Fitness Tips for Working Moms

Exercise has become an integral part of todays' working women, not only because of their job, but because of what it does for them personally. Exercise or any kind of intense workout helps relieve stress, and makes people feel good about themselves. But for working women who are also mom of small kids it becomes a challenge. Most of these women put 110% of my effort towards their kids and jobs, leaving little for them own use. According to fitness experts that’s not good (and something everyone need to work on), and this is something one has to make time for almost daily.

Whether it means getting up early, squeezing in a few 10-minute workouts throughout the day or doing a quick video while they nap, exercise really calms busy moms and helps them get through a busy day without a (mommy) meltdown.

Everyone has an equal number of hours in a day, so whether or not you exercise comes down to how you decide to spend your time. It’s not always easy, and just because some people exercise regularly doesn’t mean they pop out of bed at 5 a.m., excited and energized to work out. They have to drag themselves out of bed most days, and some days, their scheduled workout doesn’t happen. They do the best they can.

So if you’re a busy mom, how do you begin to find time for exercise? Here are a few suggestions that might work for you.

5 Fitness Strategies for Moms:

1. Get others around you on board with your commitment.  You can’t do everything for everyone all the time. Sometimes, you need assistance. My friends' husband knows exercise is important to her, so he helps her find time for workouts whenever he can. He will watch the kids while my friend goes for a run after he gets home from work, or sometimes he’ll even suggest she do a quick workout when he can tell it’s been a rough day. Her dad also offers to watch her kids while she run. Having the support of ones family makes the commitment so much easier.    
2. Schedule it as part of your day just like anything else.  If you’re a present working mom, your appointment calendar is full of tasks related to work and family. Why shouldn’t you budget time for your workout too? Plan your workouts for the week ahead and note them down in your to do list. You wouldn’t skip a meeting at the office or your child’s school, so treat your exercise appointments with the same importance. 
3. Accept that some days will be easier than others, but success is just hanging in there.  There are days when your run is going really well and you would love to keep going, but sometimes you will literally run out of time. There are days when the calendar gets turned upside down and your workout doesn’t happen at all, or days when 10 minutes is all you’ve got. As long as most days, things work out as planned, that’s all you can ask for as a busy mom trying to juggle it all.  
4. Don’t be too harsh on yourself.  Just because you don’t have an hour to exercise doesn’t mean 10 or 15 minutes aren’t worth the effort. Even small amounts of exercise can add up to amazing results. 
5. Get creative.  Don’t use “lack of time” as an excuse not to exercise. Involve your kids, break your workout into shorter segments throughout the day, or use time at your child’s soccer practice to get in a workout. If you are willing to make exercise an integral part of your life, sometimes you’ll have to do it in less-than-ideal situations. One would much rather have an hour to herself to exercise, but if it’s 20 minutes with one's kids in the room, at least it’s something!