How to Find Time for Fitness as a Busy Mom

As a busy mom with a home to manage and a full-time job to handle, adding something to that overflowing plate is the last thing you’d want to do. That’s especially true when it is something as mentally and physically taxing as a workout.

 Between school runs, work, laundry, preparing meals, and keeping small humans alive, when would I possibly have enough time to squeeze in a fitness routine?

 Here’s something you probably haven’t heard: you’re already working out, all the time! Seriously. Carrying toddlers on your hip isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Motherhood is full of invisible workouts. You just have to turn them into intentional fitness routines without needing to carve out an extra hour.

1. Notice Your Movements

Start by observing all the movements you make throughout the day and add a tiny workout to it, just as a start. For example, if your toddlers are at the stage where they are running about and leaving toys strewn around the house, you may find yourself squatting to pick up toys all day. Do three slow, deep squats instead of one quick bend.

 You might have a baby that needs your attention all day, every day. You may even find yourself picking your child up multiple times a day just to feed them. Tighten your core and engage your glutes as you pick them up. It’s a deadlift now!

 By being just a tad bit intentional with your movements, you can find opportunities to add a workout here and there without having to set aside extra time for it.

2. Turn Chaos into Cardio

Your house is basically a gym in disguise. The hours you spend chasing a toddler around the house can be considered nothing less than a HIIT (high-intensity-interval-training) workout. If you have stairs in the house, try using them more often. While the kids are distracted, jog, or lunge up once or twice for a quick workout.

You don’t need an hour. All you need are pockets of time. Three 5-minute bursts a day = a solid 15-minute workout. You don’t even need to visit the gym or change into gym clothes!

3. Use that Mom-Power

As a mother, you are much stronger than you think. Only mothers can understand the physical and mental toll parenting takes on them. You’re not just feeding the baby but also lifting, squatting, twisting, sprinting, pushing strollers uphill and doing it all on minimal sleep and nutrition. That’s more resilience than a pro-athlete can muster up.

Like any athlete, all you need is support. You definitely do not need shame for not “doing more.” Here’s where personal training can come in as a game-changer, not because you need someone yelling at you to hustle, but because a great fitness trainer can help you build a plan that works around your schedule instead of the other way around.

4. Tweaking Your Goals

Often, we are our worst critics. It is that inner voice telling us we could have done more or that those extra pounds we see on the scale reflect failure. Perhaps it is time for you to redefine your goals and what is important for you.

Perhaps as a mom you want more energy and mental peace. It can be achieved through a simple 10-minute yoga session while your kid naps. You could also stretch while you’re enjoying some screen time with them.

Stop waiting for the perfect moment to workout. Start noticing just how much you really do as a mother and how small, smart tweaks can turn a busy day into something that supports your body instead of draining it.

To Sum It Up

You’re not failing at fitness. You’re just trying to look at it through the wrong lens. Movement is already a part of your life as a mother. All you need is to channel that motion so that it works for you, not against you.