Quick exercise tips for managing parental stress
Stress comes with being a parent or expectant parent. It is inevitable with any part of life, but parental woes seem to be particularly weighty.
Successfully managing stress can make a huge impact on your life. Less (or managed) stress means better parenting, and exercise is one of the best ways to achieve that end. I know that the thought of traditional exercise is associated with hefty time requirements, but forget that. Perceived time constraints are one of the biggest reasons why people never even start to exercise. Here are a few quick ways to integrate some basic exercise into your busy life without chunking off huge amounts of extra time.
None of these are rocket science, but they are a great way to help combat stress and fight cortisol, the hormone that promotes the development of love handles in men. Obviously, if you even think you have any medical conditions that might preclude you from these activities, be smart and ask your doctor.
1. Do push ups.
It doesn’t matter if you can only do five (or one), just do that and work your way up. If you can’t do a regular, fully-prone push up, pivot on your knees instead to get going. Start with as many as you can, and do not get discouraged. Push ups are good for developing and maintaining upper body strength and get your blood flowing. They require no equipment and only take a few seconds to do. I do mine just after getting out of bed in the morning or waiting for the shower to warm up. If your hot water heats faster than mine, choose another time so you don’t waste water!
2. Take the stairs / print to a different printer.
This is an especially work-related tip. Skip the elevator and take the stairs. It burns some extra calories and gets your blood flowing. If you work in an office with a networked printer, print to one (if reasonable) that is farther away so you have to get up from your desk and move. The movement will help maintain flexibility and improve blood flow, even if just for a few moments.
3. Buy a pair of cheap dumbbells.
Buy a pair of cheap dumbbells. You can store them under your bed and pull them out in the morning. Do a few quick sets of bicep curls and transition right into triceps extensions or side/front shoulder raises. Not resting between exercises will elevate your heart rate and make sure it doesn’t take too much of your time. Make sure you have a solid, comfortable stance and never bounce or swing the weights. Use controlled motion all the way through. In addition to being safe, it activates more muscle fibers.
4. Walk at lunch.
If you’re working, take a walk at lunch. If you have errands to do during that time and can walk to them, do so. If you’re a SAHD/M, put the little one in the stroller/pack/shoes and take them with you. The fresh air will do them well and hopefully make them tired and content. Lunch time is a great time to walk because it’s (usually) a time when you’re allowed to take a break. I personally dropped 14 pounds in three months after walking for 45 minutes at every lunch time.
5. Drink more water.
While this isn’t exercise related, it promotes general health, helps kidney and brain function, improves your skin and even aids in metabolizing fat. This takes almost no time and you can bring a bottle just about anywhere. Switch out soda (yes, even diet) for water and you’ll probably drop a few extra pounds and not feel as jittery. Our bodies work better when properly hydrated, keep them that way.
Integrating one or more of these minor adjustments into your life will make a difference in how you feel physically and mentally. If you have the time, by all means try and adopt a more robust program, but these are great ways to add some exercise into a hectic and stressful life.
If any of you have some stress fighting or exercise tips you would like to share, I’d love to hear them.
Tags: cortisol, exercise, stress, stress_managementRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Advice, Dads on Duty, General, Men, Stay at Home Dads, health and fitness
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