Exercising with young children at home...
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I work out at 5am while the kids are sleeping. I do Turbo Fire. It has me in such good shape that I bet I could easily run a 5K.
5am?? FIVE AM??? Dear lord, NOOOOO :sad:0 -
Unless your kid has a problem I would get him involved in running too. My son is 4 and he runs backwards and tells me to speed up! lol Scooters are really fun and pretty easy for the kids to learn how to ride, especially if you get one that is his size.
Leslie Sansone are really cool DVD's to do at home. cheap, don't require much space etc.
We have a track near my house that my kids play in the grass in the center while I run around them. And we also have a few nature trails that I stuff my kids into strollers and hand them a juicebox and I just go.
We also really love to just kick a ball around the yard. We always end up laughing and having a great time. They also enjoy the dance games on the wii.
Seriously? 4? is that good for their little legs to go that far? *LOL* Maybe I'm equating children with young puppies and hip dysplasia too realistically
Too funny - we just started out seeing what we could do and he can 1 mile jogging easily or 2 miles walking. I have never been comfortable pushing it much further. I think he wants to be Dash from The Incredibles.
Just dance and Zumba on the wii do not require the wii fit board. I would start with something like that, if you go the wii route.0 -
Cool Thanks Darth Jenny! I have tomorrow off of work, so it's really the perfect time to test out this theory.... 0
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Jillian micheals.. Any of her dvds but I do 30 day shred and banish fat boost metabolism0
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You have gotten some great suggestions already. I wanted to second the having him ride his bike while you run. I often pass a woman and her son that are doing that in the mornings on my run. They were out there on weekday mornings before school was out, so he must have been about your sons age.
Another idea is to find another mom in your area and trade workout times. I used to do this with a lady down the street from me when my kids were young. She would bring her kids to my house and they would play with my kids for an hour while she went for a run, then she would stop by when she was done and pick them all up and they would go down to her house for an hour while I went out for some exercise. We would do this a few times a week, when our schedules allowed. The kids loved the playdate and we both got a full hour to workout ALONE (honestly, the alone was better than the workout).
Another option is the playground. I used to "play" on the playground while the kids were there. Its amazing how much a swing works your abs! And there are the monkey bars, ladders to climb and more. Just find a quiet playground without a lot of kids to trip over and you can get in a great workout!
Also, the pool is great for this. Your son can splash and play in the shallow end and your can go a few feet over and tread water, scissor kick, or practice your breast stroke. 0 -
If you can't make your lifestyle fit your exercise choice, then you need to choose your exercise to fit your lifestyle.
If C25K isn't going to work for you, then you need to find something that WILL work for you. I'd LOVE to be able to get out and walk/run more - but with four kids (only two in school) that just doesn't work for me. So instead I'm in the gym because they offer childcare...even though the confines of those walls is really not my preference! On the days I'm stuck at home because of naps or other circumstance I use DVD workouts (big Jillian fan here). Sometimes the only thing I can squeeze in with the kids is to have a "dance party" WITH them - turn on the tunes and bop around like crazy with my 9.7.4 and 2 year olds! It's not ideal, but it gets my heartrate up and burns up a bunch of calories.
Where there's a will there's a way. If you have the will to exercise you'll find a way to make it work! 0 -
What works for me with my kids is to either switch babysitting with my neighbor who also has young kids and needs workout time. I also do DVD's at home but the kids would be right there making it difficult and climbing on me so I learned that if I put their show on t.v. and I put my workout video in our portable DVD player, my kids feel good being in the same room with me but not climbing all over me since they are so into watching their show and I get my workout in. It works really well when you are doing the same video over again (like 30 day shred). My older boys also love running with me, they think it is so great to beat mom to the finish line and we are always having races!0
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Yeah, I do DVD's before he gets up in the morning. If I can't fit them in until the afternoon he likes to do them with me which is hi-larious because he's 2. Try a kick boxing dvd, I bet he would think that's really cool.0
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Unless your kid has a problem I would get him involved in running too. My son is 4 and he runs backwards and tells me to speed up! lol Scooters are really fun and pretty easy for the kids to learn how to ride, especially if you get one that is his size.
