A few months before I got pregnant, I started going to the gym by my workplace every morning to work out. I met with an amazing trainer three days a week, religiously kept a food journal, and was generally very motivated to get into shape. Then I discovered I was pregnant, my trainer moved to Oregon, and all that motivation went right out the window. When I came back to work after maternity leave, I wanted desperately to return to the gym and resume my exercise regimen, but I found a million and one excuses not to go back. Finding ways to work out as a working mom was much more difficult than I imagined it would be.
But it doesn't have to be difficult.
I've discovered there are a number of exercises you can do at your desk or while waiting outside your boss's office for a meeting. (My favorite is the chair squat, where you sit into your chair but stand up when you barely touch the seat.) If your boss allows it, you can also bring in an exercise ball to replace your desk chair for all-day abs workout that focuses on balance and realigning your spine. And if you can keep a small set of hand weights at your desk, you can do simple curls, upright rows or triceps extensions.
If you don't mind the summer heat, a brisk walk or quick run outside during your lunch hour is an option. If it's raining and you have access to a covered patio, you can jump rope or do jumping jacks for a few minutes, alternating with squats or push-ups. When asked for tips on creating an effective workout, self-proclaimed fitness expert and local Orlando author of FitGeGe, a fitness blog, Gena Hrbek, says, "[A person] only needs to do three two-minute intervals of hard cardio with three minutes of strength exercises inbetween. When you increase your intensity, you can decrease your duration; therefore a hard 15-minute workout is as effective as a moderate 30-minute one."
Some offices in Orlando have fitness rooms with weights and treadmills. If you're lucky enough to work in one of these buildings, you can hire a personal trainer to keep a standing "lunch hour" appointment several days a week. Trainers are not cheap, but if you partner with a few friends, their fees are more manageable.
Even if you don't have access to a fitness room at work, there's a good chance there are a number of people in your office who want to fit a workout into their already overbooked schedules, too. Provided your office has a sizeable meeting room where furniture can be rearranged (or, better yet, removed), a number of fitness professionals can bring their classes to your workplace. Wes Wilkins of SPECS Performance in Orlando offers Boot Camp classes, for example, and Carrie Ielfield of Brahma Yoga offers yoga sessions to interested groups.
Of course, you (and your coworkers) should always consult your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen, but with a little imagination and some motivation, working moms can find ways to work out – even at work!
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