exercise ideas needed

[because]

Oh, I am so out of shape!

I need some ideas of things to do but here are the criteria:
- must be done with a 2.5 yo
- I don't have a jog stroller (just a regular one)
- I won't pay a gym membership fee
- I have free access to a school pool (but I'll have DD, so laps are out)

I used to be a cross country runner but I have terrible will power. So, motivate me to go out there and do something and give me some ideas of what to do, please!

AND if anyone wanted to have a sub-buddy group for work outs (we'd report in and hold each other accountable), I'd be interested!

Thanks!

[gabry]

How about getting some tapes and letting your dd try to follow the moves too? Or get kiddie dancing/exercise tapes, and you follow her moves. Is she a good walker? Can you walk with her, and do some running (chasing, racing) in between? Is your stroller/neighbourhood/daughter amenable to brisk walking while pushing the stroller? Our area is a bit hilly, and I pull ds in a wagon sometimes, great lower and upper body workout, both uphill and downhill.
There is another thread here that I started a while ago 'Pregnant mommas working out' (too lazy to link now, but I'll give it a bump later), there are a lot of ideas there too. (btw nice to see you around here!)

[LoveMyLil'B]

Get out and walk! That's the easiest and cheapest thing to do!
And on days when the weather is not so nice, turn on some music and dance with your dd. My ds loves to dance, especially when I dip him!

[stephaloo]

Walk! Any stroller will do. I also do yoga with dd. Dd has been doing yoga since she was 2. It keeps her busy while I get a workout and it is a fun time for both of us.

[Jlse]

I'm doing lots of walking with the kids - some pushing them in a stroller if I go more than 2 miles and some walking/carrying them if less than that.
As for the pool - walk and 'push' your 2 yr old through the water - great fun for her and good exercise for you. I used to have my aquatics fitness license (too expensive to keep up since I no longer work in that field) and lots of runners other athletes did deep water walking to challenge themselves. Anyway I've been doing some of that with my ds - just walking laps with him through the water and it is a nice change for a workout. I sometimes take a ball and have him throw and walk to catch it to keep him entertained. I'm most sad our pool will be closed during my last few months - thats when it feels wonderful!

I also run if dh gets home in time for me to go.

[ehsclt]

I agree with the others who have suggested walking with the stroller. I have found that walking is great exercise during pregnancy. And hopefully your 2.5 yo enjoys it, too.

I would also suggest that you get "Yoga for Pregnancy" (book) from your library. I think the author is Sandra Jordan. It's a good, spiral-bound book that you can lay on the floor in front of you while you are playing together and you can do poses while your dc plays. Another idea, anyway. Good luck!

[because]

Thanks, everyone!

How fast do you have to walk to make it count?

Whenever I try to "power walk" I end up with shin splints AND I hate the rhythm of fast walking - I feel like I should just jog.

[stephaloo]

I too suffer from shin splints. Stretch, stretch, stretch! I sit in a chair with a straight back and feet flat on the floor, then raise your toes as high as you can and lower. Repeat for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Enough stretching keeps my shins from hurting.

[fiandaca]

Because,
I don't think you have to walk very fast if you can walk for a long while. With that said, my idea of a slow pace is probably not the same as it is for you with a 2.5 yr old daughter! Do you live in a flat location? Where I live, there are lots of hills so even when I am walking at a relatively slow pace, I know that after an hour, I have gotten a decent amount of exercise.

Do you know anybody nearby with whom you can share exercise/childcare? Maybe for one hour she/he watches both kids and you exercise, and then you watch the kids and she/he exercises.