I have written before about how important I think exercise is to a single parent and with my conviction, you might think I am a big sporty sort. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. While I was definitely more active in my youth, I have found some pretty basic types of exercise work well with my busy and unpredictable life as a single parent.
My exercise has changed over the years—when my children were smaller, we used to do a lot of swimming and bike riding since those were activities that we could do together. That was, of course, when my kids WANTED to do such things with me. Now I have more freedom to exercise on my own, but I don’t really have more time. I occasionally work out on “equipment” but mostly I rely on plenty of walking and stretching and yoga a couple times a week. Nothing overwhelming or drastic—but plenty of movement nonetheless. I have to confess that since I started walking regularly a couple years ago—I feel better at forty than I did at thirty-five!
I have known single parents who got up early to jog or work out on a treadmill and others who used their lunch hour for exercising—the gym, swimming or a good jog. I still think that if you can get exercise as a family with kids moving along with you, that is fantastic. But some of us find our exercise time gives us a well-needed reprieve and rejuvenation from our parenting role. That is how I feel about my walking now—nothing seems to make me feel more grounded, inspired and give me peace of mind like a good, long walk. And as the single mom of three teenagers, I need all the peace of mind I can gather!
See also: The Fitness Blog