If you're a busy mom, you may feel that there's not enough time in the day for health and fitness. After all, you're busy balancing work, kids, and home life in general. The word "exercise" just doesn't seem to fit into your vocabulary. But there's good news. With just a little daily commitment, you can achieve good health and fitness in no time without adding stress to your already busy schedule.
Start with Slow Exercise and Build Strength
Get started with slow, easy exercises that you can handle. Do about 20 to 30 minutes of exercise or activity each day or at least several times per week. Start with less strenuous activities and then work your way up to more strenuous exercises as you build muscle strength. This will improve your fitness and health without putting too much strain on your body, especially if you've been inactive for a while.
Some examples of low fitness activities you might try include walking, playing outdoor games with your kids (ball, tag, volleyball, badminton, flying a kite, etc.), walking the dog, mowing the lawn or gardening, housework, walking stairs, or riding a bike. When you want to have fun with your kids, opt for the park instead of the ice cream shop. Be mindful of physical activity in everything you do. This will help your kids get exercise as well without feeling pressured about it.
If you work outside the home, you can take walks during your breaks. Even a daily 15-minute walk can make a big difference!
Increasing Activity
As your body grows stronger, you might choose to add some aerobic exercise to your daily routine. Do this slowly and increase the intensity and time of your aerobic activity in short increments so you won't overdo it. Aerobic exercise helps you burn more calories and improve heart health.
Some examples of aerobic fitness activities include fast walking or jogging, cycling, dancing, swimming, skating, skiing, step aerobics, or racket sports. You can also enroll in an aerobics class if you feel you're ready to commit to it several times per week. Or, there are DVDs that teach you to do aerobic workouts at home.
Another way to increase fitness activity is to invest in exercise equipment such as a treadmill, fitness band, yoga mat, ab wheel, workout weights, row machine, or stationary bike. These allow you to workout in the comfort of your own home with the same results as outdoor fitness activities.
Pamper Your Muscles
Be sure to pamper your muscles a little before and after workouts. Do stretches before working out and then "cool down" afterwards to allow your muscles to relax. Also, take soothing baths after a workout or in the evening before bedtime to help your muscles and body to relax. This will make workouts more enjoyable and give you something to look forward to each day.
Supplement Your Diet for Better Fitness and Health
To enhance your fitness efforts, supplement your diet with nutritious items such as protein and amino acids or other vitamins and minerals. There are nutritional shakes, protein shakes, vitamin supplement pills, nutrition bars, and other items to enhance your diet as you increase your fitness activity. These will also enhance your overall health. Look for vitamins that are specifically designed for women.
As a busy mom, don't neglect one of the most important tasks of all - taking care of your own health. With good health and fitness, you'll be able to keep up with your kids and share activities with them like never before!
What are Pilates? Well, the Pilates Method is a physical exercising system that was developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900's. The idea of Pilates is that this type of exercise uses the brain to control the muscles of the body. The Pilates Method, as it is also known, focuses on the key muscles that assist in keeping the body balanced.
These important muscles make up one of the support systems for the spine.
By doing Pilates, you will become more aware of your breathing and of the alignment of your own spine. The ultimate goal out of this exercise system is to strengthen the muscles in the torso even though much more can be achieved by using the Pilates system correctly.
This revolutionary system requires some historical knowledge. Joseph Pilates invented the system during the First World War in an attempt to improve the mental and physical condition of war veterans.
Since Pilates was created, it has blossomed into one of the favorite exercise systems in the United States with more than 11 million using it on a regular basis.
There are many principles of the Pilates system. While the exact principles can be debated upon, the general perception is that the principles are as followed: Breathing, Centering, Concentration, Control, and Precision. Each of these principles play an important part in the Pilates system as the full benefits and effects of the Pilates system are experienced when all of these principles are utilized.
Breathing is a very important part of the Pilates system. The founder of the Pilates technique, Joseph Pilates, believed that it was important for the blood to circulate so that the cell waste created by fatigue would be removed from the body. He also believed that the blood had to contain a vast amount of oxygen in order to remove the waste products through breathing.
Correct breathing is essential to the Pilates system of exercise. Every Pilates exercise is designed in such a way to provide for proper inhalation and exhalation of oxygen.
The Pilates system also stresses centering. The Pilates style of exercise starts at the "powerhouse" of the body. The "powerhouse" consists of the large group of muscles located in the center of the body. Another name for the "powerhouse" is the "core", which is the term that most instructors will use
Basically, the energy generated by the Pilates system begins at the "core" and flows to the other parts of the body as the exercise session continues.
Concentration is yet another important principle of Pilates. Pilates demands a great amount of focus. From the control of your breathing to the control of your limbs, concentration is vital for a successful Pilates workout.
The entire Pilates system is built upon the idea of Control. Controlling your muscles is paramount in order to properly enjoy a true Pilates workout. The action of the muscles must be carefully calculated and under control. In doing this, you will lessen the risk of injuring yourself and therefore enjoy a better workout. Finally, Precision is another major part of the Pilates system. In order not to waste the body's energy, the movement must be controlled and precise.
The idea of Pilates are to make precise and perfect movements instead of imperfect movements that waste energy and time. That would be a basic summary of the Pilates way of life. If you are interested in starting a Pilates chapter in your life, I recommend that you contact a personal trainer to get you stared on the right track.
Both Chris Robertson & Zach Hunt are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.