bike riding at night (when hubby not working) when i lose a bit more weight

Danielle..

[cymbahlee]

Love my Wii fit and EA Sports, my 2 & 4 year old do it with me. For some incidental exercise, my girls LOVE hide and Seek in the house at night when the twinfants have gone to bed.

[dAnIeLLe]

Yay borrowed my sister wii fit board and used it last night for 55 mins.. little sore today but got me sweating Think i will try and do that about 5 times a week.. of course new toy means i will probably use it for 7 days straight lol

[DeeEm]

I was going to suggest the Wii aswell. My two kids (aged 4 and 2) love to watch me. The 4 yo likes to 'help' and tries to encourage me as I exercise (bless her).
The "My Fitness Coach" is a great program to use with the Wii.

I do get out to walk but I make the 4yo sit in the pram. She's too big for it but I just explain to her that Mummy needs to walk fast. I know this may not work for some kids - I'm not beyond bribary though. If she's in a mood and won't sit in the pram, I'll promise the world to get to go on my walk! I'll walk up to our local footy oval and the kids play on the park while I do laps of the oval. We do live in a very small, safe town though - I guess this wouldn't be ideal in some areas.

Good luck with finding the time. It really is a challenge. I go to the gym aswell but finding the time to get there is really hard. It's also 30kms away so that poses even more problems.