Exercising Whilst At Work
Finding the time in your busy day for exercise can be tough at the best of times. Finding the time for it whilst at home with kids is even more of a challenge. So it’s then no surprise that fitting exercise into your schedule whilst working as a nanny can be downright difficult.
A sheer lack of hours in the day can feel like the odds are stacked against you, especially if you’re working long hours. Scheduling your alarm for 4.30am so that you can get up and go for a run and be back and showered and off to work for a 7am start is just not realistic. Neither is trying to get to a gym class in the evening when you’ve got off work at 7pm. Because if you’re like me, you’re desperately craving some alone time, some quiet time, and some bedtime!
And yet we all know it’s important to exercise.
| We know we need to be fit and healthy and be seen as a role model for our children.
More than that, we need to be fit and healthy for ourselves; so that we can be peppy, and positive. So that we can be the happy-go-lucky people whom enjoy spending our days deep in glitter and Frozen costumes.
Right now I have a hectic schedule in the nanny life. I’m booked on for 5 days a week with 4 kids, one of which is a full on toddler with ants-in-her-pants all the time. There are days when I barely have time to stop and think let alone take my coffee out of the microwave after it’s been reheated twice. But I know that if I don’t squeeze exercise into my day, I can quickly lose control of things. Because when you can get away with wearing sweat pants and loose, kid friendly clothes at work, you can often get away with hiding a few extra-unwanted kilos too.
So here’s 8 ways to squeeze exercise into your day, even when you’ve got a house full of kids and a to-do list to stick to.
8 ways to squeeze exercise into your day
Get your Buda on | pull out the soft mats in the playroom and do some yoga with the kids. They’ll enjoy it as much as you do!
Jump high | join the kids on the trampoline for a quick but intense cardio session
Embrace your Beckham | instead of watching from the side-lines, join the backyard soccer game
Walk the dog | by taking the dog out for a half an hour walk each day you can get some fresh air and sunshine, keep active and teach the kids about caring for their pets
Hit up the local park | if you find yourself usually stuck inside, schedule time into your day to get to the park. Grab a Frisbee or play a giant game of hide and seek with the kids
Invest in a running pam | running prams are expensive. But they pay off big time! Most prams can hold children up to the age of 8years, so there’s no excuse not to clip them up and head out for a solid run.
Dive into the pool | swimming is a great activity and an essential life skill for Australian kids. Be sure to remember your 1-piece and get swimming!
Boot Camp | if you’ve got littlies, book into a small closely run exercise class that has an onsite crèche. That way you can get in some exercise whilst the little one benefits from some much-needed socialisation and interaction.
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How do you fit exercise into your day? Do you exercise with kids?
This post is linking up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT
Good ideas here, it can be very difficult to exercise with children.
Thanks for linking #LetKidsBeKids
Great List Hope, It is pretty easy isnt it. Thanks for linking up for Sunday Brunch xx
Mums Take Five recently posted…Oats and Honey Cornflake Cookies
I definitely need to take some of this advice! I love the trampoline idea. We’re thinking of getting one this Christmas.
Bec @ Seeing the Lighter Side of Parenting recently posted…Motherhood vs Story of O
You’ll surely have so much fun with the trampoline! It also makes a great stand-in table for those impromptu fairy tea parties. xx
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl
I’m so slack with exercise but I do try to walk the kids to and from school at least a couple of times a week.
Tonya, The Crafty Mummy recently posted…Deep Sunday: Working from Home
Good on you Tonya, it’s surprising just how easily we can get our daily movements in just by popping outside for walk with the kids. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. xx
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl
I love to have little “Dance parties” with my son, and even the kids at the daycare centres I have worked at! The best thing is that the kids don’t judge my dance moves like adults would haha, and I can pull out the weirdest most old-school moves!
Love all of your tips and you have just reminded me that I need to get the tyre on my jogging pram fixed 🙂
Alix @ Fabufitmum recently posted…Oh Hi Uncle Rocky
Haha so true – kids sure love it when you pull out the old favourite dance moves. #noshame Oh, what kind of jogging pram do you use?
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl
I jump on my exercise bike six days a week. 40 ,minutes watching a Greys Anatomy on DVD and I feel so much better.
EssentiallyJess recently posted…A Country Practice #IBOT
Woooo go you good thing!
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl
Great suggestions. I really want to try to get my kids interested in yoga so they can motivate me to do some at home. A great one for us is playing just dance on the wii (such a great cardio workout and we laugh as well)
Deb @ home life simplified recently posted…What do you look forward to?
Oh *face palm* can’t believe I didn’t think of that when I was writing this post Deb. Great point, all of those activities on the Wii and other video games sure are great ways to get the kids moving. Thanks for popping by. xx
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl
Such a great post Hope!!! I like to get involved in their games – gives me a bit of exercise and the kids love it too!
Shelley@MoneyMummy recently posted…Chicken Pot Pie – Family Recipes On A Budget
It’s always good to indulge them with their games isn’t it – truly makes their day! xx
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl
All those little things add up, don’t they?
Lisa@RandomActsOfZen recently posted…Dolphins?
They sure do Lisa! Thanks for popping by. xx
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl
My kids love yoga too, in fact when they were at preschool, it was one of the techniques the teachers used to use to help wind them down before their midday rest period.
Emma Fahy Davis recently posted…Breakfast with the Grandparents
Yoga is such a great way to wind down isn’t it. I’m definitely all for using particular activities to signify changes in the daily routine – works a treat (especially with difficult kids). xx
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl
Great ideas Hope. It’s those little things that you can just add effortlessly that do the trick. You should be pretty active being a nanny anyway, but your other suggestions will add a lot – especially fun! And you can’t have too much of that! 🙂
Norah Colvin recently posted…The classroom garden
It’s actually quite surprising just how sedentary our lifestyles are, even when you are working with kids. Unless I schedule a decent amount of exercise into my day, really the most we achieve is simply being on our feet.
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…Winter Family Meals: Veggie Super Food Bowl
Great ideas! I’m a fan of always taking the stairs. And I just signed up for a martial arts class with my son *gulp*.
Yep, I’m rather fond of the stairs too! Good luck with the martial arts, i’m sure it’ll be interesting.
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…8 Ways To Squeeze Exercise Into Your Day
Love these ideas!! I find teaching is a great way to exercise because you don’t sit down the whole day!!!!!! Maybe I should join in with the kids next PE class too! xx
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile recently posted…Fruit & Yoghurt Crumble Parfaits
You’re so right Lucy, teaching is another one of those “always on the go” professions. Yep, join the PE class, or implement a morning classroom workout with your kids. My all time favourite teachers did that, a little boogie in the morning was a great way to start to learning day!
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…8 Ways To Squeeze Exercise Into Your Day
Great ideas and I have no excuse NOT to exercise when I’m with my kids, but it’s just finding the motivation. We do go to group PT on Sat mornings and they play at park while I get my butt kicked but incidental exercise is also what I need! Emily – visiting as part of #teamIBOT
Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me recently posted…Three things I wish I could do over…
So true Emily, finding the motivation is always the hardest part!
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…8 Ways To Squeeze Exercise Into Your Day
Great tips Hope. I agree that we really need to set a good example to our kids. My toddler loves doing stretches and some yoga with me in the mornings. I must admit it’s hard to keep my concentration though when I’m trying not to laugh at his moves!
Lauren @ Create Bake Make recently posted…Snickerdoodles with Nutella
Haha watching the kids do their downward dogs is always a funny sight isn’t it Lauren!
Hope @ Nanny Shecando recently posted…8 Ways To Squeeze Exercise Into Your Day