Leslie Sansone are really cool DVD's to do at home. cheap, don't require much space etc.
We have a track near my house that my kids play in the grass in the center while I run around them. And we also have a few nature trails that I stuff my kids into strollers and hand them a juicebox and I just go.
We also really love to just kick a ball around the yard. We always end up laughing and having a great time. They also enjoy the dance games on the wii.
Seriously? 4? is that good for their little legs to go that far? *LOL* Maybe I'm equating children with young puppies and hip dysplasia too realistically
Too funny - we just started out seeing what we could do and he can 1 mile jogging easily or 2 miles walking. I have never been comfortable pushing it much further. I think he wants to be Dash from The Incredibles.
Just dance and Zumba on the wii do not require the wii fit board. I would start with something like that, if you go the wii route.
I started swimming competitively when I was 4. Let see, what else did I do when I was 4 . . . gymnastics, ballet, acrobats, tap, soccer, basement wrestlemania, owl pellet hunting, tree climbing . . . I had an older sister and 4 older cousins to keep up with, besides our parents would push us out the back door and say "go play, inside is no place for kids." I don't really know why parents don't find it fitting to make their kids active, and then we wonder why there's an obesity problem.0 -
Wii fit. My 3 and 5 yr old do it with me, and you can still get a good workout if you push it. Their favorite exercise is the 2 player run.0
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These are great suggestions! I'd personally though just get a new stroller, there are many that go to higher weight limits. I used to walk with two almost 5 year olds in a double! I figured out with the kids and the stroller I was pushing $128 lbs, quite a work out!
It would also put them to sleep! lol
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/D-WVlhl4H8wXvcTFWu6bIQ?feat=directlink
I'm now home bound because I had foot surgery but I do yoga a home and my 5 year old does it with me.0 -
My mom used to take me to the gym with her. A lot of gyms have a place for kids, some even have programs for them too. Most of my knowledge of weight training comes from when I was 10 and my mom enrolled me in some sort of kid's fit program at the gym. Surprisingly, I remember a lot and still use it! haha.0
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Hiya! You'll see in my signature the DVD programs I follow at home. I love them. TurboFire is definitely boosting my cardiovascular endurance. I'm hoping to do my first 5k in 2012 (at Disney) and I've signed on to do Tough Mudder next year with a few fitness buddies I've met online.
I'm a single mom with 2 kids (a 5 year old girl) and a super hyper 3 year old boy. Taking them for walks is out of the question. My boy would take off, and to be quite honest, that little sucker is FAST! lol
I do early morning workouts, before they awake. Sometimes I do late night workouts, if I wasn't able to rise that early in the AM.
Best wishes!!0 -
I still put my 3 and 4.5 year old in the stroller. They are used to it now, so they don't balk. I pack snacks and drinks and we go. They behave pretty well because they know we usually hit the playground when mom is done exercising. Hoping to get another full year and then some with the double stroller. Because I know once I pack the stroller away it will become much harder to keep a steady pace with them.
Yep!! 2 yr old and 5 yr old in a double stroller. Plug my ipod into a set of portable battery-op speakers, pack a soft-side cooler, hats and sunglasses, and off we go. We end up either at the playground or Dairy Queen, so they love it. It's extra effort for me (75 pounds I'm pushing uphill and down!)
