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Working
mothers often find it difficult to muster enough time and
energy for their daily responsibilities, let alone
regular exercise. Trish
Ransom, mother of two, and Debbie Kenny, mother of
a toddler, have found that videos fit into their busy
schedules and give them the endurance to tackle their
many challenges.
Why Videos?
Debbie, who works full time processing space
telescope data, considers herself a "terrible
dieter," hates the repetitiveness of exercise
machines, and didn't want to put her son into yet another
childcare situation. No other exercise options were ideal
for her, so videos have become her primary means of
weight control. "Outdoor exercise is OK if you have
a safe area to go, and if it's not too cold, hot, or
rainy," she says. "You don't have to worry
about that indoors...I use videos to get varied and
thorough workouts, something I couldn't get if I had to
design my own."
"Do the best you can with your situation. If
you set your goals impossibly high, you'll
probably fail, get discouraged, and quit
exercising altogether."
Trish, who works 30 hours per
week as an accountant, got started with videos
after the birth of her second child. She claims
she could go on forever about how videos have
improved her quality of life and self esteem.
"After having my second child, I had a lot
of minor medical problems which kept me from
working out for longer than usual. My husband was
also working a lot then, so I had no time to
myself at all, and I suffered from a long
postpartum depression."
The turning point was when Trish's husband gave her
rollerblades for her birthday. Trish says that "the
time alone, plus the rush of the workout, and the sheer
fun of rollerblading, cured me of my depression."
When she started to feel some hard muscle underneath her
"flabby thighs" she was motivated enough to
start doing videos at home. "I didn't want to 'lose'
my muscles during the winter and on the days when I
couldn't skate," she says. "Now I'm really
hooked on results I'm getting from the videos."
Trish believes that any new mom will benefit from
regular exercise. "Even those women who don't have
kids know how much better they feel when they exercise
regularly, how much better you feel when you feel strong
and look good, but it's an even greater feeling when
you've seen your body stretched to the limit, and you
think you're never going to get yourself back into your
regular clothes," she says. "It's great to find
yourself not only fitting into your old clothes, but to
find that they look even better than before because your
body is more muscular and toned."
Finding Time
Time management can seem an
insurmountable challenge for working moms who
want to exercise. Trish has learned that making
exercise a higher priority than housework makes
it more likely she'll get both done. "I used
to tell myself 'as soon as I get the house
straightened up, I'll work out.' Well now, I
don't care how messy it is, I just work out
first. I just kick all the toys into a pile if I
have to. I also usually start a load of laundry
while I'm working out, then I feel like I'm doing
two things at once."
"I feel like a slug if I don't exercise. I
get tired, grumpy, and depressed."
This does not mean that Trish ignores the housework.
"Before, I would do the housework that I needed to
do, and then be too exhausted to work out," Trish
says. "Now I work out, and then I feel too energized
to just sit around, so I clean house after I workout. You
really need to find a time to work out and stick with
it."
Debbie agrees with Trish on that point, saying
"Exercise is a part of my daily routine, just like
showering or eating. It's a habit. After my son goes to
bed is time to work out. Sure there are other things I'd
rather do, like go to bed or sit on my butt and watch
television, but in my mind those just aren't options.
Exercise needs to be made a priority and fit into your
schedule just like anything else you really need to get
done."
Many mothers say they just don't have enough energy
left to exercise, but Trish and Debbie's experiences
don't bear that out. "I'd say they don't have the
energy *because* they don't work out. I feel like a slug
if I don't exercise. I get tired, grumpy, and
depressed," says Debbie. Trish's words echo Debbie's
experience. "I only work part time (30 hours a
week), and I realize that's an advantage over mothers who
have a full time job. However, I have noticed that I have
so much more energy when I workout."
The support of a spouse can also make a difference
for moms trying to find time to work out. Debbie
acknowledges that having a supportive spouse can be
helpful. Trish, on the other hand, warns that not all
spouses are automatically accomodating.
"...if he wants me to have buns of steel
he's just going to have to be patient!"
"My husband really likes the
way I look and 'feel' when I workout, so he gives
me positive reinforcement in that sense, but he
never said 'Honey, I'll watch the kids for you so
you can go for a run,'" Trish complains.
