If there is one thing I have learned since starting this post baby weight loss journey, consistency is the key all of it, both eating and working out. But, what do you do when your daily schedule varies day-to-day and can even be a bit chaotic? Truth be told, unless your specific job is to be a personal trainer, it’s really hard to dedicate as much time as we’d like to being consistent in our eating and working out habits. Add a child(ren) into the mix and you’ve reach a whole new level of chaos.
Since my husband has started this new work schedule we have no idea what days he will be working week by week. The days he does work he’s gone from the wee morning hours until very late in the evening. I obviously can’t make it to the gym on the days he’s gone from sunup to sundown so I had to improvise. The answer to fitness consistency in chaos is: creativity. You have to be creative with your time. What I once saw as an impossible task to workout for the day now is simply a challenge of when I will make a workout of some sort happen. Here are a few creative ways I try to burn some calories without a gym, and eat clean, while stuck at home with a little one.
1) Cleaning Requiring Lifting/Stairs:
If you’re anything like me you’ve been putting off cleaning the closet underneath the stairs (or as we call it in my house: the Harry Potter closet) for months. It may not necessarily be a closet, but I’m sure there is somewhere in your home that needs a few baskets, bins, and/or boxes moved. Whether it be to the curb for garbage day or upstairs for organizing, it’s a great way to clean and exercise at the same time. Concentrate on your form while lifting to be sure not to hurt yourself (the same you would while lifting at the gym). Going up and down the stairs is a chore in itself, but going up and down the stairs with added weight, is another level of burning calories. If you’re an overachiever whose house is squeaky clean, then buy yourself a set of dumbbells, or a medicine ball to keep at home. If you have a toddler…toddlers work as weight too. LOL…but seriously.
2) Healthy Easily Accessible Snacks:
I’m sure this seems like a no-brainer, but it honestly escapes many people’s minds to buy healthy, easy to access, snacks for their home while grocery shopping. Buy some grapes to freeze in small containers for easy grab and go. Buy a large bag of almonds and a bar or two of dark chocolate (80% cocoa or higher) to make little Ziploc baggies to cure a sweet tooth on the go. Whatever you pick be sure it’s legitimately healthy, and you’re paying attention to the serving size.
3) DIY Home HIIT Workout:
The internet is an amazing place. You can now find at home workout ideas and videos on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Once you’ve found a few favorite exercises why not create your own routine? You can add and adjust based on your comfort and expertise level as you go. If you have little ones I’m sure they will even attempt to join in which is an amazing tactic for keeping them busy while you workout.
4) Bulk Meal Prepping:
Most people meal prep for 3-4 days at a time. Not me. I meal prep for 2 weeks at a time, because I’m a boss. Just kidding. I don’t have time to meal prep so many days a week, so I do two major meal preps a month. Make sure whatever food combination you are prepping is safe to eat while frozen for so many days or weeks. You can find this info on the internet from multiple sources. Food poisoning is not worth your meal prepping convenience.
5) Morning and/or Evening Yoga:
My ultimate fitness goals is to be the super annoying person who wakes up at 5 a.m. to go workout and be done for the day. I’m literally the complete opposite of this fitness goal, but baby steps, right? Anyway, doing yoga early in the morning or before bedtime is always a great way to get a workout in for the day. If you have little ones, like myself, this timing is perfect because, they’re asleep!
What other creative ways can you think of to help others and/or yourself to consistently maintain a clean eating and workout schedule? I’m up for any and all suggestions! You can never have too many ideas for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. What questions do you have pertaining creative fitness? Leave your comments and questions below!
Bonus: I will post my favorite HIIT workout I created a few months ago. Hopefully you love/hate it as much as I do. 😉
Brie <3
[09.14.16]
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