Poor stroller has about had it, tho.0 -
Bump! I have the same problem. one more year before my youngest goes to school so I'm stuck.0
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a nanny for a 1 year old and bring my one year old son and i am always on my feet with them anyway but they love to dance and we do my dance video together and i will take my son to the park and run around with him. I think you said you have a 5 year old boy right? if yes maybe get a kick boxing video or something he would enjoy doing with you. I also turn cleaning my house into a workout and my boys love to help. Good Luck and make it fun 0
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o and if they have a bike they can ride they can ride while you walk/run at the park or walking trails. or just go for a nature walk together it may not be a 5k but its up and moving and a good start 0
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I seriously never considered taking him with on a "real" walk *LOL* I can honestly say I don't think it would do me much good. Perhaps when he starts biking, though! That's a good idea.
DVD suggestions?? I had bought a few just... hated them But really need to get moving, so bring it.
Try Leslie Sansone " Walk Away the Pounds". I love them!! And sometimes the kids get involved while I am doing them!! 0 -
I bought Wii yesterday and so far I LOVE IT! I bought it with a Wii fit package which comes with the CDs. It works out everything for you, weight, BMI, the minutes of exercise that was done and the calories burned. I also bought a Zumba game for it, I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, I too have a 2 and a 3 year old, So I will be trying that out later once they are in bed 0
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I'm lucky because although I have an almost 3 year old I work from home and she goes to nursery/grandparents a couple of days a week so I get two whole days where I can fit a workout in. I'm doing a DVD at the mo and do it from my laptop so I can keep an eye on her in the living room, but she can watch Micky Mouse or whatever for 20 minutes! She usually just copies me and pretends to do the exercises though which is fun but can be distracting.
I go to zumba one night a week which is a late one. I have my other half here but could you get someone to sit for an hour and do a night class?
I also run - again though it relies on my other half being here as I'll try to do this early morning or evenings. A DVD is possibly your best bet!0 -
Seriously? 4? is that good for their little legs to go that far? *LOL* Maybe I'm equating children with young puppies and hip dysplasia too realistically
Lol I haven't really used the buggy for a long long time. I might need it once every few months if a) Jessica is poorly/extremely tired or b) she needs to eat 'on-the-go'.
I always say that children learn to walk for a reason at the ages they do, and that's not to be pushed around all day long lol. Maybe I'm a cruel mother? I suppose with our daughter being so small (about 23lb and almost 3 years old) we do have the option to just pick her up and carry her a fair way before we get tired arms!0 -
I nanny a 5 year old and she LOVES doing workouts with me. Especially my 30 day shred because she feels like she beats me when it kicks my butt!
We also go to the track at the neighborhood school. She'll bring her bike or scooter to practice and I'll run. She keeps up with me without tiring so quickly.0 -
I have an almost 5 year old and he walks up to 2 miles with me or rides his scooter or bike. I also bought him some 1 lbs weights and get him a box to stand on (step bench) and he will do my DVDs with me from time to time.
Also, if you have games like the Wii or Xbox Kinect, you can both get some workout time in while having fun. My son and I love Kinect sports and Dance Central.
I have a gym membership but don't really trust the gym daycares, be careful with those. A lot of them are not regulated by the same guidelines as regular daycares. A lot also don't require ID to pick up the child. Maybe it's different at other gyms but that's how it is at mine and I dont feel that it's safe enough for my kids.0 -
I have 3 boys (8, 7, 7), and when they're home from school (like in the summer), I use exercise videos. This summer I was working out to ChaLean Extreme. Most programs are around 30 min., which is a small amt of time for them to be able to occupy themselves.0
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I seriously never considered taking him with on a "real" walk *LOL* I can honestly say I don't think it would do me much good. Perhaps when he starts biking, though! That's a good idea.
DVD suggestions?? I had bought a few just... hated them But really need to get moving, so bring it.
I know it's old and cheesy, but I absolutely love the Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies. It's fun and cute and doesn't really feel like a workout so much since it's mostly old dance moves adapted for a workout.
