No one is coming, no one. No one is coming to push you, no one is coming to tell you to turn the TV off. No one is coming to tell you to get out the door and exercise. Nobody is coming to tell you to apply for that job that you have always dreamt about. No one is coming to write the business plan for you. It is up to you to achieve your fitness goals.

As a mom of two very busy neurodivergent children, I understand the struggle to find time for myself. Over the last two years, I have overcome this struggle to achieve my fitness goals. Between family dynamics and taking care of the house, and the mental load of it all I know personally there is a small amount of time dedicated for us mothers to sweat just a little bit unless of course it’s chasing or cleaning up after our children. Below I will give you 5 tips that helped achieve your fitness goals                                                                  

Tip #1 Workout before the kids wake up!

I know this may be hard for some to hear but this is the best time. It’s up and done before the kids are awake and the less the time passes the fewer excuses you have as more time passes if you chose to do it later in the day. Not only will exercising wake you up but your mental health will feel better to go on with your day. I am not saying it will not be hard to build into a new routine, but it will be highly beneficial to achieve your fitness goals.

Tip #2 Be flexible

As a mom I know sometimes our days do not always go as planned. We may have nights where the kids are up all night or we are sick. If you miss a morning workout do not beat yourself up over it. It is okay to rest when you and your body and mind need to, or you just simply need a break. Another option is to break up your physical activity into a couple of 10-minute breaks or while you are watching Grey’s anatomy during commercial break do some quick exercises. It is easy how fast it goes while it’s doing something you enjoy even if it’s binge-watching TV.

Tip #3 Choose a workout you will enjoy!

If you choose something you like to do the more to achieve your fitness goals, you will do it. If you put yourself into a program, you find stressful or just do not like it then often you will stop and hit into a rut. I am speaking from personal experience on this matter, as I recently joined a kickboxing class, but I could not go through with it as the atmosphere and the old school teaching of exercise did not align with myself or what I have learned while in school. That is up to you! It could be a range of dancing so Zumba classes are an option for you, or maybe you enjoy yoga the sky is the limit!

Tip #4 Set realistic expectations

Ask yourself what your fitness goal is. Do you want to run a 5k, do you want to just be physically more active, or do you want to invest in a small start-up to have your very own gym to help you achieve the goal that you have? Take small goals with a short time frame to get to your overall bigger goal. If your goal is to become more physically active then plan 2 thirty min workouts for 2 weeks and once you have accomplished those, add in a third.

Tip #5 Include your kids!

If you do not have any equipment at home to achieve your fitness goals, I always suggest using something that weights it! If you have a baby, toddler, or an older child this can work to your benefit. You can use them for glute bridges, squats your name is just to add some resistance training. If you like to run or walk challenge your children to fast walking races or even running races, see who can run up the hill at the park the fastest it can be something fun and you can all enjoy while spending that time together. You also get the benefit of teaching your children the importance of physical exercise and will grow up with a healthy relationship to being more active. It can be fun and way more enjoyable for everyone to have creative ways to add physical fitness to your daily routine!

About the Author

My name is Kimberly Viheriasalo and I am currently a full-time student at NAIT in the Personal Fitness Trainer program. I am a mom of two boys and two cats, I can relate to the madness of motherhood with the mental load and scheduling load it does take. I have a dream to become a mobile fitness trainer in Edmonton and once school is completed,