Keeping Your Broke-Ass Mom Girlish Figure

With the constant reminder of Thanksgiving and Christmas being right around the corner, I find myself wondering how to ward off the overeating of stuffing, sweet potatoes, Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake, cookies from an upcoming Cookie Party, my husband’s famous Carrot Soufflé, and let’s not forget about the Mulled Wine, Spiked Apple Cider, and the delectable Rum Eggnog Punch.

How does a Broke-Ass Mom keep her girlish figure in times like this?  Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you feel about running) running is free and fairly easy to do with a baby or a toddler almost every day of the week.  Simply buy yourself a good, slightly loved (used in case you didn’t get that) jogging stroller, bring a drink for yourself and your baby, a snack for your baby, and some sort of toy to keep him/her entertained for the ride.  Personally, I’ve taken to convincing my toddler to count the cars, sing me a song, look for bumps in the road, and play with no more than six Lego pieces (I’ve carefully selected this number because it’s easy for me to remember and hard for him to lose) while I run. Depending on the day, your baby may surprise you and last for at least thirty minutes before protesting. I’ve also found the more I run, the more my toddler gets used to running.

Another idea is exercise videos that can be done during naptime, or after your baby has gone to bed. Ashley Friedman, aka Cornerstore Correspondent, reviews several videos in her article on September 22^nd here. On top of these videos, there are several baby yoga videos out there that you can do with your baby or toddler. If you’re feeling exceptionally brave on some rainy afternoon, pop any exercise video in and see if you can get your baby to “participate” in any way they can.

If neither of these ideas works for you, do some extra running at the playground with your child.  Add a few chores to your list of things to do.  Take a couple extra flights of stairs.  Walk to the grocery store and strap your baby in the baby carrier if possible (that’s sure to burn off a few extra cookies and your baby gets a better view).  All you need, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), is twenty-two minutes of exercise every day (Come people, that’s nothing, really, twenty-two minutes).  You may not lose weight with only twenty-two minutes per day, but you won’t gain any either.

Photo By:  IstockPhoto Entienou