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Workout Time is Tough for New Parents
By admin | April 6, 2008
New parents find it really hard to keep those extra pounds off by hitting the gym. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studied 525 adults and found that although marriage has almost no effect on how much time men or women exercised, having children does.
New moms lost about a third of their pre-pregnancy workout time; new dads lost about half. Men worked out about two hours more per week than women did before becoming parents, so in the end it all pretty much evened out. Male or female, having kids equals less working out.
But what’s the reason for this fitness phaseout? According to Dr. Andrea Sharma, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the answers won’t surprise anyone. The usual suspects are at work: “The barriers [new parents] usually cite are fatigue, limited time and [lack] of social support.”
Sharma, whose work at the CDC includes identifying and breaking down barriers that prevent us from getting enough physical activity in our daily lives, says the biggest exercise obstacle that new parents face is time. But it’s not what you might be thinking.
The University of Pittsburgh study looked only at new parents, so things might ease up as the children grow. I know now that my kids are growing up, ages 12 and 8 I find much more free time to hit the gym.
Topics: Babies, New Mom's, Parents Health, Stress of Parenting, Joys of Parenting, Parenting Advice |