WEEKEND EXERCISE AROUND A TODDLER?!!!

clarehaines
clarehaines Posts: 49
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
Im looking for some ideas of fun exercise for the weekends (when I cant get to the gym as I haveno babysitter!!) that can either include or not include my 3 year old son.

One of my previous posts I made a real mess up with the calories in Spaghetti and was told by several people to go on a 2.5 mile hike..... unfortunately this is not something I can do with a 3 year old (unless I take the pram and lets face it a 3 year old likes to walk not sit in a pram!!! But dont think he could manage 2.5 miles one way then back again lol!!)
Obviously I can go on walks with him but not ones that will burn serious volumes of calories!!

I bought a step aerobics step - and am having difficulties searching for a dvd to go with it.... HELPFUL!!!

So anyway, any ideas people have as to things to do in or around the home with a 3 year old id be ever so greatful!!!

Thanks in advance!!

Replies

  • sharidiane
    sharidiane Posts: 212 Member
    My girls are 5 and 6, and I have been doing this with them for years: 30 minutes of dancing. The first 15 minutes is just warm up, light sweat dancing, the next 15 minutes I alternate 1 minute of all out high intensity hip hop with one minute of lighter intensity.

    Although a 3 year old is likely to lose interest halfway through. So I used to have an activity that I would pull out for the second half - something really fun like playdough, and I would let them play while I danced and watched.

    Edited to add: my HRM says that I burn 270 calories with this. So, it's a great workout, and it's fun! Good luck!
  • Remi79
    Remi79 Posts: 346 Member
    I have Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and my 2 1/2 year old daughter likes to try to do the moves with me. It's funny to watch. Maybe just buy a workout DVD and if your kid wants to watch/join that will be nice, but if not, find him some toys or a game on the computer to play, so you can get your workout in. My daughter loves pbskids.org website.
  • sam23030
    sam23030 Posts: 76
    I have a stepper machine, similar to what you get at the gym but the back of your foot moves to the side on the way down, I often just do this infront of the TV, the machine tells me I'm burning 280 calories in half an hour, I'm not sure I believe it, but it works up a sweat and seems like a good exercise for the legs and bum. I live in the UK and got it in Asda for £20.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    what about a bike with kiddie seat...or what u could do is find another mom in your neighborhood looking for workout time and go to the park together ..one watches the kids while the other walks and then switch
  • clarehaines
    clarehaines Posts: 49
    Thanks for the ideas guys, yes keeping his attention span going long enough for me to comlete a workout is a bit of a problem because of his age right now but ill have a go at the above and see where |I get with it!!!
  • Dnsnyder
    Dnsnyder Posts: 263 Member
    I have Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and my 2 1/2 year old daughter likes to try to do the moves with me. It's funny to watch. Maybe just buy a workout DVD and if your kid wants to watch/join that will be nice, but if not, find him some toys or a game on the computer to play, so you can get your workout in. My daughter loves pbskids.org website.

    I agree with this. First, the 30DS is a great workout in a fairly short amount of time. Each circuit is only 25 minutes long (that includes warm up and cool down).
  • boobear00
    boobear00 Posts: 53 Member
    When my son was that age we had workout with mommy time. I incorporated him into my workouts in ways that made it fun and entertaining for him. Using him as my bar for overhead presses, letting him first hold his hand on the floor to see if I could touch it while doing pushups and when I got stronger, lying on me while I did push ups. Doing situps or crunches where we got to high 5 at the top. Challenge your toddler, this is how you do a lunge can you do more than me. For me it worked and it kept him active. Good Luck!!
  • Ashlane
    Ashlane Posts: 5
    I have a 20 month and 6 year old and we hike...i put the 20 month old in a carrier on my back and my 6 year old is old enough to be able to walk/hike herself and she does a good job with it and does now complain.....we also dance, swim (we have a pool). also my 6 year old and i race in the back yard and she usually wins but it is a for sure workout for me becuase she wants to race at least 5-8 times, so i am out of breath!
  • healthyjen342
    healthyjen342 Posts: 1,435 Member
    These are GREAT ideas! When I don't go to the gym, and have to exercise at home and my son is awake (He's 17 months)...I either find a workout on exercise TV on demand or I make up my own doing moves I have learned doing other videos..Yesterday, I made up a "Crazy 8's" routine where I did cardio moves in sets of 8 (or 16 if I had to alternate)...then doing 10 squats in between...I had the music on, and my son was right there with me..dancing and such! We had fun and I burned 240 calories in 28 minutes...
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
    I am really interested in this issue as well. We have a 2.5 yr old and I am already afraid of the fall/winter. We live in a cold climate and the weather is really cold for 7-8 months of the year, and at least 2-3 months is so cold that is not advisable to be outside more than 15-20 minutes with a small child..
    For the few summer months cycling works great for us though. We have a bike trailer and our son loves to sit in it.
    Often we make a nice long afternoon of biking/playground trops together. I pack everything while he naps: snack/ water/ extra clothes into the trailer, and when he wakes up, we ready to roll in minutes. He usually still a bit sleepy and get hungry/thirsty after nap. In the trailer he can take his time to eat the snack, which usually takes forever ;)
    I checked out all the playground within 15 km radius from our house. We bike at least half hr, but max one and half hr to a playground. Then we let him to do his exercise routine( = play on the playground). We let him play for an hr or so, then we head home. It work well for us.
    We also like to hike and my husband carries him on a carrier. However hiking sometimes works out, sometime not. If the hike is steep, he walks a bit and gets tired very soon, then he is in peace to be carried. Unfortunately, when the hike is flat, he want to walk, which means the hike becomes slow motion picture.

