No 1 secret to fitness success

Do you want to know my no 1 secret to a successful fitness regime?

Fitness that fits. Find something that works for you.

The answer may be simple in theory, but not always so simple to implement – often even more the case for working mums.

As a mother of two very lively girls (others may not be so flattering with the description), and also a full time Fitness Professional, I have firsthand experience of many of the possible obstacles that may and do present themselves. Whilst from time to time everyone will experience a ‘have no choice, but have to do’ moment which must take president over all else, which is perfectly acceptable – what does become a problem is when daily life constantly interferes with your planned fitness regime. When this keeps happening, alarm bells should start to ring indicating that it is time for a fitness regime change to find something that works for you (and in turn, your family).
Before we have children we often underestimate the change it has on our entire life. Whilst we may have taken it for granted to be able to jet off to the gym on our way home from work B.C. (before children). That will not be either possible (depending on childcare/after school clubs), or what you desire (it can be hard enough being separated from your little ones due to work) – so things may have to be done differently. Also, if you rewind back to just after B.C. , but before you return to work (for those lucky enough to take maternity leave) you may find a happy period when you do have that desirable balance between looking after baby, and looking after yourself –however, unfortunately this equilibrium often vanishes the moment you return to work. Do not fear though, there are work-arounds – I promise. The only thing is, what works for you, may not work for the other working mum’s you know – but the good news is there is something for everyone and we are going to explore some of the possible solutions in a moment, but first we will look at some of the benefits you will get from a regular fitness regime.

Benefits include:

• Look more toned
• Increased confidence & self esteem
• More energy levels
• Improved posture
• Reduced risk of many life threatening health issues
• Better ability to deal with stress & mental health issues
• Aid sleeping
• Decrease cholesterol
• Better flexibility
• Stronger bones
• Me time

Fitness that fits:

I will start by giving you the low-down on what works for me, and then go onto talk you through other ways I have seen work with the other working mum’s that I train.

You would think the fact that I spend all my time training people and writing personalized fitness programs, plus have a huge range of equipment on hand, that I would be able to magically motivate myself to do amazing workouts at home. Alas, I throw my hands up I admit this is not the case. It is impossible to get to the gym in the evening or early morning due to the anti-social hours I work and I just cannot workout at home, although please note some successfully do. For me, there are always too many distractions – either work or home jobs that are begging to be done, or a 2 year old jumping on my head/back/legs (delete according the weird and wonderful position the exercise finds you in). Whilst I have no conventional childcare, I am in a fortunate position where I am a member at a gym that has a crèche, so workout whist she is having fun playing with others. This works for me very well on the whole, but is still not without it’s pitfalls. After Christmas for example unless you ring the moment the crèche opens, you cannot manage to book you children in. Plus if there is a queue of parents it means your child gets into crèche later, and in turn your workout is shorter (my advice in this case is just to up the intensity of your workout). On the positive it is like any other booking, it helps make sure you attend. Ie if you have paid £4.50 for you child to be looked after for an hour at a particular time, you are more likely to show up for your workout.

For those who work more of a 9 to 5 job, earlier and later gym sessions may work for you. Or if lunch times are an option (I think 20 minutes is the legal requirement?) you can make use of that time to fit in some exercise. If there are no showers, stick to power walking rather than jogging, or if there is a quiet meeting room, maybe you would be allowed to go in there with a couple of colleagues and do a fun body weight circuit – a good workout does not necessary require a lot of space, just imagination. Also more workplaces are appreciating the value of introducing health and well-being policies, so perhaps it is possible to get external fitness professionals in (please talk to me if this is something that could work for your company). My final tip if you are office based – walk as much as possible, and use the steps * think as this as free exercise.

For those who work away a lot, and budget does not stretch to hotels with gyms – why not invest in a resistance band (circa £8-£10). These are easily portable and you can work your entire body easily in a confined space. Alternatively you may find that your gym membership covers you for nationwide gyms, and surly it is a more constructive use of time using the gym than staring at the 4 magnolia hotel walls?

Again a resistance band is a great, versatile and easy to store fitness tool to have at home and cheaper than a range of weights. If you want to add some cardio to your home workout, stairs give you plenty of option, and a skipping rope is another way to get in cardio without needing to leave the house. Fitness videos come in all shapes and sizes (rather like much of the ‘celebrity’ presenters 6 months on – meow), and can help when you are stuck for ideas. If your child is also at home, and they have their own special way of helping you which is more of a hindrance, perhaps you could swap childcare with another mother who also wants a bit of me time workout time? Or if you have a pre-walker, you may find an outside or inside class where baby can go along in their buggy whilst you exercise. If Personal Training is within your budget, many Personal Trainers will come to your home, or a convenient local park. There is many a time I have trained people with children either tucked up in bed, ‘helping out’ or doing the training when they are in-between parent taxi duties on a Saturday morning.

The final way of making fitness fit, is to involve the family – this way you all benefit, plus it tends to come guilt free which is always a bonus. Whilst you do not have to go as far as a lady used to train, where along with her husband and two older children used to regularly go for 13 mile runs at a weekend together, there is plenty you can do. Cycling is a great family activity, as are walks, swimming, tennis, kick-abouts, and ice-skating. Or integrate it into what you need to do. For example if and when I get chance to walk my 7 year old home from school, we play a game where we will choose something to jog to, then walk a little then find something else to jog to (fartlek training). It not only helps with exercise quota for you and your child, it also gets you home quicker – win/win.