Staying Active Post-Baby (and Mid-Pandemic) : 6. Indoor Home Workouts
Daydreaming about this is good motivation for indoor workouts!
It’s inevitable—as much as I prioritize getting my outdoor activities in, some days it just doesn’t happen, especially when it’s not ski season and I can’t use the very fortunate excuse “but skiing is my job!” And now that skiing is basically shut down (and rightfully so!) to help slow the spread of the pandemic, it’s suddenly home workout season.
Before the pandemic, there were just those days I didn’t feel like I completed one single task—I could honestly not tell you what the kids and I did all day—and it seems like a major victory that everyone is mostly clothed and partially fed. Getting solo time for me on those days is not happening, but if I don’t have some sort of outlet then I might start breaking toys and throwing them in the trash instead of calmly and patiently teaching my children how to clean up. Which by the way, if you know an easy trick to that one, I’m all ears. The cleanup song seems to work at preschool and other people’s homes, just not in our house.
Training weight! From earlier this winter.
That’s when the home workout comes in and saves me. It may not be pretty or neat. I will definitely be dodging the dog and small children who try to borrow my workout equipment the exact moment that I need it and then throw a tantrum when I take it, but it’s still worth it. In fact, it can add an extra challenge, and it certainly helps me improve my “focus,” when I’m trying my hardest to finish a minute of split squat jumps, at the edge of my max effort, and I’m being yelled at.
“mom.” “Mom.” “MOM.” “Hey MOM.” “MOOOOMMMMMM!”
Me, sweating and grunting, trying to avoid stepping on a tiny foot, “What is it?!”
“I need something out of your art box that’s way up on the shelf in the closet!”
Me, maximizing focus, can barely talk from exertion, “Not now, maybe when I’m doneghhhhhh!”
Screaming and wailing ensues.
So I finish the reps, grab the box and let her go at it while I finish the workout. I’ve learned that I can wash the pen off her face, nails, and legs later; it’s worth it for a few minutes of uninterrupted focus.
And now that we are in the midst of a global pandemic, indoor workouts have become even more important, for sanity, and for our own health and the health of our communities.. It may seem selfish or pointless to do something like workout when there’s so much worse happening, but I think it’s okay and even mandatory to take care of ourselves, especially if we are indoors or in our own yards, still in quarantine— just a more fit quarantine. Think of it as a much healthier (mentally and physically) alternative to looking at the news. Zoom workouts anyone?!
We can only dream about this now; until we’re back there again I’ll be doing pushups on the rug!
Now as far as motivation goes, I am one of those weird people who likes working out. (edit—I have to edit this post because while I do like to workout, I definitely don’t want to imply that I have zero motivation issues when it comes to making a workout happen because that’s just total BS! There are many days when I don’t feel like doing a home workout, and many days where I just don’t do it. But I try to set aside a time for at least one hard one a week, and squeeze in some body weight or band workouts in there somewhere too when the kids are running around, because for some reason it makes me feel awesome all week even though it takes 45 hard minutes and a lot of foot-dragging beforehand.) It’s an opportunity to have a little moment during the day of complete focus, and a chance to push past my limits when I’d rather just quit—if I do one more rep than I thought, and try just a little harder when I’m already taxed, it just makes the rest of the day seem a bit more manageable somehow. It’s like a little mini epic that I’ve brought upon myself and given myself the chance to rise above. It’s like meditation in that it clears my mind, except that it’s really the opposite of meditation, but my mind still somehow feels blank and open afterwards. The news and weight of the world at the moment can be a bit defeating—and this is where I know if I sneak in a quick workout it will be a minor win. Also, I can do it in my own home, on my own dirty rug—it’s our own dirt. And if it’s nice out and I can take a yoga mat out on the back porch, that’s a major bonus. And I can use equipment or just go old school, body weight style.
Extra points for situps in the snow! Just watch out for the yellow snow.
My usual arsenal, though, includes a few weights and kettlebells, and some bands, most of which I’ve found at thrift and garage sales. A good step for step-ups is handy, like a bench or sturdy chair, and some railings or doorknobs on which to affix the bands. Otherwise, I don’t need much—just some strategy and logistics for creating the time, space, and motivation to make it happen. Here are some of the key things I’ve learned:
Good online workouts. There are free apps (NTC is a great one) abound, and many services you can pay for. There are workouts for free online (the Spartacus Men’s Health workout is a classic that never fails to make me super sore). The NYT has a series of 7-9 minute videos for different goals (strength building, general fitness, etc.), you can just do them as sets if you want! There are lots of great sources for online yoga. And the best thing I’ve done in forever is work remotely with a trainer, Alex Buck, who lives in Colorado but sends me workouts via email, tailored to my goals, equipment, other activities I’m doing depending on season, etc. Way better than a gym membership for me, and totally worth it. If I take the few minutes to review a new workout the night before or earlier in the day so I know the moves, it helps maximize the time in my workout window, too.
Do it during nap time if possible! Get all ready before nap time, set everything up and get workout gear on. Then start immediately when the kid falls asleep. NO WAITING. Otherwise you will do some other unimportant crap like laundry and guaranteed the kid will take a crap nap and wake up right when you’re ten minutes in and really starting to feel it!
An awesome playlist—it really sets the mood and I swear if there’s a good song on, I will work out harder and faster. Plus, once you put the music on it’s kind of like a little psychological nod to yourself that it’s time to get going. Might as well do a warmup anyways…then before I know it I’ve started the first set…might as well do one set anyways. I walked into my own trap! Didn’t even see it coming! Did the whole workout!
If I can’t do it during nap time, then I include the kid (s), or find a great distraction for them. I save their favorite pens, the play dough, or the screen time for that time, and I don’t feel bad about letting them have some alone time while I take care of what needs to happen. Currently, my oldest loves to do workouts with me when the younger kid is napping. We were having issues with equipment sharing which was making the workouts stressful—basically whenever I wanted to use a band, she suddenly “needed it right now,” there would be a tantrum and some grabbing, sometimes on my end. One day I remembered I had a stash of dusty old exercise bands in storage, so I ran and got them and immediately things were fun again—we could both “workout” at the same time, and I can nod enthusiastically while our now 4 year old shows me her sweet workout moves while I get to use the equipment I want when I want.
Safety is key. No weights will be dropped on small toes or small animals! Currently I can’t really safely work out with weights when our youngest is around, so that’s the time for body weight moves, or just wait until she is napping.
Every little minute and move adds up. Even if I do a few pushups or a few core exercises before bed, that’s something. Count it! Squats holding a baby up high and in front of you (back straight, ribs tucked down and back, and hinge at the waist!) are extremely challenging, and a bonus is that the weight increases naturally over time as you get stronger.
Take it easy. If you’ve read my earlier posts on getting back to fitness post-pregnancy, you know that I took it pretty slow and easy, especially given core stuff and knee recovery. There’s no rush—if something feels weird or off, it’s okay to wait or just try something different or way easier. It’s better to start way below your pre-pregnancy level and work up than try to jump in where you left off and risk injury or even worse, crush your motivation mentally because you’ve chosen something too hard. Choose something just slightly easier than you think—then crush it and trust that you’ll know when to go full Spartacus when it’s time.
My coaches and teammates—every home workout needs some cheerleaders and positive energy. Face-licking optional.
