How to Balance Mom Life and Fitness
There will never be the perfect time to workout, ever. There will always be something to do; folding towels, washing clothes, cleaning the kitchen, making food, SITTING DOWN for the first time that day. Trust me, Mama, I feel you.
I also know that the less time you spend on yourself, the more time you’re going to regret not having the energy to play with your kids, the more time you’re going to regret not doing something to feel confident in your body so you can play at the pool
without caring what other people are thinking of you, the more time you’re going to regret not spending time on your fitness so you and your partner can feel close and intimate again, like you felt pre-kiddos.
Four steps I have found that help me workout in the middle of my crazy mom life:
1. Add your workout to your daily checklist of things to do. I have noticed a much higher success rate of clients who treat working out like any other daily task they have to accomplish because they don’t make excuses as to why they don’t have time. They MAKE time. You are making time to cook dinner, you are making time to shower. You are making time to clean up your kids’ toys, so you can make time for a 20-30 minute workout that will not only improve your overall health and fitness but drastically improve your mental health, making you the best version of you that you can be for your kids, your spouse, and yourself.
2. Workout while your kids are napping or watching a show. Sure, there are other things to do, but put that to the side for twenty minutes and do a quick, at-home workout. Trust me, your mental health will thank you. There is always something else to do, it comes down to what you’re willing to give up so that you can be the best version of you for your family. Maybe you’re delegating more tasks to your partner. Maybe you’re just saying, “I’ll do MORE cleaning on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but Monday/Wednesday/Friday during nap times, I’m working out.” Whatever it is, you’re making your fitness the priority that it should be.
3. Include your kids in your daily chores so they get done faster, and during nap time you actually feel like you have time to workout AND rest. This can be as simple as teaching your kids how to put the toys away, where to put dirty dishes, how to clean up their room, and even how to transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer. You’re not only making YOUR life easier, you’re teaching your kids that they are part of the family and are responsible for helping out. Their teachers will thank you in the future (it’s true, coming from a “retired” teacher). It saves an argument in the future with your sweet, little teenagers because they have always been included in household chores and aren’t being asked to do something “new” when they don’t want to listen to anyone, let alone Mom and Dad.
4. Include your kids in your workout! If your kids are out of the nap phase, include them in your workout. Maybe that means you’re walking to the park instead of driving. It’s a 2.5 mile walk? Great, put them in a stroller and go. You’ll get your 10k steps in EASY that day. Are your kids jumping all over you while you’re doing your at-home workout? Cool, teach them some boundaries about your body and also include them in what you’re doing! They’re probably interested in what Mommy is doing and why she’s moving her body like that, so it’s a great learning opportunity for you to teach your kids about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.
There will always be something better to do. There will always be something that comes up that takes precedence over you. You just have to make your health and fitness a priority. Have grace with yourself, but hold yourself accountable. If you are feeling constantly frazzled, depressed, not like yourself, lost in your role in your home, and not like the best mother that you could be, it’s time for you to make a change. It was time for you to make a change before now, but it is essential for you to make a change now.
Do you want your kids to remember a tired, frazzled, grumpy mom, or do you want your kids to remember a mom who had energy, liked to play with them, and was overall a happier person because she took time for herself to focus on her own health and fitness?
I know what I would choose, what about you?