A comment I keep coming across of late is parents feeling guilty making time to exercise when they have young children.
This is something I definitely understand, and have experienced first hand. I use to exercise in a gym, which obviously holds a time cost as well as a financial one. I had to travel to the gym, change, workout, shower and travel home - it wasn’t a 30 minute experience, much closer to an hour and a half. That isn’t necessarily a problem before children, but when I wanted to be around for school runs, taking the children to clubs, have time to play in the evenings and support with homework, that 90 minutes, 3, 4 maybe even 5 times a week, is a big chunk of time.
Exercise wasn’t something I was going to stop because I understand the benefits of it, but how I exercised certainly has changed. Now I workout from home, and have done so for years. I know that I can achieve effective workouts in as little as 15-30 minutes, and if I have a little longer every now and then, I will utilise that time too. I know I don’t need expensive gym equipment to get results. I know how to progressively challenge my body with variables such as time under tension, reduced rest periods and using more challenging exercises.
I no longer have to pay or travel to a gym, but for me one of the greatest benefits I have noticed is how the children are more engaged with exercise than they ever have been before! They love joining me for workouts, finding new ways to move their bodies and are even learning moves like press ups, bridges and even pull ups!
You shouldn’t feel guilty when you are making time to look after yourself which in-turn, instills positive habits in your children.
Exercising can improve your mental and physical health and reduces your risk of chronic diseases, improves mood, increases energy levels and helps you better manage stress - these factors will only ever benefit your children and your relationship with them.
You can enjoy quality time and bond with your children if you can involve them in your workouts, enjoy walks or bike rides with them!
Still not convinced, here are a couple of studies which might change your mind:
Copenhagen City Heart Study which started in 1976. The study initially enrolled over 19,000 men and women aged 20 or older. Follow-up examinations have been conducted at regular intervals. The study has found individuals who engage in regular physical activity have lower rates of mortality and are at reduced risk for various chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, and even mental health disorders like depression.
Whilst this is an observational study, the consistent findings across numerous studies strongly support the notion that regular exercise is associated with better health and increased longevity.
And my final point, a study published in the Journal of Obesity by Dr Robert A. Petrella and colleagues:
The study found a significant association between parental exercise habits and children's weight status. Specifically, children of parents who exercised regularly were more likely to be of healthy weight compared to children of parents who were sedentary.
You are worth making the time to exercise and the knock on impact to your children is worth you making the time!
If you need help improving your health, fitness, losing fat or fitting exercise into your life, go to my website https://www.healthfocusedfitness.fit/ and shoot me a message - I’d love to help!
Prefer podcasts - visit https://www.healthfocusedfitness.fit/podcast
Martin
Health Focused Fitness
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