How Busy Moms Can Make Exercise a Part of Their Life

Nothing can prepare you for the demands of motherhood. NOTHING. I remember the first day we brought our oldest home. I looked at my husband and said, “What are we doing!? They just send you out the door with a baby!”

My life immediately became about breastfeeding, changing diapers, and becoming an expert in my baby. It was an around the clock job, and it sucked all the energy out of me. It never stopped, and I never felt rested. Then we had another…and another.

Survival. That’s what my life became for the next FIVE years.

Don’t get me wrong, I would lose some baby weight, only to get pregnant again and repeat. I actually ran half marathons between my kids, but despite that, I never managed to make exercise a habit in my life. There were just too many schedules to coordinate, too many sleepless nights, too much giving to everyone, and too many excuses to hide behind. Life doesn’t stop. You get older, time flies by, and pretty soon the reality hits.

If you don’t do something to take care of yourself, how will you ever teach your kids to be healthy? 

Kids learn best by the example you set. So how are you going to set the example of exercising if you never exercise? That’s a tough question to answer. How? How can I possibly get in shape when running a household is way harder than I ever imagined?

Finally, 7 years into parenthood, it clicked for me how to make exercise a habit. For the last TWENTY-TWO months of my life I have CONSISTENTLY exercised. Even though the last couple of years have been more demanding than anytime in my life, I have consistently managed to do something. Now looking back, I can understand how I was able to make a habit of exercise.

Here’s what I have learned about how to incorporate exercise into your busy mom life, and make a habit that will change your life and your kid’s lives forever.

How Busy Mom’s Can Make Exercise a Habit:

1. Stop finding excuses

The thing about being a mom is that excuses find you, you don’t even have to look for them! There is nothing but obstacles on my way to workout. I’m not going to list them because if you are reading this then YOU ALREADY KNOW THEM ALL!

To overcome this pitfall, I quit giving myself the option of cancelling. The workout was happening, hell or high water. It is as much a part of my day as waking up or brushing my teeth. Gotta say, Nike was onto something with their “Just Do It” slogan.

2. Find the best times of day to sneak a workout in.

I think every parent automatically knows when their family is functioning best and will need less from mom. Mostly I wake up at 4:20 am to get it in, but sometimes I will hit the gym right after bedtime. I can also easily sneak in a workout before dinner or right after the kids go to bed. Once I found a few good times in my day to get a workout completed without feeling like I was ditching my family, it took a lot of stress off of me and helped me be consistent.

3. If you are tired, only complete five minutes

I used to be an all or nothing person. Guys, this is the absolute worst mentality to have if you want to make exercise a part of your life as a mom. Something is ALWAYS better than nothing. Think about how long five minutes feels if you are running or how tough a minute feels when doing a plank. Even if you only have time for five minutes then DO IT. If you do five minutes, 6 days a week, you have done 30 minutes of exercise. That’s a lot.

Plus, the truth is that I always plan to stop early. That is how I get myself to start. Instead of cancelling, my relief is knowing I am going to “cut it short.” Well, guess what happens? Once I start, I usually feel good, and I keep going. I might not push myself to the maximum, but I get it done. And that, my friends, is a whole lot better than nothing.

4. Find a workout that you enjoy

I have always enjoyed slowly jogging around town. It is something I can do once or twice a week. I enjoy it, and it relieves my stress. This is why it used to be the only exercise I could do as a mom.

Lately I have been working out consistently with Kayla Itsines’ SWEAT APP. I initially started with Bikini Body Guide (BBG), but over a year ago I switched to PWR. Do you know why I switched? Because even though it takes longer and has more sessions, I ENJOY it more, therefore I do it often.

Related post: BBG The Perfect Workout for Busy Mom’s

That’s the key. If you hate P90x, don’t do it. Can’t stand Beachbody? Me neither! Run the opposite way from things you hate, and you will begin to find exercise you enjoy. I know someone who lost 30 pounds playing frisbee golf. Now you know he enjoyed that!

5. Walk

No pain, no gain? FALSE. Walking is the easiest way for a mom to find a way to exercise. You can walk with your kids in a carrier or a stroller, walk while they ride bikes, pace the driveway while they play in the yard. Walking with another mom as a play date in the park is a great way to entertain everyone.

Since it is so easy to integrate the whole family, walking is a key to starting to feel better and get an exercise habit going. Plus, your kids see you walking, and that is setting the foundation for a lifetime of fitness in their life.

I know this from my own life. My parents made us go on family walks and hikes from the time I was a kid, and I know that this is how I have been able to find a way to exercise in my own life. That habit was ingrained in us young, and all of my siblings are still working out to this day.

6. Accept that you can’t do it all

The mom comparison game is brutal. Instagram is full of false narratives and edited pictures. Nobody has it all figured out. Sometimes I do manage to get it all done in the course of a day, but those days are rare.

Often times, I will leave a kitchen floor coated in food and dishes piled high in the sink to get my workout in. The house being a mess isn’t a deal breaker.

In my life, I prioritize my kid’s needs, my husbands, and then I fit in my workout. I know a lot of women say they need to put their needs first so they can take care of others better. Whatever works for them, works for them! That’s fine. Find what works for you.

However, your house really is the bottom of the priority list. I don’t live in filth by any means, but a perfect house isn’t important. There will always be another mess, so don’t let it be in the way of making exercise a priority.

7. Be flexible

You know how it goes, people get sick, plans change. When things come up that interfere with my neatly planned day, the first thing I work into my new schedule is my workout. I am flexible in allowing the time of my workout to change. Then I do it.

Also, as a woman, our moods and energy levels change a lot through the month. If I wake up and I am absolutely not feeling it, then I change my higher intensity workout to a walk, or I cancel it all together.

The next day I get up and just keep on going forward. I don’t feel bad about the choices I made, and I give myself grace.

Related Post: Weight Watchers is Not a Diet

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8. Be Creative

Not everyone has a long driveway they can pace. Some people live in apartments and you don’t have room for a treadmill or lots of workout equipment. You could purchase 10 lb dumbbells and do a lot of exercises with just that. There is even the option of simply purchasing a step and stepping up and down while the TV is on or the kids play. Where there is a will, there is a way.

If you are someone who prefers following programs, check out BBG It is easily modified with minimal equipment and can be done completely at home. You could even just follow Kayla Itsines on Instagram to get good ideas on how to workout without purchasing the actual program.

A Final Note of Encouragement

If you are here reading this, you are already taking a step in the right direction. Making exercise a part of your life as a mom can be completely overwhelming, but it is possible. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest to start with walking. If you want more of a workout, I highly recommend BBG as it has changed my life and gets results with a mere 30-40 minute workout, three times a week.

I hope these tips help you find success in your fitness journey. It is possible to create new healthy habits for your family. You are already well on your way. Good luck!

P.S. If you are interested in losing weight, I always recommend WW.

P.S.S If I can do this, you can do this!

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