The first area to address is the snacking at the kids’ meal times. It takes time to get out of this habit but if you can anticipate and prepare the right types of food in advance you will find it easier to resist the children’s food. Stock up on nuts, seeds, fruit, veggies to have at hand when it is the kids’ eating time, this way, if you are feeling peckish, go for a handful of nuts, some carrot sticks, or apple and this will keep the hunger at bay. The less sugar you have the less you will crave it, but you do need to have a replacement. Seeds contain natural fatty acids which help to balance out hormones while also reducing cravings for sugary and processed foods. Opt for a mixture of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. It’s important not to feel hungry but you need to make the right food choices.
There are plenty of different exercise routines that you can do in your own home and it is good to keep the routines varied. Below is a list of ideal exercises to start with that focus on all the important areas of building a healthy and strong body.
For cardio fitness:
Start with a twenty minute power walk outside - walk with your elbows bent and hands out in front and punch your elbows back behind you as your walk. Breathe out hard and keep the breathing rhythmical, stand tall and draw your belly button in. When you are confident with this, introduce some intervals of 30-60seconds of faster power walking to really boost the metabolism. After 20 minutes of power walking for a couple of weeks, you will find it easy to increase your time to 25mins and then to 30mins.
Once back inside, use a step and do 10 step ups with the right leg followed by 10 with the left leg and repeat this 3 times.
Or
Run up and down the stairs 8 times, keeping your body tall and lifting your knees.
Toning exercises:
1. Put your back flat up against the wall and slowly slide down the wall, bending your knees, still keeping your back up against the wall, until your legs are at a 90 degrees, then push back up, draw your belly button in and squeeze your bum muscles together. Repeat this for 3 sets of 10 repetitions. When you feel stronger, you can do this squat exercise without the wall, taking your own body weight through your legs and bum. It is good to start with the wall, as it works as a support.
2. Using a chair, start from a seating position with your arms folded, push with your legs into a standing position and slowly sit back down again. Repeat this for 3 sets of 10 repetitions. This works the legs, bums and hips.
3. Sit at the end of the chair, place your hands on the end of the seat with your fingers curled over the end, lift yourself off the seat and lower yourself down until you reach a 90 degree angle at your elbow and then push yourself back up again. The more your legs are stretched out the more weight you will take in your upper body and the harder the exercise becomes. This is exercise is good for the back of your arms.
For your tummy:
Lie flat on the floor with your arms stretched out above you, push your lower back into the floor (this helps to activate your abdominal muscles), bring your chin down towards your chest, allow your arms to lead you forward and roll up into a seated position, keep your legs flat on the floor. Once you are in a seated position, roll back down very slowly, keeping your tummy muscles strong, your chin tucked in, slowly lower yourself back down to a flat position, and repeat this 10 times. It is important to breathe out on your way up to expel as much air as possible from your tummy. To advance this exercise, start with your knees bent and follow the same sequence.
There are a huge variety of exercise videos aswell, ranging from pilates, aerobics, yoga, dance and these are easy to follow and good to include in a weekly exercise routine for variety.
Walking or cycling outdoors in the fresh air every day helps to clear your head, kick start your metabolism, tone your body and keep you fit and healthy. It is always good to start your exercise session with some cardio exercise outside.
Remember to stretch at the end of each session, particularly to front and back of your legs.