This year is the first year that I have all three kids in school. My youngest just started kindergarten. My oldest just started middle school. Because of the different start times and end times, I have about a two-and-a-half hour window with no kids at all in the house. (I do have to visit the bus stop five times a day, but that is another story.)
The first week, I wasn’t sure what I would do with myself. The freedom! I had dreams of being able to take a shower without being interrupted, or reading part of a book or being able to have the living room clean for more than 10 minutes! Then reality hit. While I might be more efficient without kids, there were still dishes to do, dinner to prepare and writing deadlines to make. The time goes by very quickly.
Late last week, the second since the kids went back to school, I decided that despite all of the want to dos and the need to dos I would make a commitment to fit in some fitness. Some days, this can be as little as a 15 minute walk to and from the corner pond, other days I might make two 15 minute walks at different times or one 45 minute walk. It might mean 30 minutes on the elliptical or some fun with the Wii Fit game. On a good day, I might actually get in a short run.
The important thing I found, for me, was to not stress about fitting in one more thing during my two-and-a-half hour window but to simply make the commitment to do something each day. On weekends when errands seem to take over or on school holidays, I know that I might only get be able to fit in a couple of pushups or a game of tag with the kids, but I would still be fitting in fitness, making me more likely to stick with staying healthy.
Related Articles:
How to Fit in Healthy Eating with a Busy Lifestyle