Parent Time

In this corner are the excuses – not enough time, you're too tired, and exercise is a pain. In the other corner are the benefits – you'll feel stronger, sleep better, fend off conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease and, if you want to, fit into your favourite jeans 10 years from now.

If your excuses are pummelling the benefits right now, don't despair. Here's how to take the pressure off and still get the results you want in the time you have.

Set your goals. Once you've ditched exercise for a while, it's hard to know where your body's at – your blood pressure, flexibility, strength and endurance. You'll get the best bang for your efforts by pinpointing your concerns and fine-tuning your goals, whether cardio, strength, core training or nutrition. Is that extra 10 pounds of baby fat worrying you? Or maybe toting laundry up the stairs leaves you breathless. Do a little soul-searching before you're off and running, so to speak.

Be selective. Picking activities you enjoy is one of the most important factors in sticking with physical activity, says Sherri Audet, a physiotherapist and board member of SIRC, the Sport Information Resource Centre in Ottawa. Also, some studies show that who you are can determine how you stay fit. So tagging along with your friend who's an avid marathoner may be a footpath to failure. To see which activities click best with you, try taking a fitness personality test online. Find one at globalhealthandfitness.com/
personality.htm, which matches individual traits and lifestyle choices to a variety of exercises and sports.

Build your level slowly. Busy people – like most moms – often want their fitness routines to produce visible results, and like, quick. "People get overzealous and try to do too much too soon," says Deanne Taylor, head personal trainer at Family Fitness Centre in Hamilton. "You have to listen to your body or you could get injured." When you're just starting out, avoid high-impact exercises or running on hard surfaces for three to four weeks, says Courtney Klinger, an exercise therapist and registered kinesiologist from Edmonton. Instead, she suggests a class in aquatic exercise. "It's low impact, cheap and usually in the evenings. And your heart rate gets up there." Or try walking around your neighbourhood with the kids in tow.

Originally Published in Today's Parent, July 2006