TRAINER BRITTANY CONLEY HELPS MOMS ACHIEVE HEALTH & HAPPINESS
When you are a busy mom finding time to work out can sometimes feel daunting. Raising kids requires getting them to school, daycare, and after-school activities on time. It requires planning meals for them, helping them with homework, and taking time to worship as a family. With these responsibilities stacked on top of other household and professional responsibilities we have as adults and mothers, it is no surprise that our own physical health can sometimes take a back seat. However, a good workout routine doesn’t have to take hours and there are plenty of great functional exercises that help moms increase their quality of life to raise their children and worship God for a long time. These three exercises are the perfect routine to help busy moms add exercise to their busy day.
THRUSTERS
This is one of my favorite exercises for functional fitness. We use the motions in thrusters daily, from lifting our kiddos to emptying the dishwasher and putting the dishes in the overhead cabinet. Strengthening these muscle groups with these movements will increase our quality of life both short-term and long-term.
- With your hands stationary in the original position, squat down until your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Once you are in this position, immediately fire up to standing, extending your arms straight overhead, in full extension as you stand.
- Squat back down, bringing your arms back down to the original position, right above your shoulders. And repeat.
Try to make this movement as fluid and explosive as possible, fully extending your arms each time, and keeping your core tight and hips tucked in when you’re in the full standing position.
If you are just starting your exercise journey take it slow and focus more on getting the form right over workout intensity.
To increase the intensity, add a dumbbell in each hand you can go as light or heavy as you can, making sure not to compromise the form of the movement.
For an even more advanced workout, you can use a barbell with plates and increase your weight that way. Again, make sure whatever weight you use, you maintain proper form to reduce the risk of injury.
PLANK PULL THROUGH
This is another great function movement that helps to stabilize the core, helps moms improve balance (a huge factor in our quality of life as we age and still want to play with our kids), and strengthens our back and shoulders.
Place your palms and toes on the floor, and make sure your legs are fully extended, with your feet either side by side or you can have them about hip-width apart (to help with stabilization). Your head should be relaxed and looking at the floor. Have one dumbbell (try to go heavier with the weight if you can) on the floor on the outside of your right wrist.
With your left hand, grab the dumbbell and slide it across the floor until it is to the outside of where your left wrist was resting on the floor. Once your left hand is back in its original position, use your right hand, grab the dumbbell that is now on the left, and slide it back to the right where it was originally. Keep doing this, sliding the weight back and forth from the left and right with your opposite hands.
Be sure to keep your core engaged, and your hips tight and as stable as you can. You want to try to keep your lower body as still as possible during this movement, only moving your arms and shoulders.
If you are a beginner, you can do this movement from a knee plank position and use a lighter dumbbell.
For a more advanced workout they can lift the opposite foot off the ground opposite from the hand that is on the ground. If the right hand is on the ground to stabilize, raise the left leg while the left arm pulls the weight across. Then put that leg down and raise the other leg with the opposite arm is stabilizing.
WEIGHTED DEAD BUGS
This is another movement that helps to stabilize the core and works for multiple muscle groups at once.
Lay on your back, with your core tight your back as flat to the floor as possible, and your legs raised and at a 90-degree angle. To ensure you are in the correct position, see if you can put your hand between your lower back and the floor. If you can, you’re core isn’t engaged. Adjust your abs and back so you cannot get your hand between the floor and your lower back.
Once you are in the correct position, extend your arms straight up in the air. Slowly lower your right arm over your head to the floor while you are extending your left leg all the way to the floor.
Try to hover both above the floor without touching it if you can. Then raise your right arm and left leg back to their starting positions and extend your left arm to the floor while extending your right leg. You are always moving your opposite appendages simultaneously.
Beginners can do this exercise using only their body weight, adding dumbbells to the routine once you improve your fitness.
For a more advanced option, add a dumbbell in each hand and perform the movement the same way.
WE USE EXERCISES TO BETTER WORSHIP GOD
When I am working with moms to reach new goals on their fitness journey it is important to remind ourselves that our faith is a constant influence in our spiritual and physical health. Two verses come to mind when discussing the importance of maintaining our health in service to God.
Psalm 139:14 states “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know full well.”
1 Corinthians 6:19,20 states “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
These two passages compel us to take the utmost care of our bodies. The Lord took the time to create every one of us in a unique and special way and then paid the ultimate price for us on the cross. Sacrificing his body is the reason why we have a responsibility to take the best care of ourselves. Exercises are the best way to take care of our physical body and a small way to thank God for his sacrifice.
We are entrusted with one body in this life and we must be good stewards of our physical form. We are taking care of the temple that God thoughtfully created. Don’t take that responsibility lightly.
Simply put, how we treat our bodies both in the ways we exercise and the foods we eat reflects our attitude toward God’s creation. Remember that whenever you exercise or cook for your family. Our physical health helps bring us closer to God and shows our children that there is a relationship with God through physical health.
