Exercise for Mummas and Bubbas

I have never been a gym junkie and have never owned a gym membership in my life. My one time experience in a gym as a 17 year old exposed me to muscly men pumping iron in front of wall length mirrors (doesn't sound like a bad memory in hindsight) but it certainly wasn't my cup of tea at the time.

My parents instilled a love of bushwalking in my sister and I from an early age so I am a seasoned walker. I walked through both my pregnancies and having a dog adds extra motivation at 5.45am each morning.

Now that Alex is 3 years old and not interested in sitting in a pram for lengthy periods of time, I have divided my exercise regime into two parts; morning walks by myself and afternoon walks with the kids.

I get up at 5.45am each morning to walk the dog. I go for about an hour at a reasonable pace and love having the time just to myself. My good friend in Brisbane downloads free podcasts onto her phone and listens to them when she walks. ABC radio have wonderful podcasts and are free to download.

In the afternoon, Alex hops on his bike and I push the pram with Ellie in it. Sash is tethered to the pram and has learnt to avoid the wheels.

Justin takes the kids out to the park each afternoon and they fly the kite and kick the footy. We have made a family rule to only buy the kids 'active' presents for their birthdays so the whole family can get outside, exercise and have fun together.

Walking is free and fun and good for my mental health and waistline!