Exercise as a Mom: Make Time

The streets are quiet, the skies are pitch black, the husband and toddler are both snoring… and my alarm goes off.

I roll out of bed (some days more willingly than others,) put on my workout clothes, brush my teeth, and put my hair up in a top knot. I mix my pre-workout and I’m out the door without making a sound. But as soon as I’m in the car, the music goes up. The pre-workout kicks in. The car dancing begins and I’m off to the gym.

Yes, when most (sane) people are still sleeping in their beds, I am at the gym. Why? As a working mom, this is the ideal time for me to get my workout in. I’m not worrying about finding the energy to exercise after a long day, cutting the workout short to run errands, missing time with my family, rushing a workout to fit a nap time, etc. 

Is it always enjoyable to get up this early to exercise? Absolutely not! Do I wish I had an extra couple hours of sleep? Most days!

This is the sacrifice I have chosen to make for my physical and mental health. Working out before the sun comes up gives me 60-90 minutes of ME time. I’m not worrying about picking out toddler clothes for school (and then finding other clothes because a certain someone now has an aversion to wearing jeans.) I’m not making sure the dogs are fed, figuring out dinner, or doing laundry or dishes. I’m not cleaning up dinosaurs off of the coffee table, worrying about our insane schedule, fitting in time with friends or any of the other to do’s that run through my mom brain.

My morning workouts are all about ME.

As my fellow moms know, ME time as a mother, whether a working or stay-at-home mom, is very precious and often hard to come by. I get to be 100% focused on myself during my morning workouts because outside of the gym, I put my needs on the back burner and focus on my family and work. When I take the time to work out first thing in the morning and get that ME time, I am a better mother, a better wife, and a better person to the outside world. 

Have you ever wanted to work out first thing in the morning but can’t get yourself out of bed? Try these tips:

• Layout your clothes and shoes the night before – I love to work out in super bright colors because it’s an immediate mood lifter
• Use pre-workout (this is a life-saver and a guaranteed way to wake me up)
• Plan your workout so you know exactly what you’ll be doing and you can waltz into the gym (or your own living room) and get to work
• Find a workout you LOVE – for me it’s minimal cardio and fast-paced bodyweight and free weight strength workouts while listening to rap music
• Find an accountability partner – you’re less likely to cancel on a friend than you are to cancel on yourself
• Schedule your workout in your calendar just as you’d schedule a doctor’s appointment or meeting
• Prep an awesome post-workout snack (date energy balls are a big favorite in my house.)
• Make it a habit – it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. (Be consistent!)

Fitting exercise into a mom’s daily schedule is TOUGH but it is possible. Whether you work out before the rest of the world is awake, fit in an at-home video while the babies are napping, drop the kids off at the gym’s childcare center, or attend one of the mom and baby workout classes offered in the Corpus Christi area, make your ME time a priority.

I am definitely a nicer person to be around when I’ve gotten my workout in! Hello, endorphins!