I’m back to share some fitness tips for busy moms today. SO many of us are juggling work, kids, life and it can feel overwhelming. You are not alone.
Hello friends! How is the week treating you? I have 1:1 client calls all day today and am excited to meet up with a friend for a morning workout.
For today’s post, I wanted to put together a collection of tips for my busy mom friends out there. I know my mom friends have so much to think about and juggle different tasks during the week, and it can be hard for moms to focus on self-care, fitness goals, and staying in shape .
In today’s post, I’m sharing some practical tips on how to make fitness a part of life despite busy schedules. Remember, even if you can take 20 minutes out of your day, it will make a difference.
Fitness tips for busy moms
Wake up early… if you can
For my friends out there who may be early risers, this is your time to shine. For all my friends who are fellow night owls, this might not work so well. This may also not work if your sleep quality is terrible, or if you wake up frequently throughout the night, feeding, changing diapers, or relieving yourself from bad dreams. I’m a big believer that sleep ALWAYS wins. If you are exhausted, take time to rest and recover. If you try to get stronger through a workout (especially something like high-intensity interval training), it will increase your cortisol, make you feel more stressed, and chances are you won’t get a good workout anyway.
And if you sleep well through the night and enjoy making time for exercise in the morning, set the alarm before the kids wake up. It can feel pretty amazing to crush your early morning workout before the crew wakes up and gets your heart rate up.
Stop your workouts
Don’t be afraid to split your workouts into multiple time slots throughout the day. Before I had kids, I had a mindset that if it wasn’t an hour-long full-body workout that made me sweat, it didn’t count. Little moves throughout the day absolutely add up. You could break your workout into 10-minute blocks: 10 minutes of strength training, 10 minutes of cardio, 10 minutes of core work, and stretching for 30 minutes of total exercise time.
I share more ideas on how to do this in this post. It’s also important to note here that the total daily movement is HUGE and it’s a pretty active time of life when you’re chasing a toddler who’s crawling around the house all day.
Stay flexible
Something that has helped me dramatically in ALL aspects of parenting: drop your expectations. If you have high expectations, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. I went into each trolley ride knowing it could be either an hour or 5 minutes. I was mentally prepared for any situation. 😉 Don’t be afraid to change things up as needed and change and adjust designs depending on what happens. This is especially true if you’re a stay-at-home mom who just had to go with the flow each day and change up your routine.
Don’t be afraid to include the kids
A good old calorie burn is good for everyone! I thought working out should be something I did alone, away from the crew. I didn’t want the kids to think I was ignoring them. And then the world shut down. I switched workouts at home for over a year and for the vast majority of that time, the kids were home with me. I quickly learned that they enjoyed participating in yoga, kickboxing, jumping jacks and dance cardio classes. And then when they got bored, they would go find toys to play with, a coloring book or a LEGO set.
Now, I’m always happy when the kids see me taking time for a short custom or garage strength workout. They see me taking time for myself to do something that makes me feel good, and I’m happy to lead by example. 
(BEST lil hiking buddies)
Hydrate
It’s easy to underestimate the importance of hydration, especially when you’re busy with kids. Aim to drink at least half your body weight in ounces each day. (For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, aim for 80 ounces of water.) Have a water bottle that you love and can carry with you throughout the day. Adequate hydration can have a positive impact on our skin, hunger levels, digestion, immune function and metabolism. Bottom up, buttercup!
Ask for help
It is SO hard to ask for help, but it is always worth it. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Ask your partner if he or she would mind watching the child (dos) while you attend an exercise class, go for a long walk, or take a nap. 😉 If you have the resources to hire an occasional babysitter if it can give you the opportunity and space to do things you might not be able to otherwise.
Plan ahead
I’m a big fan of forward planning, with the expectation that Plan B or Plan Q might need to come to fruition. Set aside some time each week to set a rough schedule, outline priorities, and see which workouts you can schedule ahead of time. (Even if you don’t have a set time, you could put something like “am walk” so you know you’re going for a walk sometime in the morning.)
Plan any meals you can in advance
It’s always hard to open the fridge and see lots of ingredients, but no actual meals. Take some time to plan meals each week, even if it’s just a few basics for breakfast (boiled eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, etc.), basic lunches (salads, soups), and dinners. If you need help with the meal planning game, I have a free download here with my method, plus a weekly planner and bonus recipes. I also have tons of recipes on my website that you can browse.
Weekend meal prep
Take some time over the weekend to set yourself up for success. I like to chop up a few veggies each week (big pans of roasted veggies to add to scrambles, wraps, and salads), proteins (eggs, chicken breast, turkey meatballs, etc.), and grains like brown rice or oats . Find out what staples you like to have on hand and spend an hour or so preparing a few favorites for the week ahead.
Select convenient options as required
Anything you can do to make your life easier: do it. If you can’t find time to cook the chicken, buy the chicken already cooked and sliced. No time to boil eggs? Buy them already boiled and peeled. Don’t feel like chopping a bunch of vegetables? Go for pre-cut. See which staples you wish you had but don’t have time to make and treat yourself to the pre-made versions.
Create a routine that makes you feel excited
It’s much easier to stay motivated and consistent when you have a routine you actually enjoy. You should look forward to your workouts and your food – if you don’t, it will be much harder to maintain it long term. If you’re feeling blah about your routine and want to try something new, join us for Team Fit! A LOT of team responsibility and training is a blast.
Have grace and remember that time is short
Remember that It’s okay for your relationship with health and fitness and your priorities to change after having children.
I feel like the gym has been a huge part of my life – I’ve been training and teaching all the time – and now, it’s something I’m IN, OUT and DONE. And I take a very limited number of personal clients and currently only teach two classes a week. I don’t want to miss out on adventures with the kids, so I’ve learned to keep my personal fitness routine very short and efficient.
Your fitness mojo will ebb and flow over time, and that’s okay!
If your goal is to lose weight or lose body fat after babies, remember that slow and steady always wins. Give yourself time and focus on slow and sustainable habits. If you are postpartum, focus on healing your body. passed a huge sporting event.
If you’re in a place in life where you’re like, “This isn’t a huge priority for me right now,” give yourself some grace. Instead, aim for movement throughout the day (walking, stretching) and nutrition that gives you energy. Wake up when you can, enjoy the hugs and know that it goes by very quickly. Liv is 10 and I can’t even believe it.
So tell me, friends: any fitness tips you can share for busy moms? You always have such great ideas.
How has your relationship with fitness changed since having children?
xo
Gina
