Fitting Fitness Into A Busy Schedule

This week was week 3 for those healthy living conferences that I have been participating in. This week's topic was fitting fitness into a busy schedule. I think the most important thing that I have learned and that they emphasized in this conference is to let go of the all or nothing mentality. If you can only fit in a 10 minute work out that day, then get it in, don't be disappointed that you don't have 30 minutes because then the workout may not happen at all.

This conference was very much tailored to busy moms. But I have an blog post that is tailored to the busy working crowd.

I am a guest blogger for a company called Wellness Rebates today and that post is designed for women or men who have a hard time fitting in fitness because of a busy work schedule, so if that's you, you can check that article out here.

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How do you stay fit throughout the day:

• squat or lunge to pick something up
• sit on the floor more and do stretches
• right before you you go to pick something up engage your abs this will help you to use your core muscles more and use proper alignment

If you want to exercise more but to be fit, but not to lose any weight:

• supplement your diet by eating more fat (healthy fats of course)

Arthritis in both knees and hips:

• do gentle exercises to continue to move those joints
• try water exercises to relieve the pain in the joints

Don’t know where to start with exercise:

• use your body weight to exercise so you don’t even have to buy equipment
• example: do squats every hour for just a minute or so on your leg days
• use "walk at home" videos to start out slowly

How to get the best bang for your buck during a workout when you only have 30-60 min:

• adding intervals (HIIT style workouts)
• tabata style workouts
• elevating the heart rate higher than you can elevate it for a long period of time for a short interval
• when doing this with weights, take caution because momentum can take over muscle and that is when injury occurs

I have little kids at home and finding time to exercise seems impossible:

• let go of the all or nothing mentality
• if you can just do 10 minutes 3x throughout the day it is just as good as doing 30 min
• study says those that do this are more likely to exercise!
• try the 7 minute workout app or other apps or online video resources

It’s negative 13 degrees outside and there is snow on the ground and my preferred exercise is running:

• there are so many things you can do to break a sweat just as much as running outside does
• burpees, mountain climbers, etc.

How do you stay motivated with kids and so many sleepless nights:

• you want to feel better and stay energized for your kids, you want to be able to run after them and if you aren't in shape, this will be difficult for you
• the hardest part is always just committing yourself to do it, once you get over that, it will get easier
• there is a huge return on your time investment when you give yourself the chance to exercise
• it is okay to start slow, don’t just start right out with insanity, P90X, or cross fit, give yourself a

Exercise for pregnancy:

• continue doing what you have been doing but discontinue anything that makes you lay on your stomach
• walking is the best exercise for pregnancy
• water aerobics feels great
• find a maternity style yoga class

Starting a routine while you are pregnant if you were sedentary before:

• you can do it but you must start slow
• walking 2-3 times a week and just increase distance slowly and you must carry water

Running while pregnant:

• splinting while running to protect your tummy from the impact (if you have never heard of this visit fit2b.com and learn why this is important)

Interested in starting with the kettlebell:

• you can start out relatively light, maybe 10 pounds
• go somewhere where they can teach you the technique so you can perform the exercises correctly

I have joint hypermobility:

• do more stabilization exercises
• make sure you do things with both arms such as holding a car seat (don't over work one arm and under work the other)
• use cans/ jugs for weights
• use your kids as weights all while focusing on joint stabilization

Best way to build running stamina:

• anytime you back off from running for a while, your mileage decreases
• if you are at 5 miles and then stop running for 2-3 weeks you will probably be back to 3 miles when you start again
• do not push yourself too hard
• definitely be able to run a 5K in 30 minutes then you can start to add a mile every week when training
• if you push yourself too hard you may become injured and set your training back much further

How does exercise change through motherhood:

• it changes a lot, you go from having kids in diapers and not having any time at all to even sleep, to having teenagers and then finding that you've lived a sedentary lifestyle
• start now and make it a choice to exercise and to take that time for yourself even when it seems impossible

Thanks for reading everyone! I appreciate the love and support :)