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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

(Editor’s note: please welcome Zemfira with 4 great fitness suggestions. Thanks, Zemfira!)

There are a number of ways you can incorporate exercise into your daily schedule, but if you are a stay-at-home mom, your time and resources are probably fairly limited. Here are some ideas for working exercise into your daily routine:

1. Take your children for regular walks. Especially if you have young children, they are easy to put into a stroller and take on a long walk around the neighborhood. I have found that even when I don’t find any other time to exercise, it is fairly easy to keep walking every day once you get into the routine.

2. Walking is great for your heart, but maintaining muscle tone is also very important. Exercise videos are an easy way to work on your muscle tone. I have a hard time doing these every day, but even if you do them a couple of times a week (in addition to walking) it will really help your muscle tone. This type of exercise reduces back aches, muscle tension, and gives you more energy.

Exercise videos are also great for kids. They will surely want to get in on the action and participate (there are even videos just for kids). They find it quite entertaining. There are hundreds of exercise videos on the market. I am currently a fan of Jillian Michaels’ work out videos.

3. An easy way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine is through household chores. Gardening and house cleaning provide great opportunities to work off those extra calories.

4. You can also join an exercise class. I have found our local health club to be too expensive for our family, especially when you add on childcare fees. Most communities offer inexpensive exercise classes, although often they do not offer childcare. Some, however, are scheduled very early in the morning so you might be able to squeeze one in before your husband leaves for work.

If you’re not sure you are healthy enough for a regular exercise routine, make sure to check with your doctor first. I still make periodic appointments with my chiropractor to make sure I am not exercising while my back’s out of alignment.

I hope these ideas have got you thinking about how you can incorporate exercise into your daily schedule. You can’t afford not to.

Check out StomachFat.com for more exercises you can do at home.

Image courtesy of pigstubs via Creative Commons license, some rights reserved.

Earnest Parenting: tips for moms who want to stay fit.