A topic of discussion frequently heard amongst working moms is the challenge finding time to exercise. Between working all day, getting kids ready for school, homework, cooking, and housework, there is no time left for anything else (and certainly no energy either). This post will address options for working out as a working mom, across a range of price points and venues.
Mrs. Type A’s 5 tips for working out as a working mom:
1. Have realistic expectations
I want to stress the importance of having realistic expectations. If you set forth to exercise every day, you may be setting yourself up for failure. As a result, you may get discourage if you fall short and derail your progress overall.
I do strongly encourage having a very achievable target every week. After the birth of my second child, I aimed to go to the gym for 20-minutes a week. That was it.
I’m not sure how much 20 minutes helped my health, but I considered it a “beach head” back into the world of exercise. Once I fit that 20 minutes into my routine, I increased it to 30 minutes. Then, 2x/week, and so on. Over time, I now am regularly working out as a working mom. I have a work out routine that — while I’m still refining — feels robust enough to meet my physical and mental health needs.
2. Include the kids
- Hike with friends/kids: I have a working friend who finds a new location every Sunday to hike with her family. Each week, they rotate families they hike with. I think it’s brilliant. They get exercise, family time, explore the area, and catch up time with friends. We joined the family once and it was one of my favorite weekend activities. With sports, it’s hard for us to be consistent, but I’d like to incorporate this as much as we can.
- Run at a local school track: While I haven’t done this, I have seen other moms at our local school running at the track. They bring their kids, who either run/walk too (or kick a soccer ball). I’ve seen younger kids sitting with an iPad while Mom runs or climbs the stadium stairs. If you don’t have childcare, I don’t think there is anything wrong with having kids watch an iPad for 30 minutes while Mom works out. At minimum, they are learning the importance of exercise and learning about how to find creative solutions.
- Walk around the mall: My kids were all born in the last few months of the year. The weather quickly turned cold, and I couldn’t take them on walks. Instead, I went to the mall and walked around there. I would treat the mall like a track and do a certain amount of laps. Now, I didn’t run…just walked briskly. It’s not the most challenging workout, but it certainly helped me de-stress. And it helped to fit my schedule around it, so that I was ready for running outside when the weather improved.
3. Go Online
With all the apps now available, there are endless options for online exercise at your convenience. Online apps offer so many options to working out as a working mom.
- Watch exercise videos on Prime (not no cost if you don’t have prime): I was on a business trip once and the hotel’s gym was almost non-existent. I searched for exercise videos on Amazon Prime’s app and was surprised to find so many. They weren’t the most recent releases but they were more than sufficient to meet the needs of a zero-cost, decent workout.
- Pure Barre On Demand: I recently discovered Pure Barre and…wow…that is a good workout! I’d love to go every day, but that would not fit into my schedule or budget. I discovered their On Demand app, which has dozens of live sessions. They have 5, 10, 15-minutes sessions in addition to 45 min and 60 min ones. You don’t need any gear! I find it very flexible and well worth the $30/month fee. There are other sources besides Pure Barre that offer online options, so look around!
- P90X: P90X is a strength building program that offers a subscription service, much like Pure Barre. I have only done P90X a couple time, and it is a great working. It’s honestly too intense for me, but if you crave high intensity and convenience, this may be a good option.
- TRX: TRX is a suspension training system that has great muscle strengthening results. I have had one of their home suspension systems for a few years now. While a new one will run about $200, I actually got mine used from eBay. All you need is a closed door. It works fairly well, assuming you have the space.
4. Get a fun work out wardrobe
On days when I’m struggling to find the energy to exercise, I can get an extra kick if I’m excited about my workout attire. A fun new workout top is enough to get me excited to at least change into my workout gear, which is a good part of the battle! Fun new clothes can help make working out simply more fun!
Here are some cute work out clothes:
5. Plan for your exercise time
This is the most crucial tip for successfully working out as a working mom. I treat working out just I like I do other important meetings. Every week, I schedule it on my calendar, including travel and change time. I also plan for any prep that may need to occur. If I plan to head to the gym on Wednesday, I pack my gym clothes on Sunday and put them in the car that night so they are there on Wednesday. If I will do Pure Barre on Friday morning, I will put the mat out, and my clothes out the night before (actually, I’d probably just sleep in them!). Treat your work out like every other important business or personal commitment, and you will be more likely to get it done.
If you want other tips on how to efficiently get yourself and kids ready, see these posts:
I hope you enjoyed these tips for working out as a working mom. I’d love to hear more from you on how you manage fitting in working out as a working mom. Leave comments below!
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