The Toddler Regimen™

sarah2954

As I was outside playing with my toddler yesterday, I had an epiphany. If we all lived like toddlers, we'd be super fit and healthy!


Activity:

They are very active, ALL THE TIME. Even when they are doing a low key activity (coloring, reading a book), they are still fidgeting and have to get up and move every two minutes.

Sleep:

They get lots of it! They sleep 10-12 hours a night, and often nap in the afternoon, to allow their minds and bodies to recover from all that activity.

Stress levels:

They have a very low level of "responsibility" stress, paying bills, organising the day, making sure the meals are nutritious & nice, etc I find that this eats into my enthusiasm for life & can become quite an obstacle to how much food, rest, etc that I get. ***Contributed by hongruss

Nutrition:

The key to it all...They eat a well rounded diet - lots of produce, lean meats, whole grains, dairy, a bit of fat a sugar. They eat often throughout the day (many of them are grazers - not wanting to sit down for a meal but taking a few bites here and there). They only eat when hungry and absolutely stop when full - have you ever tried to convince a toddler to finish her meal? Ha! Mine will even walk away from an ice cream if she's full!

So that's my proposal. What do you think?

Francesca3162

My kids are grown.. but when they were 3 and 4......i followed them around one weekend and did whatever they did.. move for move.. bite for bite........................ let's just say at end of each day, I was exhausted................. and that doesn't even count all the learning that their brains go though in a day..........

sarah2954

My kids are grown.. but when they were 3 and 4......i followed them around one weekend and did whatever they did.. move for move.. bite for bite........................ let's just say at end of each day, I was exhausted................. and that doesn't even count all the learning that their brains go though in a day..........

I'll bet you were exhausted! I don't think I could do it :P

tpittsley77

I have a 3.5 year old and a 6 month old. I am exhausted just keeping up with them. Joining mfp, getting on track for a healthy lifestyle, working out, has helped me gain energy to keep up!

UrbanRunner81

this is pretty true! But goodness I think my son out ate me some days. haha. He has always been a big eater but skinny as a stick. He never stops moving even being 7 now. Never stops.

abetterjune

Great idea!

angieleighbyrd

I could follow my 10 month old around all day (well i basically already do), but I'm not drinking formula! LOL

I refuse to follow the teenager around, that's just scary

sarah2954

:bigsmile:

I refuse to follow the teenager around, that's just scary

I'm pretending my kids will skip the dreaded teen years :bigsmile:

FindingSamMon

I've actually logged a workout as acting like a 2 year old once when my son and I had a particularly active time (marching, dancing, wiggling etc.).

sarah2954

I've actually logged a workout as acting like a 2 year old once when my son and I had a particularly active time (marching, dancing, wiggling etc.).

See? You can be a paid actor in my infommercial.

hongruss

I would like to add that they have a very low level of "responsibility" stress, paying bills, organising the day, making sure the meals are nutritious & nice, etc I find that this eats into my enthusiasm for life & can become quite an obstacle to how much food, rest, etc that I get.

We have just returned from shopping & my daughter likes to be the "adult" when we shop, as adults push the trolley BUT as we approached the till she quickly relinquished her role when I asked her to pay haha My daughter is four lol.

Russ

sarah2954

^^^ AHH! I forgot about the low level of stress in their lives! Even when they do get stressed, they forget about it very quickly... "He stole my tru......ooooh something shiny!"

Echo17121

I teach three year olds and if they could run all day they would! I have had the same thoughts as you and really want to clip my fitbit to one of them someday and see what they burn! Haha! Since I am generally active with them aside from outside free play time, I burn so many calories on a work day!

sarah2954

I have had the same thoughts as you and really want to clip my fitbit to one of them someday and see what they burn! Haha!

There's an idea!!

momtokgo

I'm pretty sure my kids eat more then I do some days, and they are 2 and 4. The 9 year old is a bird like eater, but my two little ones eat their weight in snacks every day. For lunch yesterday my daughter had strawberries, blueberries, a jam sandwich on whole wheat, 2 peices of turkey, and pretzels and she was still hungry.

Between the 3 kids they have eaten a whole chicken before. Literally. 2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 breasts. Gone.

korsicash

I have one, I get up with my husband at 4:30 in the AM just so I can have a couple hours to prepare for his day!!!! The coffee needs to kick in before we start his schedule.


In that you forgot full out body throw down temper tantrums. Then get up brush yourself off and act like the scene never happened. Seriously if I threw a fit like that I would nap!

mandi2r

My little one is 15 months... And I think the only time he is still is his nap times. If we could live our lives like them, then yay! But with life and work and everything else we (well I know myself) has to take care of, there is no energy left, and definatly no time for a good nap..
But I like your thinking

BaDaSsBrUnEtTe

Lol so true! I have a 2 year old, and I think "chasing toddler" should be a loggable exercise.

jsapninz

Cute! The whole diaper thing might be tough to go back to though....