7 Tips to Help Moms Prioritize Their Workouts

Studies show a significant gap between men and women (especially moms) when it comes to prioritizing fitness. While 41.3% of men aged 18-34 meet physical activity guidelines, only 24.3% of women do the same. Moreover, time for leisure and sports activities averages 5.56 hours per day for men but just 4.76 hours for women, but honestly that number has to be based on women who are NOT moms. Do you have even 15 minutes every day for 'leisure' activities? Hell no.

For moms, the mental load of caregiving and managing a household leaves little room for self-care, including exercise. By comparison, men often prioritize structured workouts more consistently, benefiting from fewer caregiving demands.

If you want to make time for exercise, and you already know why but just in case, exercise helps you feel stronger, more energized, and better equipped to handle the demands of motherhood. Regular movement improves mood by boosting endorphins and reducing stress levels, which can be a game-changer for navigating busy or overwhelming days.

It also supports better sleep quality—a precious commodity for moms—while helping balance hormones that affect energy, appetite, and mood. Beyond the physical perks, exercise fosters confidence, increases stamina to keep up with your kids, and provides a much-needed mental health boost.

7 Tips to Help Moms Prioritize Their Workouts

1. Schedule Your Workouts Like Appointments: If you are just thinking, oh I'll get to it later without an actual plan, it's no surprise you aren't going to do it. Put your workout on your calendar at a specific time and treat it as non-negotiable, this small tweak sets you up for mental success so you can plan it and prep for it.

2. Incorporate Your Kids: Stop using your kids as an excuse, most kids are not going to be upset if you do a 10-minute core workout on the floor while they're playing nearby, or you have my official endorsement to throw up a Bluey episode and move that mom bod of yours. I promise a little screen time for them is worth it for you to do something that will make you feel better. better yet - involve your kiddos or take everyone on a walk.

3. Morning Movement Before Everyone Wakes Up: First of all, don't start skimping on sleep to get up earlier if you're already depleted but if you can, starting with just 10 minutes to do some flexibility or stretches to start the day can help set a better tone for the day.

4. Shift Your Mindset: Recognize that fitness is a form of self-care, not selfishness. A healthier you benefits the entire family, you'll be balanced, strong and be able to do the things you want and need to do without being exhausted or spent.

5. Find Short and Effective Workouts: If you're past the immediate postpartum period and your hormones are balanced, doing more interval work (raising the heart rate followed by periods of recovery) is an efficient way to get a good workout in a short period of time. Even a 20-minute strength workout will go a long way for your #momgains.

6. Use Your Environment: Sure getting to the gym would be super nice but that's not always feasible so just do something around the house. You can do a lot with bodyweight or with the stuff around your house, it all adds up.

7. Build Accountability: We all do better when we have someone else to keep us on track, partner with a friend, or better yet, join my challenge in January and get the support of other moms cheering you on and a nutritionist & personal trainer in your corner! You don't have to, and shouldn't do it all by yourself.

8. Adjust your expectations: So many of my clients struggle with comparing themselves to their pre-baby selves. Of course you could go run 10 miles or go climbing for 2 hours but that's not the reality now for a variety of reasons. Stop letting comparison and your own expectations get in the way of doing something. A quick 10 minute core workout or just a 30 minute walk is still better than nothing, please please just go do the thing, anything.

   
   

It sure feels overwhelming to add one more thing to your list, but once you find a way to incorporate it into your routine it will become something you are unwilling to sacrifice. Try even a few of the things on this list and see if you're able to start exercising with more consistency, and start making your health a priority without guilt, and set an empowering example for your kids.

A Mom's Guide to Better Sleep

As busy moms, your mental task list is constantly running and that doesn't necessarily stop when you crawl into bed. The cruel thing is that you need a good night's sleep to keep up with it all and when you have small humans dictating your wake-up time (2 AM? 4 AM?) It's a bit challenging.

Since we all know that sleep is important for immune function, mood, energy, brain function, and long-term health, here are my top tips for moms to get better sleep and what you CAN control for your precious shut-eye.

8 Hours Before Bed: No More Caffeine☕

When you're powering through work, or taking care of the kids and hit that afternoon slump, I know it's so easy to reach for some afternoon coffee, but try to resist the urge. Ultimately It's messing up your sleep whether you realize it or not. Try some sparkling water, herbal tea, or better yet, a nutritious snack packed with protein, fat, and fiber which is really what your body is asking for. Bonus points for a quick walk around the block or some jumping jacks to get things moving.

