As mom’s, our life is super busy right? Whether you are a working mom or stay at home mom, we are all doing things like cleaning, cooking, caring for the littles, and the list goes on. Anyone agree that there are not enough hours in the day? and especially not enough hours to fit in things for ourselves. I decided to ask women like you, how it is that they stay fit as a busy mom. What are their secrets and how do they make it work?

I have compiled a list of 12 Tips for staying fit as a buys mom from other women like you so you can begin to take steps to feeling good in your own skin!

Get Your Workout Done Early

This was the number one tip that every woman said! To quote a few, “Workout first thing in the morning!! I end up with a million excuses the more time passes haha” - New mommy, Schaelynne D. says. This is so accurate and I can relate to this so much. Have you ever been there where you kept telling yourself “I’ll do it later” and then later becomes never. If you are lucky to have kids that sleep in (because I do not), Fit mom, Leemay R. says she “wakes up early in the AM before the babes do to get my workouts done!”. We have built our home gym over the last year and it really pays off because I have no excuse to not workout. It may be hard but if you build a new routine, it will begin to feel amazing and you never regret working out.

2. Be Flexible

If you haven’t learned this yet as a mom, it’s so important. Being flexible is something that I have had to learn, even though I am super patient, I am not good with a change in plans. Sometimes (okay most of the time) you have your plans all laid out and you are ready to go, but then our kids remind us of how little control we have anymore. So just know that you may have to have a plan A, B and C!

3. Break up your workouts

Being flexible rolls right into my next tip of breaking up your workouts. For example, 3 - 10 minute workouts, or 2 - 15 minute workouts. It all adds up and is better than completely skipping your workout all together. Once you make it a priority, you will be surprised at how you begin to find time for it.

4. Include the Kids

discounts on running strollers)

If you follow me on instagram, you know I am all about including my kids into my workouts. Yes, sometimes it is not the best workout, but they have so much fun and are learning so much. Make it fun by letting them count your reps or even buy them their own weights like I have for my daughter, Marlie. I also love to take them out in the stroller and running to get fresh air. I talk all about that in my blog post about tips for running with a stroller. Another mom says to “go on walks/runs with the kids” -Leemay. My kids know the routine now and yours may take time to get use to it, but eventually they will love it.

5. Get Creative

Some days, I just know I won’t have enough time, so while I am doing chores around the house, I turn it into a mini-workout. For example, the other day on my instagram story, I posted some ideas to clean your floors while doing some legs and cardio. I simply put cleaning wipes under my shoes, and did jumping jacks, reverse lunges and squats. Call me crazy, but this resulted in a clean floor and sore legs the next day. I was one happy Mom! Fellow mom, Leemay, is starting her masters in nursing in the fall and planned ahead knowing that “school/studying will be another time obstacle. But my goal is to incorporate workouts into my study sessions. It’ll help me get stuff done and also prevent me from getting too stuck on one subject like I usually do lol. “ Such a smart way to incorporate her workouts into her study sessions to kill 2 birds with one stone.

6. Find something you love.

When you love something, you are more likely to stick with it rather than feel forced to have to do it. I love the saying “workout because you love your body and not because you hate it”. When you love your workout and love your body, it’s a win win. Fellow fit mom, Mariane loves her “Peloton” bike at home, I enjoy going to the gym with friends and their kids and one day a week at Renegade fitness. If you haven’t tried the TITLE on-demand app, you can workout with me from home and I love doing that to stay moving. you can use Taylor20 for 20% off, super affordable!

7. Drink Enough Water

Drinking enough water will help to keep you hydrated and help you feel more satisfied and have more energy. I like to always have my hydroflask with me filled, that way I know how much water I am drinking and it serves as a reminder to take a drink.

8. Plan Ahead

Not only should you plan out your workouts each week, but you should also plan out your meals. I am an avid meal planner and this has helped the whole family eating well and taking out the stress of meal time. Each week I plan out what we are eating and then it makes grocery shopping a breeze. Working out wise, “writing everything out with goals of how long I expect each task to be allows me to see where I can practice some active/healthy habits without feeling like I have no time.” - Leemay

9. Ask for Help

Leemay says she is “ transparent with my husband. Sometimes none of those times work and I have to reach out to my partner to help. He supports me in my drive to be healthy and active so he’ll do what he can to help.” It is incredible to have a partner to tag team and help get things done, like a workout. For those who do not have someone to tag team, it is important to find a friend or reliable sitter that you can have help at least once a week for a few hours so you can get a workout in and have some “me” time. Never be afraid to ask for help, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it, it just shows how you are strong enough to make time for yourself.

10. Breathe

I don’t know about you, but this is the hardest one. Being a busy mom is tough, and being a busy mom who stays fit is really tough. It takes a lot of planning, failed attempts, more planning, good days, hard days, but eventually you will find a groove and you will feel so good when you are able to fit in your workouts and eat well.

11. Don’t give up

Some days everything will go as planned and other days will seem like nothing is going right. Some days you and your kids are eating chicken and broccoli and other days it’s quesadillas and frozen waffles. My point is to not let that one bad day ruin your entire week. Accept the hiccups, learn from it and move forward rather than giving up!

12. Remember your Why

In the moments when you’re stressed out, feeling misunderstood, or overwhelmed, STOP. breathe and ask yourself to remember your why. Why did you start? Why do you do it? And then, keep pushing forward. You will not always stay motivated, but you will be disciplined enough to keep going.