If you've been following the advice given in last month's fitness feature you should at least feel you have made a start on your overall plan towards better health. Now you can take a look at building on your fitness levels through everyday activities with the children.
More than 20 years ago, 4,000 doctors in 20 countries were surveyed as to what they considered the simplest way to improve health. The majority said 'walk'. Walking improves circulation, stimulates the heart, increases stamina and suppleness and helps with weight loss, using around 175 calories per half hour at normal walking pace. Yet it is still resolutely ignored as a route to fitness.
Looked at logically, it makes no sense to catch a bus to go to the gym, or to drive children to dance or gymnastics clubs. But most of us see walking at best as a form of getting somewhere when there's no other means available, and at worst as something that is boring and done only by the old or the poor.
Take a minute to appraise your weekly routine. Could you, if you left home ten minutes earlier, walk rather than drive the children to school? Could you manage some of the after-school clubs, visits to friends or shopping trips on foot? The car, like most other things, is a habit and you will always be able to find an excuse for using it today and walking tomorrow. The key to success with walking is to build more of it into your life and the time you spend with the children, gradually and casually.
If you set off as if on a route march you will meet with resistance from the children. But if you allow your pace to match theirs at first, and speed up while you are talking and pointing out things of interest, you will find everyone adapts far quicker than you might imagine. Allow yourself plenty of extra time, take the right clothes along so that bad weather doesn't become an excuse not to walk, and, as you increase the length of your journeys, pack some fruit or drinks to bring out at difficult moments. You and the children will be surprised and pleased at how far you manage to walk and how much better you feel for it.
In addition to walking as a means of transport, you can then also incorporate walking for pleasure. One goal of these walks, if you need one, can be to get to a park or open space and play. Don't just rely on playgrounds with their own equipment - all your supervision is likely to be done in 'stand around' mode. Instead, take equipment with you. Footballs, skipping ropes, skates or scooters will all ensure that you move as quickly as the children and for as long as they do. The newest fitness trend in the United States is 'adult play'. This is being developed in response to the surprising concept that being outdoors might be better for you than time spent inside a sweaty gym. Groups of adults with a trainer are being taught how to play 'tag', 'it' and a whole variety of children's games. So you can join the avant-garde of fitness fads simply by going out for a good run-about with the children.
The home stretch
In addition to an outdoor regime it is important to develop an exercise programme for indoors. Just as time is usually given over for TV viewing and for stories and reading, there's no reason why you shouldn't allot a time slot for some indoor stretching. Again, it's important to avoid any element of forcing children to take part. Make the prospect of exercising together something you both look forward to. Music is a great aid to stretching out, providing you choose something you both enjoy which is at the right tempo. It's worth going through a practice session on your own so you can give the session some kind of structure and incorporate as many different stretches as possible. A yoga handbook will give you basic stretches which you can develop and incorporate into your own routine (a great one for children is A Yoga Parade of Animals by Pauline Mainland, published by Element Books).
Take care not to push too hard - children's bones and muscles are more pliable than those of an adult, but that doesn't mean they should strain to the limits. The following exercises could be used as a basis for your routine. You will need two fabric belts (a dressing gown belt or tie will do) and two non-slip mats to work on.
Start off lying on your back. Loop the belt around your left foot and, holding the belt in both hands, use it to pull your leg off the ground and towards you. Keep the working leg and the leg that is on the floor straight and taut. Repeat on the other side. You will feel a 'pull' in thigh and calf muscles. Tell the child you are 'bringing your legs to life'.
Using the belt again, but this time holding it in one hand, pull your leg up to a right angle and then slowly down to the side, taking it as close to the floor as possible with the intention of getting your foot going towards your ear. Repeat on the other side. You will feel a stretching across hips and in your legs.
Standing upright like a tree, hold the belt in both hands at your side and slip it under your feet as if you are about to skip. Gently and slowly work your hands down the belt until they are close to your feet and hold the pose for a minute or more. You will feel the stretch in the back of legs and spine.
These are just the core of a stretching routine - you can alter it according to mood and use any number of different books and videos to incorporate new stretches into your programme. If you decide to make the routine more aerobic you should still warm up with stretches first and also include some to wind down at the end of your session.
In the swim
If you meet up with other nannies regularly, you could start an informal swim club. This would involve a regular trip to a pool, where the nannies would take it in turns to play with and supervise the children in the water while the others had some time to swim lengths. Playing in the water is a great way of 'warming up', and knowing that you only have limited time for your personal swim is an incentive to do as much as possible.
Obviously, before starting swimming you will need your employer's permission. You must also be certain that the adult you are sharing the 'care' with is also a confident swimmer and able to supervise the child you care for properly.
Dance with me
It is now common practice for local authorities to run 'twilight' classes for schoolchildren and adults. Many schools encourage older people to join them for physical activities and clubs. Investigate what is going on locally. Check out private dance classes, as well as gyms and sports centres, to see what you can enjoy together. If the child you care for already attends a dance class, see if it's feasible for you to join in. Is the class for very young children only? Is it already crowded or could it do with more support? Could you put the idea of a 'carer and child' class to the teacher and get friends to join in? Dance is for everyone and is an excellent way of getting fit and relieving stress.
