Mom of 5 needing some ideas on how to exercise.

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rebeccaker
rebeccaker Posts: 54 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am new at this and need some ideas on what kind of exercises that I can do at home. I am a stay home mom and have an 8 month old and a 4 year old at home with me all the time. Any ideas? I will try anything!
Thanks for your help!

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  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Wow, well, maybe when the baby is napping you can do an exercise DVD with your 4 year old. My son is 5 and I can usually keep him engaged long enough for a 40 minute DVD by first asking him to join me, which he does for about 5 mintues and then he spends the rest of the time playing nearby or correcting me on my form! Good luck!
  • CarolynB38
    CarolynB38 Posts: 553 Member
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    Does your 4yr old like to ride a bike or scooter or something? Mine rides hers to school and I walk briskly behind. She waits for me every so often so she is never out of sight. You could put the baby in the buggy and that extra resistance of pushing it should add to the calories burned a little bit. I should imagine with 5 kids you are too tired to exercise once they are in bed but if you could manage something short I would recommend Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. It takes less than 30 mins and you don't need much space and it really works you hard so it is an efficient use of exercise time.

    Do you have a Wii? If so Just Dance is great fun and your 4 year old will enjoy it too. Perhaps you could try it while the baby is asleep and with any luck your 4 yr old will be so tired she'll have a nap too :laugh:
  • Visser1971
    Visser1971 Posts: 131
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    Hi there,

    I dance with my 3 year old while the 3 month old watches. We really boogie. I have on rare occassion managed to get them both sleeping at the same time, but I never count on that - so walking and running with the 4 year old, pushing the pram / stroller with the younger one will be fun for all.

    Oh, and my 3 year old likes to do Yoga moves and jumping jacks.

    Hope this helps! Christy
  • mommyfor3boys
    mommyfor3boys Posts: 16 Member
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    Hi, I'm also a mom well 2 of mine go to school during the day then I have a 1 year old home. I put him in the bouncer or in the high chair and i work out while he is eating lunch or snacks. I put him in the pack and play. I use my biggest loser dvd, and i also use the elliptical.
  • mommyfor3boys
    mommyfor3boys Posts: 16 Member
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    Hi, I'm also a mom well 2 of mine go to school during the day then I have a 1 year old home. I put him in the bouncer or in the high chair and i work out while he is eating lunch or snacks. I put him in the pack and play. I use my biggest loser dvd, and i also use the elliptical.
  • geminirooster
    geminirooster Posts: 34
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    I am new at this and need some ideas on what kind of exercises that I can do at home. I am a stay home mom and have an 8 month old and a 4 year old at home with me all the time. Any ideas? I will try anything!
    Thanks for your help!

    Thank the 4 year old outside while the baby is sleeping and run around the yard with him/her! You can do it!!! Try baby curls! Put your 8 month old in the car seat and use both hands to lift the baby up and down, build up your triceps!
  • geminirooster
    geminirooster Posts: 34
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    Does your 4yr old like to ride a bike or scooter or something? Mine rides hers to school and I walk briskly behind. She waits for me every so often so she is never out of sight. You could put the baby in the buggy and that extra resistance of pushing it should add to the calories burned a little bit. I should imagine with 5 kids you are too tired to exercise once they are in bed but if you could manage something short I would recommend Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. It takes less than 30 mins and you don't need much space and it really works you hard so it is an efficient use of exercise time.

    Do you have a Wii? If so Just Dance is great fun and your 4 year old will enjoy it too. Perhaps you could try it while the baby is asleep and with any luck your 4 yr old will be so tired she'll have a nap too :laugh:

    Hey - how did you get the cool graphic?
  • lilwashee
    lilwashee Posts: 222 Member
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    i agree with the dancing thing, i have young ones and i am a stay at home mother . i turn on the on demand feature and start the timer and bust a move to various songs lol..
  • StacyFrisbie
    StacyFrisbie Posts: 159 Member
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    I take my kids to the park. You can let the older kids play on the playground while you push the stroller around and around and around it. You can do lunges behind the stroller as well! While they're napping you can do exercise videos, and can take a family walk when the weather is nice with baby in a front carrier or the stroller. Designate a hallway in your house as an exercise hallway. Every time you go up or down it, do the strength exercise of the day. I do lunges, side lunges, squats, or drop for 10 situps or pushups in my hallway! Use cans of veggies while making meals to get an arm workout. I have 3 kids, I can imagine 5 would be even busier, but it can be done! Good luck!
  • SCR56
    SCR56 Posts: 64 Member
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    I also work out at home. I like different exercise DVDs. I really like palates, really helped to strengthen my abs. I walk around the neighborhood. I also saved up some money and bought an elliptical and some free weights. If you don't know how to lift weights the internet has lots of good programs to get you started.
  • Just1forMe
    Just1forMe Posts: 624 Member
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    Try the Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds videos....there are tons of them and they are awesome. You can add hand weights to increase the intensity. Get the kids involved in an activity nearby and pop the tape in. After you have been doing it for a while, you will be able to do the "moves" without the tape and you can do them even while watching another tv show in the evenings :) When exercise has to be squeezed in, it all really just come down to moving. Park at the back of the lot when you are running errands, go for a walk with the kids. Walk around the perimeter of the yard while they are playing...you get the idea!
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
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    Is there anyone in your neighborhood who you can trade child care with - if only for once or twice a week? Then you can really concentrate on your exercise. The other ideas are great, but a day or two to just focus on your needs is a wonderful treat for SAHM. Of course there's those times when you're returning the favor ... it's a give and take world. :)
  • kacbldmm07
    kacbldmm07 Posts: 96
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    You sound like me, mom of 6 boys. Two which are at home with me all day. Things I do, I have a double stroller so I walk with them. I take the hard route mostly up hill. I also bought an elliptical machine and before thwy wake up in the morning I do a quick workout of 30 min. We also have kinnect, so I bought zumba, and a fitness game which help because you can have two doing it at a time and I get them working out with me. You can always do laps in your back yard, push ups, and situps. Mowing the yard and heavy cleaning (scrub the kitchen floor) always gets me sweating.
  • koutwater
    koutwater Posts: 47 Member
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    I am a mom of 4 kids and I've lost a total of 220 lbs. after all 4 pregnancies. I would say start with Jillian's 30 Day Shred (only 20 min) during naptime and then work your way up to something else. I did P90x (big time commitment, but by the time you get there you should have your little one taking a one hour nap?) and got awesome results:) Good luck!
  • rebeccaker
    rebeccaker Posts: 54 Member
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    Ok I am getting Jillian's 30 Day Shred!!!!! So excited. Thank you all for the help. For some reason I was not even thinking about work out videos. I am also going to try some other ideas out! You guys are all so great!
  • aprilyankee
    aprilyankee Posts: 345 Member
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    I had 3 kids in 4 years, but that was MANY years ago as they are teenagers now. If you don't yet have a double or sit-n-stand stroller, get one. At the very least do a stroller and baby backpack. I had to have a double stroller and carry the youngest baby in a backpack carrier, but I walked my as* off, literally. Walking is the best exercise, weather permitting. I walked an hour a day religiously at a pretty quick pace. It will put the baby to sleep if they are up or fussy. The toddler can't keep up to walk on their own but enjoy the ride. I had a dog (who was incredible) and I would let one of the toddlers hold his leash while we walked so that kept them busy. Plus they enjoyed pointing out stuff like trees, look that cloud looks like a banana, etc. If the weather was bad, the dof still needed to get out and be exercised so rain or shine I walked. I didn't gain weight until they were all in school and I went back to work. It's been a struggle ever since.

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