By the time I’ve dropped off and picked up the children from school, worked a full day in the office, cooked dinner, and got the children showered and ready for bed, all I want to do is collapse on the couch. I wouldn’t trade my family for anything, but there was a time when I used to enjoy my daily workouts to clear my head and focus on “me.”

That got me thinking that there must be a way for busy moms to stay active—which led me to write this blog. I reached out to my fellow Latched Mamas and compiled a list of my favorite tips on how to stay active as a busy mom.

1.)   Get it done before you’re on “mom” duty

Once your children wake up, your schedule turns unpredictable. To ensure you can get your workout in every day, the best thing you can do is to work out before your children wake up, first thing in the morning. Even with the most structured schedule, it can still be hard to find the motivation to work out after a long, tiring day. Plus, there are added benefits of getting your workout done right away! Get up early and get moving for  a morning boost that will help you tackle the day.

2.)   Break down your workouts into “mini” workouts

As a mom, finding just 30 minutes, let alone an hour, every day stay active is not something that you can guarantee you will have.  What you can do instead though to get an exercise in is you can break up a longer workout into smaller, manageable blocks of activity. Apps like Peloton and Nike Training offer bite-sized workouts based on the amount of time you have available. If you don’t have an app like this (although there are plenty of free options!), you can still break up your normal activity into blocks that suit your lifestyle.

3.)   Build a support circle

If you have a network of fellow busy moms who are also trying to stay active, you’ll be more motivated to follow through on your exercise plans. When you find moms who can serve as workout buddies to you, they can keep you accountable. It’s important to try to find peers – other busy moms like you – to help with support and accountability, versus your single coworker or neighbor who has children in college, because fellow busy moms will understand the struggles of parenting young children and juggling time for yourself. There are many moms in our Facebook group, Latched Mama Love that you can connect with to build your circle!

4.)   Schedule fitness into your day

Before children, fitness never had to be a priority, but as a busy mom, our energy is consumed by our workday, home obligations, and parenting. If you make fitness a continued priority, being active won’t fall off your radar. You know where your day will take you. If you’ll be stuck at home, maybe you schedule a time to walk on the treadmill while watching your favorite show, or do some Yoga With Adriene after the children go to bed. Or, if you are headed into the office, maybe you sign up for a yoga or Pilates class during your lunch break or use your office’s gym. When something is scheduled, the likelihood of us following through skyrockets.

5.)   Involve your children

Just because you used to attend spin classes and boot camps and don’t have the time to attend those classes anymore, doesn’t mean your workouts need to suffer. You can still stay active as a busy mama without these group classes by involving your children in the workouts! If parenting brings you to the park with your children, do squats or planks in the park. If your children are drawing with chalk on your driveway, do some tricep dips while they play. Or, if you are doing some simple jumping jacks, have your kids join in on the fun. Children are active so use their activity to your advantage!

While your schedule looks different as a mom than it did before, your fitness doesn’t need to suffer. With these five tips, you can stay even busy moms can stay active, no matter what surprise each day brings.

Let us know how these tips work out for you – we’d love to hear from you! Comment below to let us know what your favorite tip is.

 

 

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Sources:

https://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/fit-mom-exercise-tips/

https://www.hollyroser.com/post/finding-time-to-exercise-as-a-working-mom