Five Tips to Fit Exercise into Your Day with the School Year

School is here for many children, and will be shortly for others. If you're a mom, the day is filled with several hundred responsibilities including lunches, checking homework and packs. With all the hubbub of the new school year, fitting exercise into your activities is difficult. It's easy to stop exercising during the first several weeks until things become smoother again. The issue with stopping, is starting over again.

This year, try something new before you exclude exercise from your daily activities.

Bike or walk to the grocery store

My family is in a suburb outside of Chicago, but there are many stores in walking distance of our apartment complex. The gas station on the corner is a 20 minute, round trip walk with three local grocery stores only a few minutes farther. Make the choice to walk or bike to the grocery store if you know you're going to have a light load of groceries. Wear a back pack to carry the groceries, or strap the grocery bag to your bike rack if you have one.

Walk home from school

Although you are rushed in the morning, you may have more time in the afternoon to walk home from your child's school. If the school is in your subdivision or near your home, a walk together is a perfect time to communicate with your child. It's also a way for them to unwind after an exciting day of school.

Volunteer fitness program

My daughter's school offers a fit program that needs parental volunteers badly. It is before school, for 50 minutes. During this time, everyone does calisthenics, walk s, runs and stretches. The program is outdoors, interactive and fun. Your child's school may offer the same type of extracurricular fitness program before or after school. It covers your exercise needs for the day, and you can spend an extra hour with your child.

In-school teacher work days

There are many schools that have one day of the week set aside for in-school, work days for teachers. Even though laundry, dishes and homework must be done, use this afternoon to get outside with your kids. On warm days, spend the afternoon at the park, or walk the mall on rainy days.

Skip a full shower

Although personal hygiene is important, there's no reason you can't take a "rinser" to fit in some exercise. Instead of washing your hair during your shower, wash your body and get out. It's less damage to your hair because you're not washing it every day, and you're able to workout before you head out for errands under way.

Source: Experience