Staying fit as a busy mom can be challenging, especially when you lack the extra free time that you once had and have multiple responsibilities. Prioritizing your health and wellness shouldn’t take lot of work or time. Here are 7 tips that busy moms incorporate in their days to stay fit and healthy.

Top 10 Tips for Busy Moms to Stay Fit & Healthy

Be flexible

If motherhood has taught me anything, it has taught me to be flexible. Things don’t go your way and they probably won’t for the next 18 years, and that is OK! I sometimes put my workout clothes on in the morning and don’t get to the actual workout until evening when my yoga pants have collected a few oil stains. Life happens, and we go with it, but don’t allow life to stop you from working out and eating healthy. If you didn’t get to your scheduled workout in the morning, don’t brush it off and say you will start again tomorrow. Squeeze in a workout before bed, or nap time. Even if you don’t complete a full workout, any movement is better than none. Find the time or create extra time by waking up 30 mins earlier, planning your day the night before and remove “busy” tasks that don’t get you results. Busy moms stay fit and healthy because they have learned to be flexible.

Find Exercises you Love

There are so many different types of exercises for busy moms looking to get fit and healthy, from weight training, HIIT, ZUMBA, pilates, the list goes on. Chose what you enjoy and stick with it. If you don’t enjoy HIIT (high intensity interval training) then opt out for Pilates. There are so many workout programs for women available in apps, the options are endless. Pick one, stick to it, and you will see great results. Personally, circuit weight training is my favorite style of exercise because it results in fat burn and builds muscle tone. Weight training also speeds up our metabolism since muscle is metabolically more demanding than fat. Regardless, any form of movement and exercise is better than no movement. You have a greater chance of succeeding if you are doing what you enjoy. The most important factor is starting.

Meal plan

Staying fit as a busy mom must involve some form of meal planning. Meal planning only takes 1-2 hours of your time a week and it provides you with a solid plan to stay consistent and healthy as a busy mom. Having a meal plan set in place will help you stay healthy day in and day out, while creating more time in your days to exercise. 

Write down the weekly meal plan for dinner on a calendar or refrigerator using a magnetic calendar for the whole family to see to communicate the weekly plan to your family. Having a routine and predictability helps the whole family, including yourself stay on track.

Wash and chop fruits and vegetables for the next couple days for simple, healthy and accessible snacks. Enjoy them yourself and encourage your kids to snack with you. Store chopped foods in glass tuba wear, to save on time and hassle later. 

Drink More Water

We hear this one ALL THE TIME. Water is essential to human life and we don’t drink enough of it. Water not only restores our lost fluid levels, lubricates our organs, keeps skin plump, aids our kidneys in flushing out waste but water also helps to curb appetite. When we drink enough water, we are taking up space in our stomach which helps us to eat less at meal time. A simple trick to enjoy water is by infusing it with fruits such as lemon, oranges, strawberry, cucumber, mint. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends that women drink at least 74 ounces of water a day. Drinking 3 of these bottles a day will greatly improve your health and curb some of your appetite. You can also fill up a pitcher, with water infused with fruit and leave it on the kitchen table or fridge for kids to enjoy all day.

Throw Out the Junk and Eat Whole Foods

Eliminating processed food is an important step in regaining your health as a busy mom. Processed food such as pasta, white bread, crackers, donuts, pop tarts, cereals do nothing beneficial for health besides pack on the pounds! Processed food is high in sugar, calories and artificial ingredients and it lacks nutritional value. Stick to foods and snacks that you can make at home. Check the ingredients label of packaged foods, if you can’t pronounce the ingredients or has too many ingredients, don’t buy it. Busy moms who stay fit understand that processed, fortified foods are not beneficial to a healthy lifestyle. Cutting out processed food alone, will decrease your calorie intake and improve your health.

Fruit is a great alternative to satisfy your sweet tooth. Meal prepping fruit is a great way to limit the urge to reach for boxed snacks. Berries are low in calories and high in nutrients and antioxidants, making it the perfect sweet snack.

Eat whole foods and grains to feel fuller such as sprouted Ezekiel Bread. Sprouted grains are easier to digest and are loaded with nutrients that white bread lacks. Replace pasta with quinoa, oats, buckwheat or brown rice. Whole grains also contain dietary fiber, which aids in colon health, blood sugar control and satiety.

Eating dark organic chocolate can help with cravings and is a great replacement for processed desserts. This dark chocolate is sugar free, low in calories and tastes amazing.

