I truly believe that making fitness a priority as a mom is so incredibly important not only for physical but also for mental health. Over the years, I have heard some moms say they don’t feel like themselves anymore, but for me, I found my purpose in motherhood. I happily shelved the things I thought were important to me in my ‘before-kids’ era, knowing it was a temporary shift to fully embrace this incredible new chapter of my life.
One of those things I shelved was fitness. I know I am not the norm, but I love working out. I played sports through high school and then spent hours at the gym in college. Then I found Jazzercise, where I worked out 4x a week before I got pregnant.
My first pregnancy was high-risk with twins, so I wasn’t allowed to work out. Then, it took a little longer to heal from my traumatic birth. But the moment I was cleared to workout, fitness was back in my routine. Quickly, I figured out how to balance my responsibilities as a twin mom who worked the night shift and my fitness classes into this new schedule. Since then, I have had two more kids with complicated pregnancies and postpartum recoveries. But I was able to do low-impact workouts throughout those pregnancies and started working out when I was cleared postpartum.
Here are some ways to make fitness a priority as a mom, even when we feel like we don’t have the time or desire to get that workout in:
Find short windows of time…to get started!
At first, I was doing online workouts because they were short workouts that I could do in my living room. For some, that is great, but with little babies and a husband who worked 12-hour days, it was hard for me to do. So I switched it up by taking them for walks in their stroller for 20-30 minutes. Sometimes, I would do laps in my small driveway, and the twins would always fall asleep. Then, it was small windows of time at the gym, a 15-minute walk on the track, or a 20-minute class at home. Setting up small, short windows is a great start to making fitness a priority in your routine.
Find something you love to do…and do it!
People will say, “Don’t do XYZ as a workout because it is bad for you.” I am here to tell you to do what you love! It is always better to be moving and doing something you love than doing a workout you don’t enjoy. Fitness isn’t just about strength; it’s about mental health, especially for moms. For example, I am not a runner, but I love cardio workout classes. So that is where I get my cardio in. It has also become a social hour for me. I have met some really great women by walking into a fitness class and having a good time while we burn some calories and gain strength.
Focus on the community…not the workout!
We always talk about how important it is for our babies to be socialized, but we never talk about moms’ needs. Mamas need community and a place to socialize too—if not more. Working out at a gym or studio outside the home is a great way to socialize and find other moms who are walking in a similar season. Over the years, I have invited dozens, if not more moms to our High Fitness class, and they have stayed all these years later. It is a great workout, but the community is the icing on the cake. Even when I am having a tough day, they know how to lift my spirits.
Focus on you…the kids will be fine for an hour!
For those of us who don’t have childcare or grandparents who take the kids often, it is imperative that mom finds a way to get some time for herself. At first, finding a gym that provided childcare was really hard. Eventually, I discovered that my local YMCA had child watch available at great times. It allowed me to get out of the house and get my workout in. It wasn’t easy packing up the kids and changing diapers mid-workout, but it got me out of the house and back to doing the things I loved to do before becoming a mom. Ten years later, it is still working for us.
Over the years, what exercise looks like for me has changed. Now that we are done having babies, and my babies aren’t babies anymore, I have found myself in this new season where my workouts aren’t just to get me through the day. They are intentional and planned. My kids have seen me working out their entire lives. So now they join me at the gym, and they love it!
Without even knowing it, I taught my children determination, discipline, and strength. I had no idea that making fitness a priority as a mom in those early years would have profound benefits all these years later for both myself and my kids.
