work outs

work outs for moms or dads  with young children that demand a lot of time. i want people to share any good works they have that we can do with are child or with them around. knowing it is hard to get any free time i have a 3 and 1 year old and my one year old is very clingy so there is not much i get to do. but i have found a game kinda that i play with them that is good leg work out my 3 year old madison calls is the flying game i lift her with my legs hold her in the air for a sec and then put her back on the ground i just go back and fourth taken turns with the two of them they like and it gives me a little workout. any one that has any other ideas please let us know.

I sometimes have the same issues ? I typically only exercise before my kids get up, or after they go to bed.  However, there are times when I have actually been able to exercise with my kids there, or in tow:

Exercise/balance balls are great!  The best exercise I?ve done with both of my boys (ages 4 and 6) is to sit on it straight with one of them on my lap.  Then roll forward so that shoulders are on the ball, but hips/buttocks are lifted and tightened so the body is straight, but knees bent at 90 degrees.  You have to keep your abs engaged to balance with the kiddo on your lap, and the extra weight helps you work harder to lift your hips.  Rolling back to sitting really helps strengthen the back and abs.  My 4 year old loves this one because of the back and forth motion.  Another one that works is to have one of them drape themselves over the ball forwards, and then I kneel behind them, grab hold of their feet, and rock them back and forth until their head just touches the floor.  I keep my abs tight, and this is great for working my upper arms.  (Both of them love this one too.)

Sometimes, just sitting on the balance ball with one, or both, of my boys while they watch something is great strengthening for my back and abs.  Actually, I?ve also discovered that with my 4 year old, small random rocking motions on the ball are more effective at calming him down than on a rocking chair.

According to the database, walking with kids (even when one or both is in a stroller) burns about 193 cal/hour.  When I take my boys to the zoo, it always lasts at least a couple of hours, and it really helps that our particular zoo has a lot a hills in it.

Remember, anytime you?re chasing after little ones, you?re being active.  I hope this helps! 

The best investment I ever made was a double jogging stroller.  Whether jogging or walking, it is so much easier to push at a decent pace than a regular stroller.  They can be pretty expensive, but I bought one of the less expensive ones and it's held up great for nearly four years, you could probably also find a used one.

If the cost of that is prohibitive...
There are a couple exercise programs on Lifetime television every morning at around 7am, I think.  My four year old loves to exercise to those with me.

Also, if there is a highschool or middleschool nearby...We go to the track at our local highschool with the kids and they bring balls or bubbles and play while we jog/walk.  I don't know how that would work with your one year old, but you could honestly pretty easily push a regular stroller around a track since they're a lot smoother than a sidwalk.

So far some good suggestions... including most everything I was thinking of.

So just to expand the options... how about a Gym membership?   Our local gym has a nice child care area that we pay to watch the kids while my wife and I work out.   It wasn't cheap ... but it was only about the cost of having another adult join us... so it wasn't really that bad since we have 3 kids.

It's so much easier to exercise without the kids along.  But I realize that it's pretty expensive to join a gym... and it may not be something you can fit into your budget without changing some stuff up.


Ok some other suggestions?

Bicycling!

They make 2 kid trailers for bikes so you can either go that route or put a kid seat on the back of the bike for both you and your husband (make him take the bigger kid).    But this requires you to have or buy bikes and bike seats and though you can get some decent bikes for $100 to $150 ... when you have to buy 2 of em and 2 $50 bike seats or a $70 trailer or whatever... it adds up fast.

But it's an option.

thanks for you idea so far

nightc1-yea cant really fit a gym membership in the budget but good idea,

clkmom- and i dont have a joging double stroller but i do have a double stroller and i love to use for my daily walks but good idea about walking or jogging on school track i am going to check it out the girls would love to walk on it with me and not be in the stroller

santonacci- thanks for the ideas on the ball yea my girls are all over me when i am on my ball so that will be great to try that.

any other great ones