How to Survive the Summer holidays and workoutlikeamum…
We are on the last couple of days of the kids being at school until the summer holidays when I am faced with the 6 weeks stint of them being at home permanently. Whilst this will be lovely, and we’re going to have lots of quality time together (picture idyllic walks, seaside trips, ice creams and smiles all round….) in reality it will also be hard work! It’s so hard to juggle working, housework, childcare arrangements and keeping them entertained all the time (picture frazzled mum and wine being poured at bedtime every night….). During this time exercise and eating well can often go through the window, as it’s always the first thing to go when things get busy.
So, here is my guide to surviving the summer holidays and some tips on how to keep your exercise going through this busy time 😊
MAKE IT FUN
If you’ve got the kids at home and your faced with needing to entertain them, but you want to do some exercise, why not combine the two. I love a good game to get everyone exercising as it takes your mind off the fact your exercising and its good fun too. The kids love it and you’re all doing something together as a family. Why not try this game with a dice….
Choose an exercise for each number on a dice. They could be:
1 – 10 star jumps
2 – 10 crunches
3 – 10 squat jumps
4 – 5 burpees
5 – 10 press-ups
6 – run around your garden
Get into two teams (always love a bit of Kids v Grown-ups). You all have a certain number of rolls of the dice (10-20 depending on how long you want to work out for) every time you roll the dice you have to do the exercise for the number shown. First ones to complete the agreed number of rolls are the winners.
KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET
When you’re short on time don’t then try and make yourself fit in hour long workouts… Little and often is the way forward and so much more manageable to fit in. Hiit workouts are great for this as they are effective and don’t take too long. I often post quick 10-15-minute workouts that can be done anywhere so they are much more realistic and practical to fit in.
GET SOME SUPPORT AND MOTIVATION
Getting a group of friends together who all want to stay on top of exercise will keep you motivated. Why not all agree to keep each other going, setup a WhatsApp group and arrange things where you can train together or share workouts. If you have days off with the kids over the holiday, try some active days out where kids can be entertained, and you can get your steps up walking. Arranging at the end of the day to meet up in a park for the kids to have a run around while you do a quick workout works well or you could even just play with the kids in the park. A game of football with mine is exhausting – so much more of a workout than you realise!
KEEPING ON TRACK WITH FOOD
When you’re on days off and are out and about with the kids I often find that’s the hardest time to stay on track with food so take some healthier snacks like chopped carrots etc to hand to combat the hunger and stop you buying cakes etc. Taking packed lunches keep you on track too as café’s options aren’t as healthy and menus are often sandwich and chip based.
FIND A CHILD FRIENDLY EXERCISE CLASS
Try and find some exercise classes where you can take the kids and they can play nearby or even join in. My classes are outdoors, and children are always welcome. Over the holidays there are often kids football matches and all sorts going on the field alongside the mums while we workout.
#ITSALLABOUTBALANCE
Whilst I am very passionate about Keeping fit and eating well, I am also a strong believer in having a bit of balance in your life. So, enjoy the summer, have that glass of wine or ice cream just plan a game of rounders or something to burn it off after as #itsallaboutbalnce after all….
If you’d like some more ideas on quick workouts, exercise games and much more follow me on
https://www.instagram.com/workoutlikeamum/ or https://www.facebook.com/workoutlikeamum/ . I will be posting lots of little challenges and workouts over the summer to keep us all motivated. I am sure I will also be enjoying a bit of #itallaboutbalance too with some summer wine & treats…..