    i hope i can find here some other great ideas, because I have no clue how can I workout during the fall/winter months. I think that is part of the reason my weight got out of hand. He has just got tubes into his ears, so we can not do any swimming/ aquatics for a year or so. He is too little to try any winter-sports, especially as he has some gross motor delay. I have been searching for some mom and tot fitness classes in my area, but so far there is nothing. I have find a few salsa tot dancing and me and baby yoga class , but all of them are scheduled weekdays morning, which is not suitable for working moms.

    I am trying to find some good mom and tot fitness DVDs, but other than that I have no clue.
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    i have a 3 year old and a 4 year old, and i have a phil and teds pushchair which i sometimes run through the park with them in it. Im planning to get some runs in over the summer holiday with them this way. Any 3 wheeler with inflatable tyres is generally ok for running with
  • corpus_validum
    corpus_validum Posts: 292 Member
    With an active 3-yr old boy that wouldn't want to stay in a jogging stroller for long and without tiring him out too quick, here's my top suggestion for weekend exercise:

    Trailer bike
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_bike

    Secondly, and less expensive: soccer or T-ball
    Let him kick/hit the ball, then you sprint after the ball and pass it back to him. T-ball: you sprint to the ball, run back and place it back on the T for him. He has fun kicking/hitting and you get your HIIT (high-intensity-interval-training) in.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    I finally bit the bullet and took my 3 year old on a 5 mile hike in the Spring. It involved stopping a lot and I've worked out that when he gets grumpy it's almost always because he's hungry. I piggy-backed him quite a lot that first time, but with my dh the next time he managed the whole distance without being carried. Now he often asks to go on that walk again.

    We walk everywhere, as I don't drive and we live in a town where we can reach a lot within 2 miles or so. I try to do routes where the journey home can be on a bus or train if needs be.

    Kicking a ball around together is great exercise too. I just never know how or whether to log it.

    Otherwise, I've done the 30DS just before going to bed, and now my dh and I are doing the 100 Push-ups Club in the same time slot.

    Good luck finding a way to keep active. I'm a teacher so I get a whole summer with my son now. My worry is whether I'll lose too much or not :laugh:
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
    I am really interested in this issue as well. We have a 2.5 yr old and I am already afraid of the fall/winter. We live in a cold climate and the weather is really cold for 7-8 months of the year, and at least 2-3 months is so cold that is not advisable to be outside more than 15-20 minutes with a small child..
    For the few summer months cycling works great for us though. We have a bike trailer and our son loves to sit in it.
    Often we make a nice long afternoon of biking/playground trops together. I pack everything while he naps: snack/ water/ extra clothes into the trailer, and when he wakes up, we ready to roll in minutes. He usually still a bit sleepy and get hungry/thirsty after nap. In the trailer he can take his time to eat the snack, which usually takes forever ;)
    I checked out all the playground within 15 km radius from our house. We bike at least half hr, but max one and half hr to a playground. Then we let him to do his exercise routine( = play on the playground). We let him play for an hr or so, then we head home. It work well for us.
    We also like to hike and my husband carries him on a carrier. However hiking sometimes works out, sometime not. If the hike is steep, he walks a bit and gets tired very soon, then he is in peace to be carried. Unfortunately, when the hike is flat, he want to walk, which means the hike becomes slow motion picture.

    i hope i can find here some other great ideas, because I have no clue how can I workout during the fall/winter months. I think that is part of the reason my weight got out of hand. He has just got tubes into his ears, so we can not do any swimming/ aquatics for a year or so. He is too little to try any winter-sports, especially as he has some gross motor delay. I have been searching for some mom and tot fitness classes in my area, but so far there is nothing. I have find a few salsa tot dancing and me and baby yoga class , but all of them are scheduled weekdays morning, which is not suitable for working moms.

    I am trying to find some good mom and tot fitness DVDs, but other than that I have no clue.

    Sometimes I work out at night when Daddy is home. Sometimes I work out when the 2yo is napping (Tae Bo or Insanity DVDs). And I dont use this feature, or at least haven't in a while, but I know that some gyms offer free babysitting if you have a membership and are going to work out or take a class.
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