Our big guys have just finished a busy season of competitive hockey, and while we may have more time on our hands without the demanding schedule, I don’t really see things slowing down. Having four kids means lots of energy to manage or things get a little whirly around here. I was made for a slower pace of life but being a mama of a large crew who has loads of energy means staying on my toes most days and benefiting from being more active than I’d otherwise be, and honestly, it’s great for all of us. Spending quality time together while boosting our fitness is hopefully setting the stage for a healthy lifestyle.
I’ve returned to practicing Moksha Yoga and Barre, and Andrew stays active in Men’s Hockey, but being active with the kids in the mix requires a bit of creativity. So, I thought I’d share how we stay active in the off-season (which technically isn’t quite done as one of our boys wanted to play Spring hockey!).
And stick around until the end – I have a great GIVEAWAY at the bottom in partnership with Lorna Jane – an active lifestyle brand to help you stay comfy and stylish while keeping up with your busybodies!
This post is sponsored by Lorna Jane, meaning I received product and or compensation in exchange for my review. As always, opinions are my own and recommendations come from having worn and appreciated the apparel myself. View our disclosure for more information (link disclosure).
1) Game On
While we love structured activity for skills and team building, remaining relatively unstructured in the Spring/Summer means lots of time for leisure and play. We’re a competitive bunch, and a good ole’ impromptu game of soccer, ball hockey or baseball is a fun way to relieve stress and connect as a family. I don’t really consider myself the sporty type, but they motivate me to turn it up, and I love showing the kids not to underestimate their mama 😉
2) Getting Our Walk On
Living in the suburbs means we rely on our car to get around more than we’d like. But with the warmer temps, we swap our vehicle to move about on foot whenever possible. Walking the kids to school, to our local parks or getting out for a family walk on weeknights and weekends is one of our fave activities to stay connected and get physical. When we have to take the car, parking farther away from our location and getting some mileage on foot is an easy way to build some fitness in.
3) Exploring Nature
Nothing quite like heading into natural surroundings and getting out to explore. Reacquainting with nature is like being in the soul’s playground. The fresh air and finding beauty in the simple things invigorates us all. Heading out to a local conservation or trail is a simple way to clear our minds with some activity in the mix. We sometimes get the kids to do a nature scavenger hunt to keep it interesting.
4) Doing Chores Together
Domestic duties are a family affair around here. Letting the kids help with dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing bathrooms and carrying the never-ending piles of laundry to the laundry room with some tunes playing in the background to keep it entertaining makes chores less cringe-worthy for the kiddos.
5) Water Play
With a pool and a family cottage by the lake, swimming lessons are a must for teaching water safety while keeping them active. But outside of lessons, racing the kids with swim laps and having fun with recovering dive sticks and water rings is such a great work out while having fun splashing about. At the cottage, stabilizing and jumping off floating water rafts is another favourite.
Keeping up with the kiddos requires some versatile apparel. I need clothes I can wear to tackle all the mom-life must-dos. And fellow mamas on the move I think you’re going to love (if you don’t already) the Lorna Jane active lifestyle collection, which is now available in Canada!
What I chose:
1) Triple Threat Core Ankle Biter Tight
2) Melika Excel Long-sleeve Tope
3) High Intensity Sports Bra; and
4) “Don’t Kill My Vibe” tank
Things I love:
– The built-in core stabilizer in the tights. Four kids later, reliable tummy support is a great feature
– Smart apparel conveniences and compartments, like the side pocket for cell phone storage in the tights
Side pockets for your cell phone
– The adjustability and strong support built into the sports bra. After four kids and four rounds of nursing, I can’t tell you how much I value these features!
– The fact most of the line is shrink and fade resistant
– The breathability and moisture wicking of the material
– The versatility: I can easily transition from structured fitness in the Moksha studio, to active play with the kids, to lunch out with girlfriends or bouncing around town to knock off all the things off the to-do list …basically this apparel is made for mom life! I love that I can pair the top and tank with active bottoms then switch up to denim
– That the line is made by a woman to empower women of all ages, shapes and active levels to Move, Nourish, Believe. As busy mamas, we don’t always make our mind, body and souls a priority, and having the right gear is a good step to get us there.
‘Cause life’s too short for negativity!
With Mother’s Day around the corner, I thought you might want to spruce up your Spring wardrobe and snag some of this athleisure apparel for yourself. I think there’s something every mom and woman will like in this collection. Enter below to WIN a $100 (CAD) gift card to shop for a fantastic Mom treat! Good luck to all and Happy Mom’s Day!
We love to camp and hike.
Nature is so good for the soul! Have a great camp season!
We love to walk in our hood and visit parks. Farmers market in the off-hockey season too but then again it’s socxer season soon! Love all the athleisure looks, Sonya!
Thanks, Amy! All our faves too! Have a good soccer season and good luck on the contest!
We go to the park on rollerblades or ride bikes! Or street hockey of course because…hockey, always.
ha ha ha…yes Debbie! So true! Hockey never sleeps! 😉 Good luck!
I love taking the kids on nature walks!
One of our faves! Good luck, Amy!
My daughters inspire me to stay active and we love to do so as a family by getting in our daily family walks around the neighborhood after dinner 🙂
My dog inspires me to keep active especially during the warmer months. He will wait at the front door to go for a walk. I figure if he wants to be this active at almost 14 years old….I should also!
Such great motivation to keep moving! Good luck & thanks for entering!
my favourite way to stay active with the family is walks to the park or bike rides around the pond 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Janine! Good luck & thanks for entering!
We live by the Beach so we love to get out swimming and walking,we also love to collect colored glass from the sand!
That must be amazing! I would love to live near the water. Good luck & thanks for entering!
We love to go on family bike rides. Our health is my main inspiration but I also love how it boosts everyones mood.
So much fun! Our next goal is to get us all on bikes. What a mood-changer endorphins can achieve!
Looking good, my friend. Love the Triple Threat Core Ankle Biter Tights. The electric blue is something I wouldn’t normally pick but you make them look sooo good!
I stay active in many of the same ways you do, playing with my kids. Nothing beats a little impromptu game of soccer.
Thanks so much, Tammy – on both accounts. Never knew how much good olè fashion play could be such a great work out 🙂 I bet you all are loving the beautiful weather and getting active in your dream backyard! Good luck on the contest!
I love getting outside to excerise and the views of the hikes in the forests and by the water is the motivation! And my health, too 🙂
The beauty of nature is such a motivator to get out and active! So invigorating! Thanks for entering and good luck, Erin!
I want to stay healthy because I want to feel good and keep up with my health. I lift weights daily. I notice an incredible difference in myself the days I workout versus the days I don’t.
That’s amazing, Sarah! Getting back to strength training is a goal. I have returned to Yoga and Barre and feeling incredible for it! Thanks for entering and good luck 🙂
We are an active family! We love to camp, hike, swimming lessons and have fun at the beach! And if we can’t do those things .. we head to the park!
We try and stay active (fiance and I), we take walks to the park or around the Ottawa river which is near our home whenever it’s a gorgeous day in the Spring/Summer.
camping, gardening just playing yard games like croquet, lawn darts etc.
We going hiking a lot for exercise. My kids and dogs love hiking.
walking
we love to go to the local mountains and hike the trails together!
my favourite way to stay active with the family is walks to the park
Everyone in my family loves to go for long walks together. It gives us time together to chat and catch-up!
We love to ride our bikes to the park! A great way to stay active!
We have a lot of wilderness trails around our town. So we like to get out for a good nature walk on a regular basis.
We take long walks together as a family. We keep healthy so we can play games and sports together.
We stay active by playing tennis and mountain biking.