Exercising with 2 year old

[lamby12]

How does anyone find time to exercise with a toddler? OH is at work long hours, I work 3 days which are nursery days but I do extended hours in those days to maximise pay so I only have time for a quick lunch, maybe a super quick dog walk if lucky.

Pre child I was super fit and running most days, whilst I'm active from chasing toddler around I've lost all proper fitness and struggling to understand how to get my fitness in with the 2yo in tow. She hates going in the pram now so it's a painful power walk, and she's not able to walk a decent distance yet to be on foot with me.

Any good tips? Or tips for pram entertainment so I can walk without a screaming child?

Long walks. If you go far enough for long enough, she will eventually want a lift in the pushchair. Plan to be out for hours.

Bike seat or trailer, too.

7 minute HIIT workouts, Lucy whyndam Reed (I think that is how her name is spelled) on you tube x

I just give mine my bloody phone for 45 mins. Terrible parenting I know but needs must.

Thanks for the suggestions!
@JoeBidenIsGreat trust me she's fairly strong willed and will never accept she needs to go in the pram. Even when she can't walk anymore, she'd rather sit on the floor. Can force into pram but then get total meltdown screaming which is just unpleasant!
@MellowBird85 will try the phone!
@Metallicalover not sure my fitness is ready for HIIT!

I get up at 5am to run- when does your OH start work?

Does she still have a nap? If so, use that time. If not, bribe her with a snack and an attached iPad and get her into a running buggy. Getting her in might be a stressful experience but after a while she'll get used to it.

Can you get her on a scooter or balance bike alongside you in the park? I always joke that a toddler on a scooter is like a HIIT workout - slow, slow, dawdle and sprintttt... stop, slow, sprint!!!

There are Mum and baby/toddler exercise classes you could do (even now, via video). Things like Sweaty Mamas are designed to be done with a little one.

Long runs are hard, I used to get up early and do HIIT.

I get half an hour of yoga in during nap time but it's not pushing my running buttons - I feel your pain! And having a 2yo is so knackering in general that the 6am get up isn't all that appealing!

I did 20-minute bursts of power yoga on the DDP Yoga app while my DC were in high chairs eating breakfasts. Could regularly burn 450 calories, was close enough by that everything was ok, but at the same time had the freedom to work out because they were, yannow, strapped down ;)

I completely relate to this!

I've just bought a second hand mountain bike and am hoping I can stick DS in a bike seat and exercise whilst spending time with him. I'm a bit worried about balancing with him on the back though!

Jogging buggy?

Thanks for suggestions everyone. I like the yoga one, she's not having naps as of last week but maybe in an evening. Will look online for some stuff. And will look into a jogging buggy!

Yes I've never been a morning person and we're having some sleep problems at the moment. OH leaves at 5.30am so getting up before that to do something is not an option. Never ever. Never. Haha

How about small challenges throughout the day? Ten squats whilst you wait for the kettle to boil, one minute of fast high knees or star jumps whilst cooking dinner, running up the stairs instead of walking and maybe an extra and up and down for good measure? Lunge walking your way around the house, rather than walking. Little blasts for a set time (1/2/3 minutes) of boxing but really going for it.

If you have any hand weights (use tins or bottles if not), you can add weights whilst boxing. Pick up a side table or even your hoover and press it 10 times above your head. The best thing is a quick all-out burst of cardio and then some strength training for a burn (squats, deadlifting, pressing etc). To minimise time even more, squat and then press, rather than doing them in separate workouts. Adding weight will soon work your muscles in a short space of time and long cardio isn’t really necessary if you’re having bursts where you really go for it.

I do early morning online PT classes whilst DS3 watches / joins in / try's to sabotage / eats breakfast or if I'm lucky stays asleep

I had a similar challenge, with a full time challenging job and two young DC. They're both at school now so it's a bit easier, but I still have to get up at 5am to fit the long runs in.

One option is to look at your commute. I cycled or ran to work every day pre-wfh; and if it's a long commute then just getting off the bus/train a few stops early is the way to do it.

Remember, all you need is 3 half hour-45min slots through the week for running or HIIT, then perhaps an hour on Saturday and a long run/ cycle on Sunday of 2 hrs or so before the toddler is awake. That's more than enough time to get properly fit.

Could you do a YouTube workout on your days off with your little one there? My son is a bit older but he'll happily join in or play in the same room while I do a hiit video. You'll be fine in terms of fitness, if I can do it, so can you! I like Joe Wicks but there's loads of options.

I tried doing Pilates with a toddler in the room. In the five mins I did he smashed me over the head with a toy bus and then tried to get on me and shout "bounce bounce". It wasn't the experience I had hoped for!

On walks:

Tell simple stories - Goldilocks, Billy Goats Gruff, The Enormous Turnip, even modern day children's books that you've read enough to know by heart, like 'Peace at Last' or 'We're going on a Bear Hunt' - toddlers like repetition, and will be enthralled if you're animated - you can even match the motion of the buggy to the tempo of the story, so when you reach a scary climax you start to run etc

Have a 'treasure hunt'. You don't need to make it complicated, though you can print out pictures of things to find on a laminated card, or look for physical things like a feather or a pinecone that you can take home if you want to. For everyday though just tell him 3 things you want to spot on your walk - 'I'm looking for a red postbox and a black cat and a man on a bicycle'... If they're old enough you can then ask them what 3 things they want to spot too. You can keep up a running commentary about it as you power walk along, 'Oh look THERE'S a cat! I was looking for a cat! But he's orange with white stripes, and I'm looking for a BLACK cat! What does a cat say?' blah blah blah

Sing songs. Yes you'll feel like a total twat marching along the street singing 'Ten green bottles' and 'The wheels on the bus' but who cares?! It'll keep him occupied and will actually end up being fun for you too!

At the playground, run around together. Take a ball or pocket kite, or get into pretend play, being a monster chasing him, or a pirate on a ship in a storm, or a princess on the back of a flying dragon, etc etc. You can kill an hour at the park this way, even in dodgy weather if you invest in some waterproofs.

Dance together! On wet days I like to have a 'living room disco' with the kids, curtains drawn, flashing Christmas lights draped around, cheesy pop cranked up. You can burn off some serious calories and it's fun too.

Set up an obstacle course with a folding indoor slide, cushions to jump from one to the next, a tunnel to crawl through etc. You might be too big to join in but it should be fun enough that it keeps him busy while you do a quick HIIT workout or whatever.

If you have a garden, challenge yourself to a beep test (you can find one on Youtube and play it on your phone) while keeping an eye on him as he plays out there.

Get a toddler seat for your bike and go on some adventures. I like those ones where they sit in front of you because you can talk about everything they see.