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Every mother knows that when there are children to take care of, your exercise needs seem to fall at the very bottom of the totem pole of obligations. However, in order to be good to both yourself as well as your family, it is vital that you recognize the importance of the role of health in your life.

You need to be full of energy, cheer and enthusiasm when you have children, especially. You need to constantly run around chasing them, which can often feel like a workout in and of itself. However, with a little creativity and dedication to the workout cause, you can manage to squeeze in an extra half-hour to hour of solid workout time into any schedule.

Here are some quick tips to help you maximize the efficiency of your playtime with your kids so that you can still fit in a workout:

Go for a Walk

Children love to play outside and to take walks. Locate a park or destination (such as a store) about a mile from your house and take off with your kids. Most kids can walk or stroll for one mile (about 30 minutes) before they start to get tired or lose interest in the activity. Having a destination helps to keep them interested in the end goal.

You can also challenge your kids to run to the park, if you think that they have the energy or if they tend to walk slowly. Tell them to race to the end of each block. Their speed will encourage you to either jog along with them or to walk faster.

Playground Workout

When your children are playing on the playground, use the opportunity to jog around the area ' but be sure that you stay within site of your children. Your children will be distracted by playground fun, so it is a perfect time for you to fit in some push-ups and sit-ups, even if you are the only mom on the ground. Your children will also benefit from seeing you treat your body well. The more your children accept exercise as a normal and healthy activity, the better they will treat their bodies when they are old enough to make their own habits.

Workout Videos

There are hundreds of workout videos for children. Purchase a few good workout videos and gather your children around your television room. Together, go through the steps in the video. Obviously, you will want to add more of a challenge to your routine ' so feel free to enhance the activity in anyway you see desirable. If your kids do not mind, you can even do an entirely different work out when they are not around.

Healthy Foods

As you go through the busy daily routine with your children, it is important that you keep in mind that healthy nutrition is vital to your family's long-term health. Plan some healthy snacks with your children. The more interactive the snack, the more your child will enjoy eating it. Peanut butter on celery topped with raisins (AKA: Ants on a Log) is the perfect snack to begin with. Let your children be creative with a set of foods that you give them. You will be amazed at their eclectic results.