Tips to Build Fitness Routines for Busy Moms

Mothers are amazing.

Whether we're celebrating our birth mothers, mother figures, adoptive mothers, friends who are mothers, mothers to be, mothers who’ve passed, mothers who’ve lost, and those still waiting to become a mother …

now is the time of year to give a little extra love to the mothers in our lives.

As a company of fitness lovers, we’re dedicating our Mother’s Day blog post to mothers fighting an uphill battle against lack of time and energy in pursuit of improved physical and mental health…  through exercise. 

In this article, we cover:

• How to Find Your Ideal Workout Routine as a Busy Mom
• Workout Ideas for Busy Moms
• Healthy High Protein Snacks Your Kids Will Also Love

In this photo: Better Body Adjustable Kettlebell, Adjustable Jump Rope, Exercise Mat

How to Find Your Ideal Workout Routine as a Busy Mom

Whether you’re a single mom, a working mom, or a busy mom caring for kids full time - it might not be easy to find the time and motivation to keep up with a fitness routine. It’s hard enough without kids!

If we want to keep our motivation high, we need to:

1. Be clear on why we are working out.
2. Find a routine that we genuinely enjoy,
3. which also provides the results we want.

Through the lens of health and exercise, ask yourself this question: “What changes do I want to experience?”

Take a moment to yourself with your journal or a piece of paper and a pen and think about it.

Here are some ideas. 

• Me time. I feel like everything I do is for other people. I’m left feeling drained and unhappy. I want to claim back some time for myself.
  
• Confidence. I don’t feel great when I look in the mirror. It’s not good for my mental health. I want to feel more confident in my body.
  
• Health. I’m worried about my physical health. I am so tired all the time and I get sick too easily. I want to get stronger so I can be more present for my kids for longer.
  
• Stress relief. I’m so stressed all the time. There is so much pressure on me and I have no outlet for it. The anxiety just keeps getting worse. I am so unhappy that I end up snapping at the people I love. I want to feel less stressed out.

Maybe you connect with one of the above - maybe you have another one in mind. Think about your why for a moment and imagine how you would feel once you have already experienced those changes. 

How does it feel? 

Do you feel strong? Vibrant? Healthy? Excited about life?
Confident in your body?
Confident in your mind?

Next, we need to figure out exactly what kinds of activities you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, it’s that much more difficult to continue - no matter how clear you are on your why. 

Ask yourself: “What are the ways I love to move my body?”

Here are some ideas. Which of the following sounds more appealing and realistic for your lifestyle: 

A 30 minute session with weights 3 times a week at home…
or an hour walk in nature everyday? 

A daily 5 minute session skipping rope on the patio…
or a twice weekly 20 minute jog or power walk with the stroller?

A YouTube led 30 minute long Yoga or Dance class a few times a week…
or an in person hour long class twice a week at a local studio?

Many shy away from exercise because of the assumption that you need to physically bring yourself to a gym or a fitness class studio to get a workout in. 

With so many options for both affordable home fitness equipment and free workout videos available online - this assumption no longer applies.

As a busy mom, every spare minute matters. 

With awareness of your highest motivation and with the right home fitness equipment - you absolutely can make positive changes toward your fitness goals from home, even while your kids are napping.

Let’s take what we learned from this section and head into Workout Ideas for Busy Moms.

Workout Ideas for Busy Moms 

In this photo: Better Body Starter Adjustable Dumbbells

30 Minute Full Body Strength Session

Strength training is the ultimate workout routine that covers all of the “whys” in the previous section. Whether you want to build confidence, improve your physical and mental health, find an outlet for stress relief or take time just for yourself - weight training takes care of it all.

Use weight training to:

Build confidence. Low self confidence often comes from childhood but can be made more prominent by life events, stressors, body changes and hormonal changes. Confidence is a skill that can be improved, and by challenging ourselves to lift progressively heavier weights we are also showing our minds our capabilities. With time and consistency lifting weights, we will not only improve our physique - we will also build our self confidence.

Improve physical and mental health. On the physical health side, strength training helps us burn calories more efficiently, decrease fat, decrease our risk of falls and injury, improves our heart health, helps manage our blood sugar levels, decreases body aches, improves mobility, improves brain health and makes our bones stronger. On the mental health side, strength training boosts self confidence, improves mood, improves sleep quality and promotes an overall better quality of life.

