Exercise at home with Kids – what I’ve learned

Before my hubby and I brought our three munchkins into this world, our favorite types of workouts included things like:

• spending hours at the gym checking each other out – while doing some exercising
• training for a Sprint Triathlon – that we completed with my Daddy
• going for long runs while my hubby followed on the bike – I was training for a half marathon that I completed with my Daddy

Things I did not expect to happen during my workouts, that totally HAVE happened since we’ve had three little mini-me’s:

• a child Tigger-bounce on my face
• a child hang on to me like a koala while I attempted squats
• a child break/spill/throw anything within reach while I was in the plank position

Workouts are my escape. They play a HUGE part in how I deal with anxiety and when I feel down in the dumps. Getting my blood pumping and a good sweat on is a major stress-reliever for me.

To be honest, I’d pick a kid-free exercise sesh any day of the week. I prefer it. Adding the kids to any workout sends my anxiety sky high. I get selfish of them taking over my “me time” and that makes me grumpy.

Since we have been in close quarters the past several weeks, the kids have been joining in on many of mine and my hub’s workouts. Some nights we wait to exercise until the kids go to bed, but lately have been so exhausted that we’d rather get our workouts done in the morning, even if that means getting the kids involved.

Here are some things I’ve learned about exercising at home with kids:

• I know them seeing my husband and I take an active role in our health by way of exercise is a good thing. They are little sponges and learn by watching what they see, not what we say.
• They might whinge and complain about not wanting to exercise, but after a few minutes they join right in.
• They look forward to this family time we share together.
• The hubs and I are creating fun memories in this chaotic time in our lives with our children. (except for when we’re doing burpees, because burpees are awful and not fun.)
• I STILL NEED MY ME TIME. Every other day I have been going out by myself for a walk or a run, turning up my not kid-friendly beats, and sweating. It’s an instant mood changer for me.
• Patience. So much patience. I start and stop a set/exercise several times, and that’s okay.

How are you getting your kids involved in your workouts at home? Let me know in the comments section!

I filmed an at home family workout for my MOPs group, and thought I’d share it here! Now you can see just how relaxing it is to workout with kids. Jokes jokes.