How To Work In a Good Workout With A Busy Life

Trainer Momma is back with practical ways to get a good workout whether you’re a busy mom or a working woman.  Last week we learned how to eat well and get control of our health and today it’s all about how to exercise!

Kids. Home. Work. Carpools. Meals. Grocery shopping. Play dates. Diaper changes. T-ball practice. PTA meetings. Church commitments.

So, you are crunched for time.  Of course you are!  You are a woman!

When the heck are we supposed to fit in a good workout?

Well, good news here. As proud owners of two X chromosomes we already possess the skills to work in a good workout. It’s simply a matter of directing our multiple, feminine talents to this area and WHALA! Awesome workout done!

Note: Sadly, The Trainer Momma blog is no longer online.

A Good Workout

Plan ahead.

We meal plan. We plan play dates. We plan vacations. We plan Star Wars birthday bashes for 20 five-year-old boys. We can also plan our workouts each week as well.  Literally writing our cardio, weight lifting, and recovery workouts on the family calendar will help ensure they will happen.

Get Creative

Whether we are sewing an adorable apron, painting stripes on our child’s bedroom wall, or hosting a meal for twelve — we’ve got some serious creative juices, sister! Now the next time a wrench is thrown in our workout plans, we’ll make that creativity work for us. The run didn’t happen?  No problemo. Ride your bike with the kids after school.  Your baby is sick and can’t go into the childcare at they gym?  Easy — pop in a workout DVD at home.

Multi-task It

Multi-tasking is survival. Just because we are away from our usual exercising environment doesn’t mean the workout is a bust.  It’s an opportunity to do something new. When soccer practice is going on, use that hour to strap the baby in jog stroller and go for a run. If swim lessons are in full swing, there is always the other end of the pool where you can swim some laps. When the kids are playing at the park, you can use the equipment to do some pull ups, step ups, and throw in some sprints in between.

Wheel and Deal

If we are good at anything, it is snagging a good deal.  When I had my first child, my husband and I came to an understanding: I could survive my new job of motherhood if I got my workout in everyday. Although he was swamped with medical school, he agreed to stay with the baby for one hour each morning (from 5:00 – 6:00 AM) no matter what. If your spouse can’t help with holding down the fort, then join a gym who offers childcare or swap childcare with a friend or family member.

Being a woman does come with many pressures, responsibilities, but we have the benefits of possessing many skills and talents as a result. We can put these to good use by being able to problem solve, think outside the box, and make awesome workouts be a part of our daily life.

Tip Junkie Fitness Series

• Step 1:  How to Eat Well and Get Control of Your Health
• Step 2:  How to Work in a Good Workout
• Step 3: How To Eat Well and Feel Full Every Time
• Step 4: How To Tone Your Thighs

Feel free to ask Mandi any fitness or exercise questions you might have!  You can leave your question in the comments or on the Tip Junkie Facebook page.

Mandi Reading is the author of Trainer Momma at www.trainermomma.com, a fitness and nutrition site for busy women and their families. Trainer Momma dives head first into the nuts and bolts of effective exercise, and provides healthy recipes that you will actually want to eat, and endless ideas on how to work in the workout.  She is a fitness and nutrition writer, speaker, certified personal trainer and nutrition consultant specializing in weight management. Her favorite workouts include doing wind sprints to catch her three children, running stairs with armfuls of dirty laundry, and impatiently watching her core as expand as Baby #4 develops (due in the fall!).

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