When you’re trying to find time to exercise as a busy parent, it’s not always as easy as it sounds. And between work or school drop-offs, extracurricular activities, and the demands of running a household, that extra time doesn’t appear easily.

But what can you do when you need to find some time to move your body and work on your fitness, but you don’t have hours to head to the gym alone?

It means it’s time to get creative.

Make Small Habit Swaps

One of the best ways to add more movement to your day is to look for those swaps you can make in your day without disrupting your routine or forcing yourself to sacrifice anything to make time and space in your schedule.

For some people, this might look like walking to the shops or to school if you usually take the car. It can be setting yourself speed cleaning challenges in the house to get your heart rate up, or it could be getting outside with the kids more and running around instead of watching them play.

The trick is to adapt what you’re already doing so you can get more movement into your day. It all matters and is beneficial.

Get Outside

Getting outside is a great way to help you get more movement and exercise into your day, and the best part is you can include the whole family here too.

If you have young children or babies, you can go for a run or try the couch25k program while pushing them. If your kids are walking more and you have energy levels to deplete, take them for long walks and adventures in different places so you can get your steps in and some fresh air at the same time. Other options include going hiking, using the equipment at local parks if your area has these on offer while the kids play, or, if you want to get out alone, you can look into cold water swimming, or you can join a running club.

Remember, when it comes to exercising outdoors, dress appropriately. You need to make sure you’re wearing sun cream in the summer with a cap to help you avoid getting sunburnt, while in the winter you might prefer to wrap up with womens thermal gloves from HeatHolders, for example, and invest in base layers you can remove as required.

Get The Kids Involved

A great way to find time to exercise when you don’t have a lot of it to spare is to double up on activities and get the kids involved.

At home, this might look like getting them to do a workout video with you or helping you count reps if you have weights at home, or they can be your own mini personal trainer, even a weight source too if you want. You can get outside and kick a ball around with them in the garden, play your favourite sport, or set challenges that get everyone moving and active. What exactly you do will depend on your family and what you enjoy, but if you have the kids on board, that’s half the battle won already.