Mom of needy toddler!!

tissyazd

Anyone else mom or not find it hard to find time to exercise. I am a mother of a needy, very stubborn 20 month old. Yes, I give in to her all the time and no I am not willing to change that. I can only exercise when my husband gets home which is tough since we have a ton to do in the evenings. She won't ride in a stroller very long. Any other suggestions of exercise to do with a toddler. I do run on the elliptical for about 25 min. three times a week. But, would love to find things to do with my toddler that are fun and also help with my weight loss. Thanks!!

tjadk23

I have a very needy three year old as well. I bought The Biggest Loser Cardio Max DVD, and my son will jump around with me. It keeps him busy while I work out. Also, it's only a thirty minute regimen, so I can usually tell him to go play while mommy exercises, and he keeps himself occupied. Another option is to get up before your baby does. Do what it takes to get moving. It will be worth it!

KiriKiriKiri

It's hard! I completely understand!!! I have a toddler with some special needs which make it difficult to exercise unless my husband is home. The stroller thing was a problem, but I gradually increased his time day by day in the stroller. I had to tether him into it using a harness because he would unlatch and run in the opposite direction... I also have to work out when he is napping. As much as I hate using that precious time for my workouts, I just have to do it. Do you have a bike with a toddler seat? Would that work? Best of luck to you!

hiddensecant

Have you thought about Gymboree? It's supposed to be for the babies and toddlers but the adults get a serious workout! There are a lot of games that involve carrying and bouncing your kiddies all over the place.

tissyazd

I have a very needy three year old as well. I bought The Biggest Loser Cardio Max DVD, and my son will jump around with me. It keeps him busy while I work out. Also, it's only a thirty minute regimen, so I can usually tell him to go play while mommy exercises, and he keeps himself occupied. Another option is to get up before your baby does. Do what it takes to get moving. It will be worth it!

That's an awesome idea!! I will try that. She is still too young to understand the "go play by yourself" thing yet or at least she is not willing to! She actually will play by herself UNLESS she sees that I am trying to do something else! Lol! I love her more than life itself, but she is tough! LOL!! She loves to dance, though, so maybe I can find a dancing DVD or something. Thanks for the suggestion!

tissyazd

Have you thought about Gymboree? It's supposed to be for the babies and toddlers but the adults get a serious workout! There are a lot of games that involve carrying and bouncing your kiddies all over the place.

I WISH there was one close to us, but sadly there is not! I would love to find something similar close by!! Thanks for the suggestion, though! I did do Mommy and Me Yoga when she was a baby, but they don't have a class for toddlers

amyday1

Mine are all grown up 15 and 18, but when they were little I remember it was hard... Go to the park and be a kid again.. Play with her, litterally chase her around the play ground. Go for long walks use her as a weight when she wants to be carried. Trust me that will burn up some calories. : ) HAVE FUN.... In other words turn play time into workout time.

melodyg

YES! I have a 4 year old who used to LOVE the stroller... but now is too big for it so I am in a similar dilemma. I do have to say that the stroller is still a good idea... even a short 15 minute walk will help. Do you have anywhere near by that you could walk to (we have a pond with ducks about 1/2 mile away)... or kids that age love to just go explore the neighborhood!

My little boy is older, so he is more able to entertain himself as well... but he loves to exercise with me too. We do Walk Away the Pounds workouts or I have a Wii program that I do sometimes. Yes, he gets bored in 5 minutes and then spends the rest of the time running circles around me... but I can usually get in about 15 minutes of walking or cardio/strength training. With a 20-month old, I'd use HER to exercise. Fly her around the room, swing her up and down, give piggyback rides.

I also try to get out a few evenings in the week after my husband gets home from work to take a walk. Fortunately for me, he is on board with me getting more exercise and so that works out (it also helps that our little boy goes to bed early since he doesn't nap anymore). I've gotten up a few mornings to exercise before he leaves for work... but I'm still working on that one!

Another idea is to check out groups on this site -- seemommyrun.com -- and see if there are any groups in your area. Sometimes there are groups of moms who will get together to walk or run. I know that brings up the stroller issue again but maybe if it is with a group of other kids (with a promise of a trip to the park later!) it will work better? It always helps to have someone you are meeting to exercise!

hiddensecant

Another option with a toddler are workout videos. Keep them short like the 30 Day Shred (under 30 minutes). You can get her a pair of toy weights and encourage her to work out with you and even help you with some of the exercises. Also, if you go to a site like meetup.com, you might find some other couples or moms in your area that would like to exercise as a group with their kids.

YES! I have a 4 year old who used to LOVE the stroller... but now is too big for it so I am in a similar dilemma. I do have to say that the stroller is still a good idea... even a short 15 minute walk will help. Do you have anywhere near by that you could walk to (we have a pond with ducks about 1/2 mile away)... or kids that age love to just go explore the neighborhood!

4 years old is a perfect age to get him walking! This year our 4-year-old would walk a full mile to school and another mile back home four days a week.

A month ago we started going hiking on Saturdays with his older brother who is 7 and hubby ... we started off with a 2 mile hike and bump up the mileage and elevation each week ... yesterday was our 4th backpacking trip at 5.5 miles with a 1500 ft gain. They both carried 2 liters of water and their snacks up and down the mountain.


By the way, this is what we're training for: Half Dome ... I was planning to do this with hubby but the boys heard me talking about it and decided they wanted to go too. It's 16 miles with a 3000 ft gain. We expect to brave it in June of next year.

KiriKiriKiri

Another option with a toddler are workout videos. Keep them short like the 30 Day Shred (under 30 minutes). You can get her a pair of toy weights and encourage her to work out with you and even help you with some of the exercises. Also, if you go to a site like meetup.com, you might find some other couples or moms in your area that would like to exercise as a group with their kids.

YES! I have a 4 year old who used to LOVE the stroller... but now is too big for it so I am in a similar dilemma. I do have to say that the stroller is still a good idea... even a short 15 minute walk will help. Do you have anywhere near by that you could walk to (we have a pond with ducks about 1/2 mile away)... or kids that age love to just go explore the neighborhood!

4 years old is a perfect age to get him walking! This year our 4-year-old would walk a full mile to school and another mile back home four days a week.

A month ago we started going hiking on Saturdays with his older brother who is 7 and hubby ... we started off with a 2 mile hike and bump up the mileage and elevation each week ... yesterday was our 4th backpacking trip at 5.5 miles with a 1500 ft gain.

That is amazing and thanks for adding that pic!!! Great work! Kids def can do the mileage if you keep them entertained. My son who is 3 (the one with the special needs) will do a full 2 mile loop with me, at a very slow pace of course. And my 6 year old just started running 5K's!!! It sets a great example for your kids!

hiddensecant

That is amazing and thanks for adding that pic!!! Great work! Kids def can do the mileage if you keep them entertained. My son who is 3 (the one with the special needs) will do a full 2 mile loop with me, at a very slow pace of course. And my 6 year old just started running 5K's!!! It sets a great example for your kids!

Our 7-year-old has Autism ... he's the driving force behind most of our hikes. He really wants to see what's on top of half dome (doesn't believe the white part isn't snow). I swear I try to explain that the rock is white and it wont be snowing when we climb it!