If you’re a busy mother (like me) then you will appreciate these tips to continue cycling after having a kid.
Having children changes your life forever. You want to be there for your children, caring for all their needs. But this means putting things on hold for significant amounts of time.
Many people were avid bikers and loved cycling daily, but they had to put that on hold after they became full-time parents.
While most people realize that being new parents means having to adapt to things such as reduced independence, lack of sleep, and less personal time, many parents who are cyclists, too, struggle to make these changes.
As you might know I’m a bestselling wellness author and founder of the life changing video course Stop Emotional Eating.
I love sharing tips for about how to be your healthiest self. I hope you enjoy these fun tips to continue cycling after having a child so you can stay in shape and enjoy life to its fullest.
This article discusses a few ways to keep cycling even after having a kid. Read on to learn more.
Guilt is something that most parents feel a lot more than non-parents. Parents often feel remorse or regret over an opportunity they may have missed or a minor mistake they may have made. You must not have any guilt for wanting to take time out for exercise and stay fit.
You need to stay healthy for your children, and the best way to achieve that is exercise, with road biking being a favorite form of exercise for many. Exercise is also something you would want to teach your kids as a part of teaching them the importance of staying fit.
Hence, cycling to stay fit is not only helping you to stay healthy for longer to be with your kids, you are being a good role model by teaching your kids the importance of mental and physical health. So feel good about your cycling time – and maybe even treat yourself to a nice pair of padded bike shorts.
A good way to not have to choose between time for cycling or spending time with your family is by keeping them both separate. You need to be able to own your hours; this way, if you need to train, you should be able to do it before or after the normal family time. This would typically mean no working out from 7 am to 7 pm for some people. This means you might have to wake up early to tour the neighborhood on your bike. Although waking up so early might sound excruciating, you will be surprised how empowered you feel afterward.
You will feel refreshed and energized riding back home, while most people will just wake up. If you choose to do the cycling in the evening, be sure to buy biking accessories and gear that will aid you and keep you safe. These can be headlamps for your bike to see in the dark and reflectors in your helmet so others can detect that you are cycling in the dark.
You have to plan properly to incorporate any training program, such as cycling or running, into your life. Planning this becomes slightly more challenging if you already have a tight schedule managing kids and work. It would help if you discussed this with your partner and planned it out with them.
They might help you figure out your training routine, fix the amount of cycling you will do and give you feedback on how to manage the schedule. This way, you and your spouse or partner will be on the same page, and they won’t resent your training as taking away from your family time.
You may have a very well-laid plan for your cycling laid out, but you must remember that the life of parents can get very messy, and unforeseen incidents may force you to change your plans. The best-laid plans can also fail, so you need to be flexible and adaptive if it does.
In such a case, you need to do whatever cycling you can manage, no matter how short a time. You should be able to do at least 10 minutes of cycling a day, which would amount to about one mile in the distance. You might think that the shorter workout is less effective than the more extensive one you had planned out, but it adds up and something is better than nothing. Any amount of cycling can benefit your mental health.
Rather than having your kid stay home and watch TV or be engrossed in handheld devices, you can buy a special bike chair, attach it to your bike, and start exploring the world while you cycle with your kid. You must ensure that you dress your child appropriately, in warm clothes for winter or lighter clothes for summer. This way, you can stay regular with your cycling while helping your kid make the best of the outdoors. When they are grown up enough, you can get them their own cycles, and they can ride along with you. Imagine the bond that you will be able to create with your kid as you discover beautiful facets of nature while you cycle together.
Nowadays, many jobs can be done remotely from home due to the advent of technology. If your job can be done remotely from home, then see if you can take that opportunity for at least one day a week. This way you won’t have to spend the time on the commute; spend that time with your kid instead. In doing so, you will be left with some time in the evening which you can use for cycling.
Becoming parents is undoubtedly a significant alteration in your lifestyle, requiring you to make many changes and adjustments to your daily routine. This makes you give up many things you hold dear, such as cycling or running. But if you organize your time wisely, you can make time for cycling instead of having to give it up totally. Hopefully, the tips mentioned in this article will make it easier for you to continue cycling even after having kids. Best of luck with your new kid and keeping the dust off your bike.
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