When you have a baby, all of a sudden the time that you once had for yourself during the day is pretty much out the door. Am I right?

Many new moms are also unhappy with their bodies after pregnancy, but how on earth are they going to have time to get to the gym to workout on a regular basis? Don’t fret. We are going to talk about how to get fit without a gym post-pregnancy.

*Important note: Make sure you have your doctor’s approval before starting any kind of exercise.

Enjoy Yourself

Think of something fun that you like to do, or try something new that maybe you’ve been wanting to try. For example, I am a workout DVD junkie, and I was wanting to try something new and fun. I was online one day when I stumbled upon the Zumba workout. I read a lot of reviews from people on this DVD workout and people were loving it, so I thought I’d give it a try. Well, I am sure glad I did because it is now one of my absolute favorite workouts!

Again, if you are looking for how to get fit without a gym, you don’t have to try something new. Your best bet is to at least do something you enjoy, and switch things up often, otherwise you may get bored. Not liking your workouts and/or getting bored with them are more than likely going to lead to you not wanting to workout anymore and eventually stopping.

Do you have a favorite sport? Or maybe you like to dance, swim, bike-ride, skate? The list goes on, just get active with something you have fun doing!

Fresh Air

If you are still at home with baby (on maternity leave, at-home mom, etc.), get your post-pregnancy exercise by taking your little one out for walks. Or, once your body is strong enough and your doctor okays it, work up to jogging for a more intense workout. You can even do intervals with short jogging bursts, of about 1-3 minutes at a time, and then have a speed walking interval as your recovery period.

Also, you can buy a pedometer or Fit Bit, and challenge yourself with how many steps you can do. Try to increase your number of steps as time goes on.

If you are not at home with baby, and you are back at work, take walks or jogs at your lunch hour. You can even try to get a co-worker to go with you!

Getting outdoors for a walk is one of the easiest ways to get fit without a gym, especially since you can do it with your little one.

Exercise DVDs

Buying a few exercise DVDs is much cheaper than a gym membership…and you get to do them in the comfort of your own home. There are many varieties of different DVD workouts out there. Some examples are kick-boxing, yoga, pilates, belly-dancing, aerobics, dance and strength-training. Some workout DVDs even incorporate baby in the workout!

It is a good idea to buy workout DVDs that involve strength-training as well as cardio. Combining strength-training and cardio will be best for you to burn calories and fat, as well as toning you up.

You may need equipment when buying workout DVDs. Many DVDs have what equipment is needed on the back of their case, so make sure you read that before purchasing. Hand weights are generally inexpensive, you don’t need anything fancy.

If wanting to do yoga, you may also want to invest in a yoga mat, they keep you from slipping while doing your yoga workout. These are also pretty inexpensive. Yoga makes our list of how to get fit without a gym due to not needing much space to do it. You just require enough space for your yoga mat, and that’s really it!

Kids’ Toys

Do you have older kids? You may already have “gym equipment” in your house then! Get your post-pregnancy exercise by jumping rope, hula-hooping, playing frisbee or catch with a ball. Or maybe your kids have a trampoline for you to jump on? A net to play volleyball or badminton?

On a hot day, have a water gun/balloon fight with your older ones, or play tag with them. Get creative and have fun with your older kids at the same time!

Equipment

Do you have any gym equipment at home? A treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical machine, etc.? Maybe you want to invest in some? You can even look into people selling them second-hand in your area for a more inexpensive option.

If that doesn’t interest you, there are many different exercises you can do without all that expensive equipment. Some examples of exercises you can do are things like squats, lunges, push-ups, jumping jacks, jogging on the spot, going up and down your stairs, dancing, crunches, strength-training with dumbbells or resistance band, hip lifts (lay on the floor on your back with knees bent, and push your bum into the air, hold, repeat several times) and tricep dips (sit at the edge of a bench/stool/chair, hands on the chair close to your sides, fingertips facing your bum, dip down and up using your hands to push you up and down, repeat several times).

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There you have it, five ways on how to get fit without a gym! Not only do these ways save you time from travelling to the gym and back, but they are also inexpensive, so it’s a win-win situation for you!

Start incorporating these ideas into your daily routine (or even 3-4 days a week), and get that pre-pregnancy body back!