Snack Smart

Busy moms love snacking, and busy fit moms understand the importance of snacking smart. Snacking improves energy levels throughout the day and healthy snacks fill us up on micronutrients (vitamins & minerals). Choosing the right snacks involves intentional planning and selection. Low calorie nutrient dense fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are an excellent alternative to processed sugary snacks such as bars, trail mix and dried fruit.

Consuming too much carbohydrates in a day may be the reason why you don’t have sustained energy levels. The rapid rise and fall of glucose leads to alternating levels of energy and hunger. Simple sugars/carbohydrates digest quickly and leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied. It is an endless cycle that only leads to weight gain. Instead, choose your snacks cautiously and focus on getting in more protein. Protein helps keep you full longer and helps build muscle tone when you are involved in daily exercise.

Protein bars are a great snack option but there are many protein bars on the market that are high in sugar, calories and low in protein. One bars have the macronutrients just right as they are high in protein, low in sugar and contain less calories than leading brands. 

Hummus paired with vegetables such as carrots, celery, red pepper is also a great mid day snack full with nutrients. Berries, low sugar smoothies, greek yogurt, nuts and seeds are all great whole food snacks.

Involve your Kids

Involve your kids in meal planning and the cooking process. The more involved they are, the more likely they are to try new foods, not to mention you get some help in the kitchen! Or mess, one or the other! 

Exercising alone may be a luxury of the past, so involve your kids to exercise with you. Staying fit as a busy mom may be tough, but so rewarding. If you can’t exercise without them, exercise with them! Inviting your kids to workout with you is a great family activity.

Turn on some music, set up your mat and get movin! Set boundaries and tell your kids to stay away from the dumbbells, if you have any. Think of your kids as the reason, not a limitation to stay fit as a busy mom.

It is so much more beneficial for your kids to see you working out, than it is to see you sitting on the couch watching TV. Working out is not selfish, it is in fact necessary, as it provides you with more energy to care for those around you. Our bodies were created to move and thrive! Creating healthy habits in your own life, will carry over into your family because healthy mom, healthy home.

Track your Macronutrients

Tracking your macronutrients is not only for body builders or fitness enthusiasts, it is for anyone looking to gain knowledge and awareness about the foods we put into our bodies. 

Tracking macronutrients will help you understand how much calories, protein, carbs and fats is in your food. It’s actually mind blowing to see the calorie density of some foods we consume.

Myfitnesspal has a great macronutrient and calorie tracker with a built in barcode scanner. It makes tracking your food very simple. Let me walk you through how easy and user friendly MyFitnessPal app is:

Enter in your weight and fitness goals and the app will generate macronutrient recommendations based on your goals. Select the type of meal you are consuming, breakfast lunch or dinner. The app also tracks your water intake and exercise.

Select a meal out of thousands of preloaded food options.

The app also has a barcode scanner which is life changing! Just scan the back of a package of meat, eggs or crackers and it will save the information. It is so easy to track your macros with this app.

Track the foods that you eat for a week and be amazed at the level of knowledge and awareness you gain from it. 

Staying fit as a busy mom is a lot of work. It is doable and achievable with the right plan and strategy in place. By planning, tracking, and being flexible, we can transform our lives and the lives of our family for the better. Habits will form out of consistent action, keep pushing towards your best self.

Are you now feeling inspired and motivated to get in shape and stay in shape? You don’t have a gym membership or don’t have time to use it? Maybe you’re feeling lost and don’t know where to begin in your fitness journey. Don’t you fret, I got you covered!

I created a 4 week workout guide for busy moms just like you, looking to get in shape and stay fit. It is completely free and requires ZERO gym equipment. Download or print this PDF for simple bodyweight exercises you can do anytime, anywhere!

INSERT email plug in for the workout program.

Implement the strategies we discussed in this post, along with the 4 Week Workout Guide and you will see improvements in your health and body.

Summary

• Be Flexible. Find time or create time to stay fit during nap time, early mornings. Plan your day the night before.
• Find Exercises you love. Any form of movement is better than no movement. Look into HIIT, circuit training, etc.
• Meal Plan to stay on track of your nutrition. Plan your weekly menu ahead of time. Chop, prep foods and snacks.
• Drink more water.
• Throw away junk and eat whole foods. Say no to packaged food and refined processed grains. Eat sprouted, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
• Snack Smart. Healthy whole food snacks curb appetite & improves nutrition. Snack on fruits, veggies, greek yogurt, nuts.
• Involve your kids in exercising with you and in the kitchen. We model positive or negative behavior, chose positive.
• Tracking macronutrients improves your awareness around food consumption and helps you pick healthier foods.