Most DVDs bore me, but I really love that one (I only have the first one since I don't like the music in the later ones).0 -
I have a 9 year old son, he joins in on the 30 day shred with us 0
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Yes, a real on-topic question *gasp*
Anyhow, I would really like to get off my lazy *kitten* and would invite ideas for your best tips on making exercise "fit." Particularly, I'd like to couch to 5K. Single mom - can't exactly leave a 5 year old at home to go for a walk/run, go to the gym, etc. and he's too old for a stroller. Is anyone a single parent that's got good advice on this? I don't yet have a treadmill, though I'd love one.
i have a 5 yr old and a 20 month old he goes in carriage and she goes on her bike and i hit a track and walk it while she rides. Or i do a video at home. I have a membership tot he ymca also so i have daycare when i hit the gym but before i had the option i did one of those. My 5 yr old loves doing videos with me and she actually makes me do them she keeps bugging me lmao we one day did a 20 min jillian michaels video i was pooped within the first 10 min and she was like we need to do this 2 times mom come on lol i was like what heck no lmao we like to do the latin dance videos together and laugh at eachother cause we look silly lol0 -
You have gotten some great suggestions already. I wanted to second the having him ride his bike while you run. I often pass a woman and her son that are doing that in the mornings on my run. They were out there on weekday mornings before school was out, so he must have been about your sons age.
Another idea is to find another mom in your area and trade workout times. I used to do this with a lady down the street from me when my kids were young. She would bring her kids to my house and they would play with my kids for an hour while she went for a run, then she would stop by when she was done and pick them all up and they would go down to her house for an hour while I went out for some exercise. We would do this a few times a week, when our schedules allowed. The kids loved the playdate and we both got a full hour to workout ALONE (honestly, the alone was better than the workout).
Another option is the playground. I used to "play" on the playground while the kids were there. Its amazing how much a swing works your abs! And there are the monkey bars, ladders to climb and more. Just find a quiet playground without a lot of kids to trip over and you can get in a great workout! Also, the pool is great for this. Your son can splash and play in the shallow end and your can go a few feet over and tread water, scissor kick, or practice your breast stroke.
My husband rides while our 4 year old rides his bike...he has to go at a slower pace...he still has training wheels...but he lasts longer on his bike.
I got a treadmill of Craigslist and then was able to save up to get a better one.
As many other said. Jillian's DVDs are great and fast
Our YMCAs around here all have childcare where the kids get to play supervised and you can workout.
Good luck!0 -
Yes, a real on-topic question *gasp*
Anyhow, I would really like to get off my lazy *kitten* and would invite ideas for your best tips on making exercise "fit." Particularly, I'd like to couch to 5K. Single mom - can't exactly leave a 5 year old at home to go for a walk/run, go to the gym, etc. and he's too old for a stroller. Is anyone a single parent that's got good advice on this? I don't yet have a treadmill, though I'd love one.
Leave him in a closet with a small snack and some toys. < first suggestion, I am not however any sort of parent. My second bit of advice would be a neighbor. A lot of gyms do have a daycare so people can drop off their kid and work out.0 -
Im not a single mom but I do childcare in my home and have up to 6 children ranging from 6.5 months to 7 yrs, I know, Im crazy! My oldest will go to school soon so that will leave me with 5 kiddos and my husband has the time right now where he can take my 4 yr old sometimes to help out (hes my hardest!:). I plan my video (p90x, baron babptiste yoga, turbo jam) exercise around their naps and run either in the am before all the kids come (my husband has my 2 and Im thankful I have him!) or in the evening when they go and its a juggling game but I HAVE to get in my workouts or I dont feel complete and my husband and I have a balance of his time and mine (but you could use a sitter or drop in daycare for your time:). As far as taking them with you? We do up to 6 mile hikes with our kids and ya its sometimes hard for them so we take turns piggy backing (and often times its me volunteering as I love the extra burn!) a large 4.5 yr old and ya we did have to build up to that but we hike regularly buttes and trails and small mountains... really really good for the kids and us! I just read about how (in runners world mag) its ok to start with running for my 7yr old and shes interested and that makes me ecstatic! Cant wait to start!0
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