Making Time to Exercise as a Working Mom
We all know the importance of leading a healthy and fit life. Many of us might even make grand plans to start exercising regularly, but it seems like these grand plans and schemes to embark on new workout routines are almost always doomed to remain just plans, with no implementation in sight. If this is the case with you too, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Polls and surveys show that a vast majority of working moms don’t get as much exercise as they should be getting. Finding the time to exercise is hard enough when you have a full-time job. Add to this the fact, that you have kids who seem to need constant attention, and before you know it, exercise is pushed way down on your list of priorities.
But before you resign yourself to your sedentary fate, here are some tips and tricks to help you make time for exercise, all without compromising on your job or your maternal responsibilities.
Stick to a Schedule
Stop thinking of exercise as something you will get around too once you have fulfilled all of your other responsibilities. Dedicate 30 minutes or so in your day to exercise. And when I say, exercise, you can interpret the term in whatever way you want. Join a Pilates class, go for a run, do some cardio at home, or follow a Yoga video on YouTube. The important part though is that you decide a day and time when you will definitely exercise and put it in your daily to-do list, just like you would with a meeting. And when the time comes for exercise, drop everything else and go.
Get an Early Start
As a working mom, finding even a 30-minute slot that you can dedicate to exercise can be quite a challenge. You can’t plan everything and often times something unexpected might turn up and you will have to cater to that. The result? You won’t be able to exercise. You can avoid this problem to a certain extent by getting an early start. There won’t be that many surprise meetings or engagements at that time. Plus, getting done with exercise early in the morning will get that out of the way and you don’t have to worry for the rest of the day.
No Better ‘Me Time’
Getting time for yourself as a working mom is a rare occurrence. You would much rather take a nap than exercise. While, this is understandable, but remember that there is simply no better way to get ‘me time’ than by exercising. You will be physically tired afterward but will surely feel more energized and refreshed.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Get a calendar and mark off the days you manage to exercise or get a running partner. Do whatever it takes to hold yourself accountable. This will help you stay on the right track and will lower the risk of you putting off exercise.
Long story short, if you keep waiting to ‘find’ the time to exercise, there is a very low probability that you will succeed. Instead, make the time and you will start seeing the results, slowly but surely.
