Good morning! It’s two days after Thanksgiving and you are likely feeling like you overindulged Turkey Day. You may have compounded that with some over doing it in the shopping arena yesterday. Your little one probably feels more than overindulged – they were probably over stimulated and more than a little over done with people, noise and more. So take a few moments this morning and if the weather isn’t foul outside, put them warmly into a stroller and take them out for a good long walk. Don’t feel the need to run a marathon – keep it to a stroll.
Your goals today should be to get your circulation going and to relax the tension in your muscles. That may sound counterintuitive. However, let’s remember that fitness is about more than just the increased physical exercise and activity. It’s about getting yourself into a good space mentally, physically and emotionally. A good stroll can do that for both you and your little one.
Have Older Kids Too?
Consider taking them to a park where they can burn off some excess energy while you do circuits in walking around them. It’s a great way to relax with them as well as getting some fresh air for everyone involved. But what if the weather is not cooperative to your efforts? Avoid the malls – a natural resource for many parents with infants to get their walking in because they are going to be churning with people and more.
Instead, take some time to stretch out fully. If you have a treadmill take advantage of it, but if you don’t, try some walking in place, marching in place or jumping jacks. Get your blood moving and keep it moving for about ten or fifteen minutes. You can also switch around your calisthenics if you like and do a circuit of your house that involves straightening – get your older kids involved by setting a 15 minute timer and seeing how fast you can straighten everything up and get it back where it goes in that 15 minutes.
Be deliberate, but be quick.
Of course, these are just ideas – there’s nothing wrong with taking a quiet day – something of a mental break for yourself as well. So what are your plans for today and how will you incorporate fitness into it?
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