Workout I Did: A Little of This, A Little of That

My workouts are a little of this and a little of that. Credit: JBLM MWR Marketing

My workouts are notoriously interrupted these days, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try. It’s a good thing every little bit counts, right? And actually, the good thing about not knowing how long I’ll have to exercise before I get interrupted by the gym daycare is that I do my best to work my hardest and make every minute count. Here’s a recent workout so you can see what I mean.

A Strength Warm-Up: I count my workouts from the beginning: Getting out of the house and to the gym with two kids. Loading them up into the car, unloading them, getting them into the strollers and to the gym daycare…well, their combined weight is over 50 pounds and the stroller is like a million. So muscles? Burning.

Hit Up Cardio: Once the kids are dropped off, my mind starts racing. What do I do with my precious time? I rarely have a set plan, but lately I’ve been hitting the stair climber because I know that even if I just get 10 minutes before one of my kids needs me back at the daycare, it will have been time well spent getting cardio and tons of the leg strength and endurance I need on a daily basis.

I can’t listen to music because I’m listening for “Erin Whitehead…please return to the child care center…” over the PA system, so I have to mix it up or I get really bored on one machine. So after 10 minutes or so of stair climbing, my legs need a break and I need a change of scenery. So I head to…

The Rowing Machine: I love the rowing machine because it’s cardio that works the core and the arms like nobody’s business. Plus, it takes just a few minutes before you feel the effects. So after 3 or 4 minutes I’m…

Ready to Run: I’ve been trying to keep my running up just a little, so I’ll hit the treadmill for a jog. I try to put in about a mile.

Still More?: This is the “What? I still have time?” portion of my workout. If by some miracle, both kids are behaving, I’ll head over and show off my muscles with weights. On this particular occasion, I did some squats with a weighted bar, lunges, push-ups, planks and bicep curls on a BOSU. Yes, all a little boring, but all super-effective moves for when I know time is limited. I try to repeat the circuit at least twice. Days I have time to stretch? I know all the workout stars have aligned!

If it does happen that I get called back to daycare? I still try to make the most of it by heading to the gym and running around, shooting hoops and playing with my daughter. She loves “playing basketball,” and I’m so bad at shooting that I get plenty of cardio chasing my ball.

What machines do you hit when you know you have limited gym time? —Erin