Fitness expert shares 5 tips to prioritise your health and wellbeing
“Building time into your day dedicated just to your needs doesn’t come easy but tiny tweaks to your daily routine can help achieve this.”
Parenting is undoubtedly one of life’s most rewarding journeys. The early stages of parenthood are filled with excitement, joy, and gratification but it can feel as though all of your energy is focussed on your child, with not much time left to focus on yourself.
Getting in a workout isn’t usually high on the priority list, and you might find yourself slipping out of your old workout habits. But physical activity can increase your energy levels and help you feel good as well as making a positive impact on your health and wellbeing, consequently boosting your mental health and elevating stress.
While adding time to go to the gym takes some effort to create, even little amounts of physical activity each day can help.
5 health and fitness tips for parents
Elaine Jobson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Jetts has shared her top 5 tips for parents, to help them avoid neglecting themselves in the midst of being parent:
- Prioritise you time
The lines between work, family and personal life can easily blur, especially for parents who need to juggle multiple hats when it comes to balancing their lives. Building time into your day dedicated just to your needs doesn’t come easy but tiny tweaks to your daily routine can help achieve this.
If you’re in a two-parent home, you can try to take it in turns to watch the kids so each of you can work out. While this might not be the same every day, setting up a rotation ahead of each week can really help carve out dedicated time to fitness.
Set up a realistic rotation with one or two workout days each to start and see how it goes as you might need to adjust to suit your weekly schedule. Remember, even a 20-minute walk is a great way to start the day, but try to get the heart rate up so it starts to build your fitness.
- Incorporate Family Fitness
While this might go back on making time for you to work out, sometimes your day might not allow for you to go solo. So instead make these moments a family affair.
Family-friendly fitness ideas are at every corner of the internet whether it is going on a weekend hike, a dance session, yoga or a bike ride. Engaging in physical activities together isn’t only a way to get moving but finding activities that the entire family enjoys can be fun and beneficial for everyone.
- Find a buddy
Exercise partners provide a powerful combination of support, accountability and motivation. It’s especially great for those who have shared or complementary goals such as losing weight, strength or training for an event like a fun run.
But most of all finding someone with similar goals helps you hold each other accountable. A workout buddy provides a sense of reliability and can help transform the gym into something more desirable – an active social gathering. It’s also a great opportunity to bond with other parents who may be experiencing the same challenges.
- Find a gym that fits your needs
The decision to join a gym or start a new fitness regime can be a big commitment and be influenced by a multitude of external factors from budget considerations as well as other time commitments.
We’ve all experienced, our motivation, availability and priorities shift all the time, so it’s important to invest in a gym that understands this. You don’t want to be tied into having to make payments, or worse still have to pay out a contract. Working out should be on your terms because life is busy enough and your time is precious. That is why no lock in contracts like at Jetts, offer the peace of mind, flexibility and fitness freedom that is crucial in today’s society.
- Set achievable goals
Before you can run, you have to walk. You are more likely to achieve your overall goal by breaking it down into small, short-term goals. So, before you hit the gym, ask yourself what is it that you want to achieve?
You might be inspired by routines you see on Instagram or TikTok but keep in mind that it might not work for you and what you want to achieve.
But it’s important to start with something small like, wanting to go to the gym twice a week or going for a walk three times a week. If you set an overwhelming goal, it might feel like you can never reach it and you’re more likely to give up or fall short.
Parenting in today’s society demands a proactive approach to health and well-being. By implementing these practical tips parents can carve out moments to improve their health and wellbeing within their busy schedules.
