Five fun and effective ways to exercise with two young children in tow

You’ve got two young children, you’ve definitely got your hands full, but that’s not to say all attempts to exercise should be thrown out the window! What might sound like an impossible task can actually be quite fun, challenging and effective for you and your two little ones. Take a look at these five fun and effective ways to exercise with two young children in tow.

 1. Brisk walking with the pram/buggy

Striding out with a pram or buggy is a great way to exercise with little ones. The fresh air and change of scenery will be refreshing and invigorating for everyone. Aim to go on a brisk walk regularly, daily if possible.

If you’ve got a baby and a toddler, fitting a buggyboard to the pram where your toddler can stand, will mean you’re able to stride out around the park, whilst your little ones enjoy the ride.

2. Playing active games such as dancing in the living room, hide and seek, ball games

‘Kill two birds with one stone’ by playing some active games with your two young children. Whether it’s putting some music on and having a good old dance in the living room, or playing a ball game in the garden or a game of hide and seek, you might be surprised at how many calories you’ll burn by playing active games with the kids. Furthermore, you’ll be keeping them entertained and stimulated, perfect for lively pre-schoolers!

3. Take the little ones’ swimming

Swimming is a fantastic form of exercise, and one that can be enjoyed by all ages. Heading down to your local leisure centre and spending an afternoon in the swimming pool with your two young children, will not only be good exercise for you, but it will introduce your little ones to water and benefit their swimming abilities. OK, you may need a wing-man for this one as balancing two kids in the water is impossible (and dangerous).

Even if you aren’t able to leave your children alone in the pool and go on an actual swim, you can still burn calories and tone up. Keeping a splashing, writhing toddler above water takes some serious effort!

4. Crawl when your babies crawl to burn calories

This might (and look) a little strange but crawling around on all fours can actually be an effective form of exercise. If you’re struggling to keep up with your little one’s newly-found crawling freedom, then join in the fun by crawling around the house with your baby!

Adopt the plank position whilst you are on the floor playing with your baby, to target the abdominal muscles. Moving around in this position will also help strengthen and tone your arms and legs.

5. Join a gym with childcare

If you’re yearning for a quality workout without having to juggle looking after and entertaining your youngsters, why not join a gym with childcare? Many modern gyms come with childcare facilities, designed to give parents a well-earned break so they can work out to their heart’s content.

Look for a gym that provides childcare as a perk for members and treat yourself to a complete workout, knowing your little ones are in safe hands.

So what are you waiting for? – stride on out with the buggy, enjoy a swim with the little ones, get on all fours and follow your baby crawling blissfully around the house, put on the music and start dancing, or join a gym with crèche facilities – now you’ve got no excuse not to exercise with two little ones!

What are your best busy mum exercise tips?

This blog post was written by Hadyn Luke, Director of CMS Fitness Courses (CMSFitness), specialists in health and fitness training based in Huddersfield, UK. CMSFitness offer a diverse range of high-quality personal training and fitness courses.