"I always have to force the issue. I've
learned to just do what he does, and just say,
'I'm going for a run.' A lot of women make the
mistake of asking for permission to leave their
kids with their husband, when you really have
just as much right to a little free time as they
do. You really have to take charge of your own
needs, instead of depending on someone
else."
Mixing Motherhood and Workouts
Although video exercise can eliminate the need
for a babysitter, it is still a challenge to keep the
demands of motherhood from intruding upon a workout.
Debbie has resigned herself to waiting until her son goes
to bed before hauling out her step. "I tried working
out with my son around," she remembers. "Mommy
on the floor implies play!...he'd plop down on my stomach
while I was trying to do situps for instance (he did make
a good extra weight for pushups, though!). I haven't
dared to try aerobics. I have a cute picture of him
hoisting a 3 pound weight over his head." Trish
is fortunate enough to have a 3 year old with a long
attention span. She offers the following insights for
other mothers who work out during their children's waking
hours.
"Your kids have to know that you will not put
up with interruptions during your workout. I know
that I'm extremely lucky, I was able to start doing
videos without waiting for nap times when my son was
between 18 months and 2 years old. I know not all
kids are able to keep themselves occupied at this
age, but you'd be surprised how patient they can be
if you're a little patient with them. I always made
it a point to read my son a book or do something
special with him when I was done with my workouts,
and he began to look forward to it. A lot of times
when my kids interrupt me, I ask them 'Is the house
on fire?' If they start fighting with each other, I
tell them that if I have to stop the tape, it'll be
to separate them and make them stay in their rooms
until I'm done. They usually prefer being together to
being separated, so they leave me alone. I also tell
them I don't want to hear any tattling unless
someone's bleeding. It sort of sounds mean and
uncaring, but it really isn't. As my kids get older,
they are learning to handle little things on their
own, and also to respect my time...well, I still
can't go to the bathroom without getting
interrupted."
Trish acknowledges that these strategies aren't
foolproof. At times, she's had to work out with the VCR
remote in her hand, ready to pause the tape at a moment's
notice. She describes one of the disadvantages of
exercising at home. "Sometimes a mom just needs to
get away, and when you're doing a video you're still
right in the middle of it," she warns. "I get
real self conscious when I have an audience, and my house
is so small that if I'm doing a video, there's not much
else for my family to do but sit and watch me."
Words of Wisdom
Trish knows that visible results are what keeps
many women motivated. Her advice--pump some iron! "I
think one of the main things that kept me motivated
through all those times when I couldn't get through a
workout without ten interruptions was the results I was
seeing, and I didn't see any real results until I started
lifting weights," she says. "I originally
planned on burning off some of my body fat with aerobics,
and then adding weights when the muscle would be more
visible, but some friends (thanks Roberta!) talked me
into doing Firm videos, and not only did I start feeling
more muscle underneath that "baby" fat, but I
also seriously decreased my body fat percentage!"
Planning snacks into her schedule has helped Trish stick
to her workouts.
"Without sounding like a commercial
endorsement, Power Bars have gotten me through many
workouts. Sometimes you get home from work and you're
just too hungry to workout. I usually make something
for the kids (you know, some culinary masterpiece
like microwaved corn dogs and macaroni and cheese),
eat a Power Bar to give me the energy to get through
the workout and then make myself something to eat
afterwards. I let my husband wait for me, eat what I
make for the kids, or fend for himself. He's a big
boy, and if he wants me to have buns of steel he's
just going to have to be patient."
Finally, Trish warns other moms to be flexible about
their workouts, and not to be too hard on themselves.
"When your kids are really small, be a little
patient with YOURSELF. There is only so much you can
do, and you just may not be able to work out five
times a week. You may not be able to have 15% body
fat. Do the best you can, without allowing yourself
to give up all together. I remember telling my
husband one time, when I was about 15 lbs. over my
ideal weight "this is it, I can't work out more
than three times a week, and I've been eating well.
This is the best I can do with my schedule right
now." As my kids have gotten older, I've been
able to squeeze in more workouts, and gradually have
gotten in better shape. Do the best you can with your
situation. If you set your goals impossibly high,
you'll probably fail, get discouraged, and quit
exercising altogether. I've done that too, and it's
no fun to feel like you've failed. I think that's
really the best advice I can give to a mother,
because there are so many demands on your time, you
really can't always put yourself first."
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