How do you exercise when you have a toddler?

[WomanUp24]

Tips for moving more please! My wee boy is almost 19 months now and I’d like to get my fitness back but I’m constantly exhausted 🫠
I’d love some ideas for how to incorporate more movement into my day… For context I am solo parenting two days a week and work from home the other three days. DH is around evenings and weekends. Thank you!

Running buggy?

Just go to the gym evenings or weekends?

Or when you are with him- taking him the park etc will be a workout in itself.

The leisure centre had a crèche you could use for up to two hours

For me either ultra early before everyone wakes, or on my WFH lunch hour.

I don’t have time to go to the gym so we have a Peloton treadmill (they also do bikes) and some kettlebells/dumbbells.

I got a running buggy which had the option to link up to a bike and use as a trailer as well.

It was excellent and I used it for both children for years.

It was a Thule Cougar chariot and I 100% recommend this sort of thing for active people, it had excellent suspension and I used it when walking dogs, obviously cycling and jogging with them too. An excellent bit of kit.

Second hand good prices on Marketplace etc

Parkrun & a running buggy. Or swimming, the one day the sport centre runs a creche. Or cycling around the common, with toddler in a seat on the back of my bike.

I'm a single mum & I've done all of these. There's usually a way 😊

Do you know why you are constantly exhausted?
At 19 months with a partner around at weekends and evenings, 3 days working I’d like to think that while you might be tired (toddlers are busy!) but you shouldn’t feel too exhausted to get some moderate exercise in.

Can you do something during your lunch break on your WFH days?

Chasing him around! Honestly I'd just try and get plenty of steps in with the buggy and try and get to a yoga class, nothing too strenuous. Prioritise rest and sleep. Full on exercise can produce cortisol when your body is tired and stressed, and you aren't used to it, and can be very counterproductive.

Could you do a workout with him? Like turn it into a game for him? I've seen videos online where you use the baby/toddler as weights / they do things alongside you if they're old enough. Just an idea!

I find that if I don't do exercise in the morning, I'll never do it, so I understand that waiting for DH to takeover in the evenings might be hard. I try and do a 15/20 minute home workout by either including my 10 month old or do it whilst she's napping in the am (on the rare occasion she actually lets me put her down!)

IME it’s a chicken/egg thing - the more you exercise the less exhausted you are because it’s good for you on so many levels, but that doesn’t make it easy to start!

I think the easiest thing is try loads of different things and figure out which you like/can tolerate the most. I exercise in the mornings, 4:45-5:45, just following Apple Fitness+ (or YouTube) workout videos and get steps in on a walking pad - it makes me sound braggy when I say it but truth is if I left til the evening I’d simply not do it as I have 0 energy after dinner. In the past I have also gone to classes during my lunch-break (back in the day I had a decent gym nearby… grrr) or just set step goals to push me to dash around after DS more than I normally would.

Thanks for all of your suggestions ladies! Very helpful ☺️

Long Walks with buggy, cycle with you toddler on a seat on the back he will love it, workout at home when you are working at home, go to classes on your lunch breaks and weekend mornings.

Me too 😀

Isn't running around after a toddler exercise in itself :)

Tidy up their toys, chase them round the house.

I was exhausted at this point, b12 helped.

running buggy is great but my child now hates it passionately so think of something else as they grow, a balance bike to go alongside you on quiet pedestrian abs bike paths maybe? Somewhere without traffic.

When mine were that age I ran at lunchtimes on work days; then a long run on a Sunday morning. I was marathon training throughout though, so needed to be fairly rigid with the schedule.