Most parents are fighting tooth and nail to find some personal time for their own health and fitness goals and trying to balance their kid’s schedules with their own personal time. We are hoping this blog will help set up parents for some long term success.
9 Training Tips for Parents
1.Don’t use caffeine to make up for sleep deprivation and a bad diet
Staying hydrated is one of the most important aspects of feeling energized and being able to make it through your training sessions on a daily basis. Now, I am not saying a couple cups of coffee a day is bad (I love coffee), but I am saying drinking ONLY coffee 10 x a day is not going to help you feel more energized, and it will affect your training in a negative way. Make sure to be drinking lots of water before, during, and after each training session.
Suggestion: Drink a cup of water between cups of coffee.
2.Set a reasonable training schedule
Setting a personal training schedule is the hard part. Take a look at all your family activities and your own personal work schedule, and set aside a 30-60 min block for training a few times a week. If you think you are able to train 6 days a week you can probably throw that right out the window and hope to get 2-3 full body lifts in each week.
Suggestion: Book an appointment for yourself and you’ll more likely to not skip it
3.Do conditioning at home
I understand sometimes you can lack motivation once your kids hit the sheets. Again, I am not stressing on hitting 60 mins of high intensity interval training here. I am simply suggesting that a 10-20 min at home conditioning circuit could be the answer for you on those days you can’t make the gym. Example:
20 mins Run time
10-20 Bodyweight squats
30-60 sec
Front Plank
5-10 Push ups
10-20 Alternating lunges
Suggestions: Keep it simple. Use this no equipment hassle-free conditioning component that you can add in on your “off” days and work at your own intensity.
4.Welcome Help
This is simple. If someone (maybe your spouse) is offering to give you an hour or two of free time then you should TAKE IT! Take it and run. Embrace the help of your friends and family members. Being a parent is hard work.
5.Do the simple things savagely well
When you do find yourself in the gym make sure your technique and movement patterns are dialed in. Make sure you are focusing on which muscle groups you are training in that given session and do those movements at 100%. The results and strength gains will soon follow.
6.Meal plan with thekids
This is a simple exercise where you can add your kids to the discussion and plan out your meals for the week. Ask the kids what their favourite meals are and take a healthier more nutritious approach to them.
Suggestion: Have the kids cook the dinner with you, and it will help them feel more involved and hopefully more encouraged to eat that healthier dish.
7.Add intensity when you can
So you had a full night sleep last night, that’s fantastic. Today is the day you can increase the intensity in your training schedule. If you feel up to it, change your volume, frequency or load, heck even change up your exercises
8.Go to bed earlier (sleep when they sleep)
This may be the toughest of all the training tips. Recovery is one of, if not the most important aspect of training. Sleeping 6-8 hours a night can shorten your recovery time.
Suggestion: For you newer parents out there, nap when your baby naps. I know you want your own time, but sometimes a good nap can go a long way.
9.Mix up your family activities
Instead of taking the family out to a movie and sitting in a theatre for two-three hours maybe suggest something a little more active. Take the kids skating, rock climbing, hiking, anything that’s fun and active. I am sure the whole family will enjoy
Coach Steve