3 Hours Before Bed: Avoid Heavy Meals & Alcohol 🍷

Heavy meals and alcohol disrupt digestion, hormone balance, blood sugar, and metabolism and make for a not-great night of sleep. Of course, once in a while is not a big deal, but if you're eating dinner right before bed or relying on a glass of wine every night before bed, it's time to make some shifts.

2 Hours Before Bed: Shut It Down 💻

Whether you work out of the house, manage the household, or BOTH, your mind is constantly running through your to-do list. If you feel like you have a lot of pending items, write them down. Studies show this allows people to let go more and know they can come back to their tasks in the morning. Close down your computer and step away.

1 Hour Before Bed: No More Screens 📵

YOU KNOW you aren't supposed to be scrolling Instagram in bed right? So why are you still doing it? Exposure to blue light from screens can suppress melatonin production, the hormone that helps you sleep. Put your phone on DND an hour before bedtime and find a new wind-down routine and I promise your sleep will improve.

Establish a consistent bedtime

Since you can't necessarily control when you get woken up, you can control when you go to bed. Going to bed earlier and around the same time, ideally before 10 PM is the best case scenario if you can manage it.

If you're out there every day momming, working, and doing it all, please make sure you're doing all you can to get the most restorative sleep possible!

Strength Training or Cardio?

Ah, the age-old debate. Look, they are both awesome, for so many reasons. I love myself a long run and the endorphins I get from a high-intensity spin class. Your heart deserves to be strong so doing movement that keeps it healthy is important, but if you're a mom, and trying to get back into fitness, you probably don't have a lot of time, so prioritizing strength training is a game changer - here's why.

1. Functional Strength for Everyday Tasks:

From lifting toddlers to carrying groceries, motherhood is a physically demanding job that rarely provides vacation days. When we say functional strength, we mean the ACTUAL strength to do the heavy and hard shit in your life, not just look good and flex in the mirror. Need to carry your kiddo kicking and screaming back from the zoo after they got overstimulated? Refuse to take 3 trips with groceries from the car? Kid demands you carry them on your shoulders or fling them around like a freaking monkey? Pick up some heavy stuff!

2. Improved Posture and Body Mechanics:

Pregnancy and childbirth take a TOLL on a woman's body, usually meaning hours bent over a tiny human and sleeping in weird positions, leading to weakened core muscles and poor posture. Strength training exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, and rows, help strengthen the muscles that support the spine and improve overall posture. Working on these muscles now means that you not only stand up straight now but you're also less likely to be a hunched-over old lady and don't tell me your back doesn't hurt right now. Want it to feel better? Strength training has got your back (literally).

3. Boosted Metabolism and Fat Loss:

While cardio may be the go-to for calorie burning, strength training offers unique metabolic benefits. By increasing lean muscle mass, strength training boosts metabolism, helping burn more calories both during and after workouts. Additionally, strength training promotes fat loss while preserving muscle mass - holla!

4. Bone Health and Longevity:

Look, it's completely unfair the stuff women have to deal with that men don't, and an increased risk of osteoporosis as you age is one of them. What's the answer? Strength training! Weight-bearing exercises like squats and lunges stimulate bone growth and enhance bone density, reducing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis later in life. By investing in bone health now, you're putting cash money into your mobility and bone bank for later.

5. Mental Health and Stress Relief:

This one is obvious, being a mom is lovely, wonderful, fulfilling, but also overstimulating, overwhelming, and stressful at times. Strength training offers more than just physical benefits—it's also a powerful tool for stress relief and mental well-being. The endorphins released during strength training act as natural mood lifters, helping combat stress, anxiety, and depression. If you're having a bad day, lifting some heavy stuff or throwing a slam ball does wonders.

6. Empowerment and Self-Confidence:

There is just something different about lifting heavy and what it does for your confidence and resilience. As moms see themselves getting stronger, both physically and mentally, they gain a newfound sense of empowerment. It also doesn't hurt to feel like Michelle Obama when you start seeing those arm #gains.

Does this mean you're off the hook entirely for cardio? Heck no! But if you only have time to prioritize one, and you're starting from scratch, body weight or exercises with slight resistance are the way to go. From there, try stacking in a daily walk to get things moving and you'll be surprised to see how much more energy you have and how much better you feel.

Need more inspiration? Hit me up for a custom workout plan!