Now that I have touched on the topic of kids, I will continue in that vein for a bit. Today I want to talk about exercising with kids at home. I know that finding time to exercise is hard for a lot of people, especially those with young children. Finding that time is so important though, both for you and for your kids! You are their role model, so they will probably end up doing what you do. Exercise and enjoy it so that they will too!

I can not emphasize enough how important daily exercise is, even if that exercise is merely a short walk. If you can do more than that, great! Now that the weather is nice, you can take that walk with your kids. If they are really small, put them in a stroller and head out after dinner. That may be a good way to wind them down before bed. If they are older and can keep up, have them walk or ride their bike with you while you walk.

My YMCA membership has been invaluable to me since having children. I love that I can take them in for an hour each day, get an hour of sanity-saving quiet, a workout, and my kids have fun with others their age. A gym membership that includes childcare is definitely worth the money if you can afford it.

If you can't, you may have to figure out how to exercise at home with the kids around. It can work if you really try. I started working out at home during my oldest' nap time when my youngest was two weeks old. I would look up at-home workouts on YouTube, push play and start moving. My baby would watch and often laugh. Rarely would I have to quit my workout before I was through. I still do this sometimes when I don't feel like going out to the gym. I wait until "quiet time" and use that time to unwind with some exercise and a shower.

On those days that I can't workout while they are asleep, I turn to HIIT workouts. These are workouts that are intense, but are of short duration (usually no more than 30 minutes). I can usually distract the kids with something long enough to get in a 20 minute HIIT session. I have even distracted them with the workout itself by teaching them how to do the moves. It's very cute to watch an 18 month old mimick squat exercises and a two year old attempt push-ups.

Have you ever tried exercising on the kids' playground? It's a great place to mix up your workouts! The kids can play and you can get a workout at the same time.

Maybe you just can't see yourself getting in any exercise with the kids at home and awake. Then maybe you need to get up a little earlier or stay up a little later. One way or another, I encourage you to make the time.

And if you don't have kids, I'm not going to say that you don't have any excuses, because I'm sure you do, but wether you have kids or not, excuses don't cut it. Exercise is important enough for your health (and my sanity!) to make sure it gets fit in every single day.