“I don’t have time.” I know. Neither do I. Neither does anyone else. You are not alone momma. We all are doing our best. You need to make time for what is important. Get up an hour earlier. Use your lunch break. Go after supper. Go during hockey practice. Make time. Depending on your goals, you can fit it in. Your kids don’t need a perfect mom, they need a healthy and happy one. The benefits of making that time for yourself will only benefit your entire life. (Really it will.)
The simplest way to do it, find a printable calendar online and use it. Put in work, hockey, dance, clubs, etc. Then schedule your workouts in and put them on the calendar. Everyone’s workout schedule is different, depending on your personal fitness goals. If it’s an A.M. workout, mark it down. Now you are accountable. It is important your family sees it is important to you.
If you are just starting out, look at your schedule and pick which days you can commit to and write it down like a to-do list. I know juggling it is hard and some days you have to change it up, kids get sick, you miss lunch at work, etc. but don’t beat yourself up about it. That’s life, just don’t quit.
Maybe this week you can only commit to 3 days, know what you will be doing those days and be prepared. If it’s an early morning run or gym session, gym clothes out or bag packed and ready to go? I do everything the night before, lunches, etc. so in the morning there is no excuse to not get my butt to the gym. I have all my toiletries, work clothes and lunch with me when I leave. Get my workout done, I shower at the gym and head to work. At lunch I have clean gym clothes and enough stuff to make myself presentable to get my butt back to work and finish my day. I like my day like that so after work I can enjoy time with my family. What works for me might not work for you, you may have to change it up depending on your lifestyle. You are in the drivers seat. If you need help, getting a trainer to help you start may be a good investment.
Getting up early works for me as my guys are older so I can get my cardio in early. If there is hockey practice I may switch it up and run then so I can sleep a little longer. (I never run during games, lol. ) I would rather be outside than on a treadmill, even at -20. For lifts I usually use my entire lunch hour. Sometimes I go after work for a 30 minute cycle session to get it in. I also have a 3 season home gym which totally helps and can save me a trip to town and my boys can join me for a family sweat sesh.
My time at the gym is headphones on loud and balls to the wall. When I am done, I look like a train wreck. I don’t chit chat or lose time that way, the headphones help. I take 30 to 60 seconds off between sets, a minute to two between exercises. If someone is on my next machine, I don’t wait, I skip to the next exercise and come back. I have 1 hour for lunch, I utilize every single minute of it to get the most of my workout every single time. My first competition I did not work this hard and it showed. I have since realized that intensity is key. For cardio and weights, all in, 100%.
A normal schedule for me is, 3 to 4 days lifting with cardio a couple times a week. My competition schedule right now is much more intense. If you are looking for some fun, join a class or walk during kids sports or clubs with other parents. A couple of inexpensive pieces at home can save a ton of time and gives you no excuses if you can’t get out of the house. Some dumbbells and bands are great and there are a ton of workouts online to give you ideas. I enjoy running and can do that outside with my dog, no membership required. You don’t need to be logging in hours in the gym, it is not a job. Typically, I weight train for an hour and cardio is 30 minutes. If you enjoy running, you may do a couple short runs per week and a longer one on weekends. HIIT workouts are a great way to get in a workout with little time, again you will find many online.
Starting out or starting again, it is good to to form habits that will make will make your time more effective. Finding hacks to streamline your life will make healthier habits easier to stick to. More blogs on healthy meal hacks for families, meal prep tricks and more coming soon.