By Jo McKinnon

When you have a toddler, your world tends to move at their dawdling pace. Here's how to keep active when things slow down.

It may sound strange, but life can slow down when you have a toddler. Where once you could strap your bub in a pram and stride out for an invigorating walk or an outdoors fitness session, now you have a headstrong little human who demands they're the one pushing the stroller.

Their voyages of discovery — picking up rocks, flowers, and pointing at dog poo — are a delight, but in the time it takes your littlie to toddle to the shops, you could have walked there and back five times. And if you have been using walking as a way to stay fit, things can get frustrating.

Some toddlers are happy to swap a stroller for a push-along trike that you steer from behind with a handle. These aren't as all-terrain as a stroller, but they're fun and keep things going in a forward motion.

Here are some other tricks for keeping fit with a toddler in tow.

Kick!

Kicking a ball around with your child can be surprisingly active — especially when you're the one retrieving the ball from the far corners of a park. Linda Morrison, a mum of two and a fitness instructor with Melbourne's Plus One Mums, suggests you kick out at the beach. "The sand means there's extra resistance for mum or dad when they're running or walking, and it wears out junior!" she adds.



Get yourself some wheels

Cycling is a great aerobic exercise for you, and toddlers love the thrill of zooming along behind you in a child seat. Child seats are best used for kids aged over 12 months and weighing less than 22kg. (When your littlie gets bigger, they can have their own bike.) If you're nervous about traffic, stick to a bike track or plot out a route on roads with less traffic. You'll both need properly fitting helmets and sunscreen, and remember to take drinks. For more on child bike safety, see the Victorian government's Better Health Channel.



Run rings around them

You can still go for a run when you have kids, but you may have to change how you do it. Fitness instructor Linda used to put her littlies on a rug, with toys and snacks, in the middle of an oval. Then she'd lap them, and zigzag in and out to the perimeter of the oval and back again. She'd add lunges, squats, push-ups and abdominal bracing and plank holds to complete a workout. "It works really well a couple of times a week, and with a whole mother's group it's great fun too," she says.



Aquaerobics with toddler

Playing with your toddler at the pool doesn't have to restrict you to sitting in the baby pool. If you go with other parents, you can take turns at babysitting and swimming laps. Or you can carry your young one in the big pool and just walk. This gives you a workout as you're carrying weight and walking against the resistance of the water. You could also get your toddler to grab a float board and pull them along.



Do an exercise DVD together

If you have a yoga, aerobics or other exercise DVD, pop it on and both of you can get a workout. Your littlie will find it hilarious watching you, and will absorb some good fitness lessons, too. (And he or she will probably do the yoga moves perfectly, just to make you jealous.)



Sneak it in while they sleep

If your toddler is still having a day sleep, instead of rushing around doing the housework, sneak in some me-time and exercise a few times a week. You could follow a DVD or your own fitness sequence. (Some trainers, like Plus One Mums, tailor sequences especially for busy mothers.) You could also hire an exercise bike, treadmill or stair machine and raise a sweat while your little one is snoring.



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