Relieve stress. Stresses, if not released, build up in our bodies. We feel the tension in our shoulders, in headaches, in bad moods, and eventually in illness. By channeling our stress into intense physical effort, we reduce the levels of our bodies’ stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These are traded in for endorphins - happy hormones secreted while we exercise.

Claim me time. A 30 minute session while the kids are asleep 3 times a week is all you need to build mental and physical strength while treating yourself to precious self care time. 

Yes, you heard that right - you don’t need to spend 2 hours at the gym (commute included) to build full body strength. You can do it from home, and all you really need is a plan, a workout mat, and a set of adjustable dumbbells. 

Try this 30 minute strength training circuit workout at home.

​INSTRUCTIONS: 

• 7 Full Body Strength Exercises
• Timed Intervals (45 seconds work, 15 seconds rest)
• Repeat x3 Sets

EXERCISES:

Front Squat + Overhead Shoulder Press 

Alternating Reverse Lunge + Bicep Curl

Sumo Squat + Upright Row

Curtsy Lunge + L-Fly

Plank + Row 

Glute Bridge + Tricep Extensions 

Glute Bridge Hold + Chest Press

Usually, home workouts are limited by the amount of weights available. This limitation doesn’t allow for consistent improvement, as progressive overload is necessary to get stronger. This means we must gradually increase the weight, frequency, or number of repetitions in our strength training routine to allow our musculoskeletal system to get stronger. 

In this photo: Better Body Starter Adjustable Dumbbells Home Gym Bundle

The Better Body Starter Adjustable Dumbbells gives you the workout versatility of weights from 5-25lbs. This means you replace 5 pairs (in 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 increments) with one space saving set - which can be tucked away neatly out of sight when not in use.

The bundle shown above comes with a Foldable Exercise Bench and Exercise Mat - everything you need for a home gym set up.

Progressively challenge yourself with heavier weights as you get stronger and experience your mind and body transform. 

In this photo: Better Body Adjustable Jump Rope

5 Minute Skip Rope Workout

Skipping rope as a workout routine is perfect for moms with not much time and very active kids who aren’t napping as much as they once were. Maybe if your kids are the right age, they can even join you on this workout.

Relieve stress while getting lean with this challenging 5 minute jump rope workout. 

If you’re new to jump rope - break this workout up into 30 seconds of work with 30 seconds of rest to begin. Then work your way up to 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest.

• Double footed jump 
• Left foot jump 
• Right foot jump
• Double footed jump 
• Alternating left and right foot jumps 

In this photo: Better Body Exercise Mat

Yoga & Stretching 

When in doubt - stretch it out. There’s nothing more soothing for our minds and bodies than some quiet time and intentional movement. 

If you are seeking stress relief and me time, try spending that precious time in the morning before the kids wake up with a quiet yoga class led by our favourite teacher - YouTube. 

Yoga has the following benefits:

• Reduced stress levels
• Improved sleep quality
• Anxiety relief
• Lower symptoms of depression
• Decreased lower back pain
• Improved mobility
• Improved quality of life 

Healthy High Protein Snacks Your Kids will Love

This is a bonus section meant to make it as easy as possible for you to start your fitness journey. 

When you're strapped on time, you want to do as little extra work as possible. That's why we put together a list of healthy high protein snacks that'll fuel you and your workouts AND your kids and their high energy.

• Roasted chickpeas. These are great as a popcorn alternative, salad topper, or simple snack. All you need is some olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, garlic pepper, salt and pepper - Toss together and put in the oven. This recipe is made even easier in the air fryer.
  
  
• Fruity dip. Make eating fruits more fun with this high protein fruity dip. All you need is Greek yogurt, nut butter and a little bit of honey. Serve with fruit slices or even pretzels. Add chia seeds or almonds to add more protein.
  
• Cottage cheese snack. You might not fool them into thinking this is cheesecake - but it’s a tasty treat regardless. All you need is some fat free cottage cheese, blueberry sauce (made from fresh or frozen), trail mix and honey!

Wherever you are in your fitness journey, we have your back.

It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or if you have tried and stalled in different workout routines in the past …. We’re right here with you.

Our team at Better Body have been supplying home fitness equipment for all types of spaces, for all types of fitness goals since March 2020.

Check out our Best Sellers.