Often when the end of your maternity leave starts to creep round and you start to panic about logistics of nursery pick-ups and juggling meetings, clients also feel the realisation of how are they going to fit an any ‘me’ time, and where does exercise fit into this
new world?
The nightmare of childcare is sorted, you have made a decision and completed your spreadsheet for who is doing pick up and drop off on which days ….. The bags are packed and everything is labelled, your workwear is out and your new schedule hits you …. When am I meant to eat, have a conversation with my partner or even exercise?
All that hard work of your maternity leave can easily be forgotten after your return to work, all that posture and alignment that we worked on, the flat shoes and hours of perfecting the correct ‘walk’ to ensure those pelvic floor muscles have repaired correctly. Now your time is dictated to by someone else as well as your child.
I heard someone say the other day ‘a working mum is a life of guilt, guilt that you are working, that you want to be with your child and always wishing you were somewhere else as there is always something else that needs to be done’. And I thought how true, you love time with your kids, and wouldn’t change it for the world but that project is in your head and you want to get pen to paper before you forget your brainwave. You’re at your desk wondering what your child is up to and what a lovely day it would be for a crunchy leaf walk but then feeling the pang of guilt that you’re sure you didn’t put the dishwasher on or find something for tea before you left – we all get it. But how can we find time for us?
Some of us get up very early to fit something in, others are night owls and find something to do once all their daily tasks are complete. But for the rest of us, who love sleep, there just aren’t enough hours, or are there!
Why not try some of these –
– Correcting your posture and alignment in the shower.
– Cup of tea first thing, or a coffee? Each time you drink a hot drink try 10 pelvic floor exercises, each one different from the last.
– Always take the stairs
– Always park a 5 minute walk from the office
– Can you squeeze in a power-walk at lunchtime, even 10 mins?
– Family leisure time at the weekend – walk or run with the buggy, try somewhere new or with hills! Go swimming together, one can do lengths, the other entertains the kids! Bike ride, trips to the park, you will find me running behind them on their scooters!
– Do you work from home? Could you squeeze in some exercise as you are not spending time travelling to work?
– Use your resistance bands, 5 mins every day and rotate – arms, posture, waist, legs.
– 10 mins of your own circuit, think squats, lunges, butt kicks, half jacks …mix it up, make changes
– How many of our toning moves can you remember? Could you try 5 exercises on the mat, doing your routine twice?
– Stretch – wherever, whenever!
– I bet you have at least 3 pieces of discarded fitness kit in the house, when you put the TV on spend the first 15 minutes using it!
You are aiming for 30 minutes per day to raise your heart rate, just break it down into 3 lots of 10 mins …. then before you know it you will be at 60 mins!
