The following five easy-to-follow tips are meant to help busy moms who want to be in shape, look beautiful and stay healthy without sacrificing much time from their hectic schedules.



1. Avoid "eating after your kids"

No matter how tempting it is to "pick" from your kid's food, or even worse - eat their leftovers, DON'T do it! Children have completely different nutrition and caloric needs than adults. While that macaroni and cheese may not really have an immediate impact in your child's weight, think twice before packing on 315 calories (90 from fat!) in a single serving.

2. Carry your baby with you

Nothing burns calories faster than exercising with weights. You get stronger while building lean muscle that helps increase your metabolism and burn additional calories. Instead of pushing the stroller everywhere you go, consider carrying your baby in your arms or even on a baby carrier/sling. Not only will this help you exercise, it will also help you develop a closer bond with your child. NOTE: When carrying your baby, make sure you have good posture by standing up straight and tightening your abdominal muscles. This will prevent any possible back injury which can result from constantly carrying the additional weight.

3. Get at least 30 minutes of "real" exercise

Let's face it, "running around chasing after your baby" is not truly exercise. You need at least 10 minutes of constant physical activity to count it as "real" exercise. While it may be hard to schedule 30 minutes of jogging on that treadmill, try breaking it into three 10 minute daily sessions. This is much easier to fit into your schedule and will still have the effective calorie burning results of a full half hour workout.

4. Do the housework

Although most people don't really enjoy doing the household chores, those tedious activities can really help you burn some serious calories. For example, 30 minutes of Vacuuming burns between 75 and 125 calories. Other common tasks such as making the bed can burn up to 70 calories and even the act of cooking a healthy meal can help you burn off up to 50 calories.

5. Schedule physical play time for you and the kid(s)

Instead of sending the kids off to watch TV or play video games, try getting involved in a fun game with them that includes physical activity for you and them. Go for a stroller walk, throw a Frisbee, play ball, etc. You can also arrange for play dates with other moms and transform this time into a fun and entertaining social bonding experience.