If you are a former gym buff wondering how you can get some exercise that doesn’t involve changing diapers or pushing a swing, fear not! Your workout days don’t have to be over.

Also check out my previous article on great child-friendly activities in Madrid!

Yoga

Mom and baby yoga is a great way to get out of the house, recover strength and flexibility and spend time with your baby. Most yoga classes go from 6 weeks until the baby starts crawling. Check out the Mom and Baby yoga classes at Centro El Patio near the Bilbao metro stop and Zentro Yoga close to the Retiro on Calle Claudio Coello.

Yoga for families is another good option for toddlers and children (the age requirement varies from center to center). City Yoga offers classes for parents and toddlers from 1-3 years and Centro Infantil Nariz Roja starts at 4 years.

Gyms with daycare

Unfortunately gyms with daycare are few and far between in Madrid. Why deep-pocketed entrepreneurs aren’t investing in gyms with daycare remains a mystery. If you are lucky enough to live near one of the gyms that offer daycare, be sure to ask the minimum age before going. Some won’t take babies or toddlers.

• Virgin Atlantic Capitán Haya (Tetuán)

• Zagros Puerta Europa (Chamartin)

• Holmes Places (Moraleja)

• Reebok Sports Club (Pozuelo)

Try Baby Running

Going for a run with your baby or toddler is probably the most convenient way to get some exercise. Just make sure you have a proper jogging stroller – you don’t want to hurt your little one in the process!  If you’re tight on space, opt for a model that can go from swivel to fixed wheel and it can also serve as your everyday stroller. Check out Baby Running for a selection of top-rated sport strollers.

Try Baby Blading

If rollerblading is your thing, the BOB Revolution PRO is the first stroller to be certified for rollerblading. Get yours here.

Rent bikes

Places to rent bicycles are popping up all over the city. Go for a bike ride with your kids in a nearby park, or if you live in the center, the Paseo del Prado is closed for cars from 9AM-4PM on Sundays. Located across from the O’Donnell entrance to the Retiro, Diverbikes is also a fun way for the whole family to get some exercise.

MamiFit classes

MamiFit classes are designed to help new moms in their postpartum recovery, with an emphasis on hypopressive exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor and core. The best part is that you can bring your baby, a few of his or her favorite toys and get in a workout (if your baby cooperates☺).

Go swimming

Take your children for a swim at one of the many indoor and outdoor public pools. If your little ones could use some help learning to swim, some pools offer swimming lessons. Take advantage of class time to do some laps yourself!

YouTube

Ignore your to-do list and use nap time to release some endorphins doing exercise at home. There are tons of good full-length exercise videos on YouTube. Some favorites are All Around Fitness and Body Rock.

 

By Marybeth Redheffer

Marybeth is the founder of Baby Running, an online store selling sport strollers so you can go out for a run with the little one in the city! Check out her website and facebook.

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This is the time of year when many of us are forced to ask ourselves daunting questions such as: Who am I? Where am I going? What am I doing with my life? Should I stay or should I go? Can I be this happy anywhere else? Am I happy now? Should I continue my education? Should I start my career? Should I be closer to my family?

More often than not, we opt to mañana mañana these questions until this time next year by renewing our contracts as teaching assistants, switching Auxiliar programs, or continuing to hustle however we hustle and upholding the status quo of tapas, terrazas, low rent, and budget-friendly hedonism.

It is often difficult to break the news of your decision to stay abroad to your parents, especially if they believe with conviction that the American Dream is not only feasible, but that the pursuit of it is the only respectable way to live.

What your parents might expect of you:

While success is subjective across generations and cultures, for many American parents the epitome of success for their offspring can entail any of the following:

• Acquiring a fancy masters degree and/or PhD
• Commitment to an uphill career path, working 65-80 hours per week
• Marriage to another real adult with ambition and drive so that you can be a power couple
• Owning a house and a fondue set for entertaining guests
• Being able to do your own taxes and paperwork
• Assorted antiquated concepts of normalcy that you are critical of after growing accustomed to a simpler life that is lived on your own terms.

Some families want to have, or feel that they deserve, a say in the decision-making process of their progeny to steer them away from a life of permanent squalor. Understandably their patience for the mañana mañana mindset will inevitably run thin. With each additional year that their beloved child spends teaching abroad, earning a wage that would be considered below poverty-level in the United States, parents will inevitably go through the stages of grief for their child’s futures as they were once envisioned.

Disclaimer: I’m well aware that there is no one-size-fits-all relationship between parents and kin. Just as there are parents who do not attempt to sway their offspring in any direction, there are kin who do not care whether or not their parents approve of their lifestyle.

What your parents might say and how to respond:

Below are some predicted comments from your parents that will indicate what stage of grief they are in, accompanied by an advisable response to help them manage their expectations.

Denial: “This is just a phase, you’ll outgrow it.”

• With Hemingway-esque detail, explain in depth your passion for your adopted city
• Perhaps Madrid stimulates you creatively in a way that is unmatched anywhere else
• Maybe your heart was stolen by a person, or the cuisine
• Teaching English is fulfilling (or at least more tolerable than any alternative)
• Once you leave, the neighboring European countries will never again be this accessible

Anger: “You’re out of touch with reality. TEFLing is not a Real JobTM.”

• You are constantly learning via exposure to other languages, cultures and ways of life
• You have either achieved bilingual status or are making progress towards it
•  Your overworked friends back home  often send you envious messages
• You are still nurturing valuable resume skills in your teaching jobs:
  • the ability to speak publicly, projecting your voice without fear
  • generating clients and operating your own brand with clases particulares
  • often adapting to changing circumstances
• Ask them to elaborate on what a real job entails and why having one is so important, seeing as it is common for elderly folks on their deathbeds to voice regretting the amount of time that they spent at the office
•  Side effects of chasing the American dream include delusion, anxiety, and alienation

Bargaining: “You can live at home with us while you get back on your feet, use the car and eat our food. We’ll keep the kitchen stocked with bagels.”

• Express gratitude but don’t waver in the face of temptation
  

Depression: “We had such high hopes for you.”

• When faced with their disappointment, remind them that you have your own hopes and dreams, albeit unconventional ones.
• Reiterate that you love and appreciate them despite not seeing eye-to-eye on these matters
• Stress that while their approval is important to you, it would be a necessary sacrifice if weighed against the life abroad that you have created

Acceptance: “Ok, make your own choices. We trust your judgment.”

• At this stage thank them for their council throughout your decision-making process.

Although I’m certain that we collectively do not want Donald Trump to rise to the presidency, it would at least make a non-issue of the Should I stay or Should I go debate. Please feel free to share your own experiences breaking the news to your parents in the comment section!

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