7 Workout Tips for Busy Moms

By Gym Staff | October 5, 2016

The best way to get in shape is to enroll in a fitness club like 24 Hour Fitness and work out, but sometimes it seems like we just don’t have time, and this is particularly true for moms who have to take care of the kids, the hubby and home or work. But the truth is you don’t have to give up your dreams of a shapely body; with the right approach it’s possible to balance everything.

Work Out First

One of the mistakes we make is putting off the workouts until the day’s work is done. It’s a mistake because there’s no telling what the rest of the day will bring up – an unexpected meeting, take calls, etc. – that by the time you’re through, you’re tired. Instead, wake up a little earlier than usual and head over to the gym to work out. Nobody is going to disturb you early in the morning and you can exercise in peace. By the time you’re done, you’ll have the energy for the rest of the day.

Exercise Doesn’t Take Too Much Time

You don’t need to work out an hour a day to lose weight and stay in shape. In fact you just need 20 to 30 minutes a day, five days a week and that’s good enough. The key to successful workouts is not so much the length as the intensity. It’s much better and healthier to exercise for half an hour with high intensity rather than just go through the motions for an hour.

Another thing: don’t work out every day. Give yourself a day or two off so your body can recuperate. With all the extra activity you’re doing at home and work, you’re getting extra work outs anyway.

Make Workouts a Part of Your Daily Schedule

Look at your calendar or to do list for the day, and if going to the gym isn’t one of them, add it. Having workouts listed in your daily activities list will make it feel like something you need to do instead of just being an afterthought.

This isn’t hard to do: if you have scheduled yoga or workout classes for Friday nights, let your husband know so it’s his turn to do the groceries or pick up the kids after school. By making workouts a part of your family schedule, it’s going to be easier to find time for it.

Know What Workouts You Want

Once you have been able to set aside a schedule, decide what type of workouts you want to do. The key here is planning and setting up goals. Do you want to lose belly fat? Then crunches and high intensity workouts are in order. Do you want to build or tone your muscles? Then start working out on the strength building equipment in the gym. Set up a plan and goals before you hit the gym, and this way you won’t waste your time.

Be Flexible with Your Time

Most working moms work out before they start the activities for the day, while others prefer to do it at night. But sometimes this just isn’t possible, so what do you do? In this case you need to be flexible with your time and find ways to incorporate your workout.

As we have mentioned previously, exercise doesn’t need to occupy a lot of your time: half an hour a day is enough, so one thing you can do is to spend your lunch hour break to do your workouts or yoga class.

Workout with Your Kids

If you’ve got older children, why not take them to the gym with you and get them into healthy living as well? Rather than look for someone to care for them while you’re in the gym, take them with you and they’ll be better off health wise. And it doesn’t just apply to older kids; when you’re in the playground with your young ones, play with them, do pushups, work out on the monkey bars, run and just be active.

Split Workout Times

For those days when you’re really busy, you need to be a bit more creative when it comes to working out and managing time. If you’ve got a couple of rowdy kids at home and you can’t leave, just pop in a DVD of their favorite cartoons or movies and you’ll have an hour, an hour and half to work out. With strength training you really just need 15 to 20 minutes and you’re good.

Final Reminders

If you’re into high intensity interval training, these can be done in 10 to 15 minute spurts; do a 15 minute set in the morning and another one in the afternoon or evening and you’ll be doing okay. As you can see, there are a lot of ways to manage your time and keep in shape.