Someone recently (as in earlier this year) asked me how do I have time to wakeboard and surf with two small children.  I started writing this blog months ago but blogging time is scarce.  Then it was a huge blog about wake and surf.. so I’ve worked on it again to cut it down to wakeboarding and how to generally fit your sport or hobbie into your week after having children.  This is the first blog in a two part series, this one is about fitting in your wakeboarding & fitness, the next one will be focused on how to surf with small children, which is ever changing…..

I would wakeboard multiple times a week and spend entire days at the lake.  I would spend a month every year surfing around the world with my husband in the line up next to me.  We would have date night once a week where we’d just go and eat out, we use to meet friends for drinks, we used to sleep until 8:30am on weekends.  And then we had two kids.

I’m not going to sugar coat it.  All those hobbies and dinners and drinks, or anything spontaneous, like day trips to the coast or a week at CWC, that used to happen pre kids just stop.  They stop for a while actually.

For me, wakeboarding and surfing were the sports that changed for me/us.  My husband only really used to wakeboard because I did.  After a few test runs to the lake, it became apparent that it was easier for him to stay at home with the new baby, while I went wakeboarding and had some time to myself.  And the husband, well he had a crazy job and commute so on his days off he just wanted to take it easy and was not bothered by not wakeboarding.  This worked for us back then.

Then we had baby number two.  We had a toddler and new baby, so we didn’t even bother trying to get the whole family to the lake.  The husband gets his time to go play golf (he’s really into golf now, and he’s changed his job so work life balance is amazing), I get my time to go wakeboarding, we get time on our own doing something that we love, yet we can no longer do together.  So there are positives and negatives, but you just focus on the positives that you still get to do your sport.  I am pretty excited about the day when we can all go wakeboarding/surfing/golfing/snowboarding as a family.

So I should get to some top tips really: 

1. Schedule a weekly time for your sport.  My husband and I give each other two nights a week to do our chosen sports.
2. Do it.  Even if the weather is totally shit or you can’t be bothered; go!  You’ll feel better.  Also just because you stay home on your ‘night off’ doesn’t mean your partner will stay home the next night…nope, they will still go golfing.
3. Don’t rely on others to go.  None of my mates wakeboard any more (you alllll suck, btw), if I waited for people to wakeboard with, I would never wakeboard.  You will always find me riding on my own.  True story.
4. Be organised.  Get your evening schedule lined up so that when your nights come around you know what you’re doing.  If you have no plans, you probably won’t leave the house and crack on with the wine.
5. Weekends away.  Book in some trips in the UK where you can wakeboard (or whatever your preference is), and make the weekend all about the family and the sport/hobbie.
6. Holidays.  If you do like to get away, book your holidays to places you can get your sporting/hobbie fix.  I have yet to go on a wakeboarding family holiday, its something that will happen though.  At the moment all our trips revolve around surf (more info in the next blog).
7. Accept that life will change.  I can’t wakeboard all the time any more, but I have been doing body pump gym classes for a couple of years now (and even my mates have joined in, yay!) to keep my muscles active and strong, and also home workouts thanks to you tube.
8. Yoga.  (again, love you tube)  I have been longing to get back into the early morning workout routine, which went out the window when I was pregnant with my first.  A few months ago I just decided that it was time.  So I set my alarm for 6:20am and before I knew it I was downstairs on my yoga mat, practicing by 6:30.  I am loving this and have be doing yoga six or seven days a week since June now.  The best thing is that the house is quiet and the kids are still asleep or in their rooms playing.  And the yoga has had such a positive affect on my day, the husband has even joined my morning yoga routine!  Yeeeah, gettin’ flexi with my bestie.
9. Get your kids used to being around the water.  I do swimming lessons with both my kids as it is crucial that they can save themselves if they get into trouble.
10. Get them in to wakeboarding, now mine are a bit older, I have taken them on the cable and they love being at the lake now!  I still need my time at the lake on my own, because if I take the kids, its all about them.  So dedicate time for yourself to ride, and then other times to focus on the kids at the lake. I like separating the two. Its hard to focus your brain on trying a new trick when you’re kids are on the bank swinging on all the hand rails.

What are your tips for getting to do the things you love after kids?