Time?? To be a Fit Mom?? Whaaaaaaaat?!?!

Ok, so if you’re reading this, you’re probably a mother, right? Even if you’re not, you have probably struggled with (and/or continue to struggle with) time management, motivation, and accountability! We all do!

Being a mother, wife, homeowner, employee, family member, whatever the case may be, taking time for ourselves can be a struggle! So, how do you balance it all?? It’s so simple to do, yet so simple not to do….

Here’s the situation. We’ve all got things that have to be done—no doubt about it, life or death, home or homelessness, feast or famine, however you need to think about it. So these things might include, taking care of little ones, going to work every day, cleaning our house (sometimes less often and/or thoroughly as we’d like…), paying bills, buying groceries, cooking, and taking care of our general hygiene. Does that about sum up most of the daily “must do’s”???

AND…… we are supposed to factor in workouts and a healthy meal plan for our entire family into all of this, right?? YES! You can! So here’s my story:

I have always been a workout kind of girl, loving to lift weights, doing plyometrics, high impact cardio, rock climbing, doing yoga, whatever! I have quite the eclectic preferences when it comes to exercise, and I’ll try just about anything, at least once (except distance running…just the thought makes me want to take a nap…). I was very active in high school, playing volleyball and throwing in track, and kept that going throughout college by becoming a very dedicated gym rat (the college boy eye candy didn’t hurt!). Fast forward to graduation, then grad school, then marriage and two babies! So here I am now working fulltime, in a job that I absolutely adore, with a 17 month old girl and a 4 ½ year old boy…yikes. I knew I had to find a way to get back to the workout lifestyle that I have loved for so long, while planning healthy and nutritious meals for my family! Here comes the good part—I’m at a lighter weight than before I got pregnant with my first baby, and I’m more toned and defined than I have been in a looooooong time! So how does all of this work?!?!

Basically, it’s extremely SIMPLE. So simple, once you figure it out, your entire outlook on your health and fitness will change! Hell, you’ll wonder what took you so long, why you have lived with regret for so long, and you might even start to encourage others to follow your lead! So, how do you do it? Start by taking a good hard look at your day and what you’re spending your time doing.

1.       How much time do you spend scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, or other social media?

2.       How much time to you spend watching TV or reading?

3.       How much time do you spend reading the newspaper, watching the news, or listening to the news on the radio?

After reading this article, please consider these tasks A.WASTE.OF.TIME. That is, until you’ve got your priorities straight! Point blank, period. Now, you might be thinking, but I love to read! I’m addicted to social media!! I need to know what’s going on in the world!!! You can STILL do these things, trust me! BUT, if you want to become dedicated to your health and fitness, if you want to nix the excuse of “I don’t have time to…blah blah blah”, then you will need to make these things the very last thing on your list of things you need to get done. How simple is that?! It’s literally that easy…no joke. If you were to write down how much time you spent on these activities per day, I’m willing to bet you would have time to exercise, plan meals, and do so with ease, maybe even a few times per day! Don’t believe me? Just try it for one day, and I truly believe you will be SHOCKED at how much time you actually have!

So here’s what a typical day looks like for me:

5:30-6:30am—give or take, this is usually my workout time! Yes, I know that seems VERY early, BUT I know that this is my only time to get my workout in. I have never been a morning person, but, let’s face it…having kids doesn’t really give you the option! So you get used to it after awhile, and why not use it to your advantage, right??

6:30-8am--getting ready for work, checking in with my challenge groups on Facebook, checking messages, posting on social media about my workout and health related plans for the day, and hoping to inspire others to make this change for themselves!

8am-5pm—by this time, I’ve taken the kids to and from day care, put in a full work day, and we are back at home, ready for dinner.

5-8pm—this is family time, with dinner, baths, and spending time with the kids before they go to bed!

The rest of the evening is spent winding down and here’s where my social media, reading, watching TV, comes into play! I’ve gotten the hard part out of the way, and sometimes before the sun even comes up!

I try to do my grocery shopping and meal planning on the weekends so that I am prepped and ready to go for the week. I also try to schedule my workouts, so I know what I’m doing each morning—it’s like an appointment I keep with myself.

Now, this schedule may be vastly different from yours, and this may not work for you at all! You may love, and have the time for, an awesome evening workout most days of the week! BUT, whatever your schedule looks like, are you being real with yourself about your TIME?? Or are you making excuses as to why you can’t ?? I encourage you to take an active role in managing your time and make a healthy lifestyle WORK for you!! My schedule is VERY busy, with working full time, have two very small kiddos, and a husband who often works 10-12 hour days! If I can do it, you can too!

Take a second to think about the importance of living a healthy life, both for you and for your family. Fueling your body with good food, keeping your energy levels up with quality workouts, and staying as healthy and active as possible for you and your loved ones should be at the very top of your priority list! You get one chance, one life, to set that strong and healthy example, and to be living life to its fullest for years to come!