At-home Workout Guide for Busy Moms | Tips & Ideas
As a mom, you will always be searching out for opportunities to do everything from home. Even you will prefer shopping online and find opportunities to work from home.
Everyone wants to stay fit and healthy but when it comes to mothers, most of you will be struggling for this. Going to the gym daily isn’t an option, especially for the moms of little kids. Especially the moms who are working from home.
So here, on my blog, I came up with a great at-home workout guide for busy moms. (I also workout from home and I do it daily.)
In this article:
- At-home workout tips and ideas for busy moms:
- How to find time to workout
- How to stay motivated to workout daily
- Things you will be needing to workout from home
- Best workout programs for moms
At-home workout tips and ideas for busy moms:
First of all, You need to have a mindset to work out. Remember that, without willingness, there is no point to read this article. The first thing is that you should be willing to get fit and healthy.
This tips are for ladies who don’t find time or energy to workout at home.
1- Do exercise in chunks:
If you can’t find time to do a full one-hour workout, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do workouts altogether.
You can do 5-10 minutes of chunks of exercise. Remember, your heart rate should go up. Here are some ideas you can follow.
5-10 minutes jog in the kitchen:
You are cooking and you have a few minutes while the food is getting cooked. You can run on the same spot for the available time, just like running on a treadmill.
A few minutes of jog will up your heart rate and is good to keep your body moving.
Dr. Nerurkar acknowledges that many people donâ€t have the time, flexibility, or financial resources to work out twice every day. However, she says, research suggests that small bits of activity, such as three to four 10-minute sessions a day, can be as beneficial as 40 minutes of exercise in one stretch. (Ref)
Running with the kids:
Running with the kids also counts as exercise if it brings your heart rate up. It also counts as playing with kids. So, it’s a win-win for both, mama and the baby.
2- Do some yoga while the baby is sleeping in the lap:
Many kids love to sleep in mama’s lap.
If your child does so, you can utilize this time in doing some deep breaths and yoga. You just have to keep your back straight and take some deep breaths.
You can find so many yoga poses that can be done while sitting straight, Holding breath is a great core exercise that I love.
If the baby is not sleeping in the lap then you can also do other yoga poses without leaving the bed.
3- Encourage your child to workout with you:
Your child is also going to love this idea. You can do yoga or cardio with them. Dancing with the kids is also a great cardio exercise.
4- Exercise when kids are sleeping:
If you can’t do your workout when kids are up then their nap time should be your workout time.
5- Run with the stroller:
You can take your kids with you for a walk or if your child is of the age of using the stroller then you can run with the kid sleeping in the stroller.
In this article:
- At-home workout tips and ideas for busy moms:
- How to find time to workout
- How to stay motivated to workout daily
- Things you will be needing to workout from home
- Best workout programs for moms
How to find time to workout:
Finding time to work out is tough as a mother because of the busy routine.
Work from home mamas get exhausted and they really need exercise to keep their mental health and physical health up to the mark.
So, here are some tips to find out the time to work out:
1- Waking up earlier:
The best time to work out is in the morning and it will be great if you can get up earlier than your kids. At this time, you can complete the most important chores including exercise. Plus, working out in the morning is also awesome in the sense of maintaining energy all day long.
2- Include kids in your workout:
You will not have to find time to work out when you will include your kids in your workout plan. Dance with them, Run with them, or engage them in your own workout. It will be fun for them and work out for you.
3- Plan your week:
Planning is the first and most important thing everyone should do. Every expert in every field will ask you to “plan” and that is for a reason. If you can plan your week and complete most time taking chores such as shopping in one day then you can easily find time on other days to do your workouts without disturbing your routine.
4- Schedule your workout like a meeting:
You have to fix the timing of your workout and then stick with it. You must make sure that the workout is as important as an official meeting is. Stick with your schedule. When you will do your workout daily at the same time then it will be easier to find time to workout.
5- Ask for help:
If you have any help available, for example, if daddy or grandma can take charge of the babies then this is awesome. You can do even longer workouts in this case.
6- Part time Nanny:
Many people hire a nighttime nanny or babysitter, but how about hiring a part-time nanny who can come for a few hours so you could do some important things for yourself, just like a workout.
7- Engage kids in playing:
You will have to find out toys and games, which can keep them engaged. Spend some good time and research about what kind of toys can do this deed.
You can set up a good Indoor playground which can help you and keep your children engaged for hours.
8- Kids TV time can be moms exercise time:
You can use your kid’s TV time to work out. They can finish one show in half an hour and you can complete your half hour workout.
9- Don’t waste time in changing the outfit:
Getting ready and changing your outfit before doing your workout is a great idea, but not when you have a very short time.
If you think that you don’t have enough time, then you should skip the step of getting ready.
10- Use YouTube videos:
Instead of signing up for live workout programs, you should follow YouTube videos. There are so many channels that upload amazing free workouts.
11- Increase the intensity of Workout:
Instead of doing an hour of workout you can follow shorter workouts but increase the intensity.
Holding dumbbells in your hands can boost the intensity of the workout. Keep your core strengthened so you could burn more energy.
Choose Cardio or resistance and avoid going for a walk except for when you are going with the family. Because walking requires less energy and more time while other workouts require more energy in a shorter time span.
In this article:
- At-home workout tips and ideas for busy moms:
- How to find time to workout
- How to stay motivated to workout daily
- Things you will be needing to workout from home
- Best workout programs for moms
How to stay motivated to workout daily
Many people start doing workouts with full passion but quit after a few days. This is common because consistency needs a lot of motivation.
If you want to get fit and healthy, then you must keep up the motivation to work out daily. Usually, it is difficult for the first few days and when your body will get used to doing exercise, you will not need so much effort to keep up on track.
Here are some tips to keep up your level of motivation:
1- Write a workout plan
Just planning in your mind is not enough if you don’t want to lose motivation. Writing a realistic plan is a great practice.
Write your plan on a large paper or your personal diary.
Make sure to write it on something you see daily. It should be not the case that you write your plan on a random paper and then forget about that. Use a pen and paper and not a mobile. ‘Researchers have proved that using a paper does better than typing on a gadget, especially when it comes to planning.
2- Fix a time
You fix your time and stick with it. There is no right or wrong time for working out. You can do it in the morning or at night. It’s totally up to you. but make sure that you are consistent with your timing.
Working out at the same time every day will keep you on track.
3- Check your weight daily
You will see most of the people saying that don’t check your weight daily. But I think that they should change their phrase.
You should check your weight daily but you shouldn’t set unrealistic expectations. Checking weight daily gives the motivation to stay on track. But you should know that your weight will be fluctuating, depending on several factors.
4- Take a picture of you once in a week or month:
When a person, who works out daily, stops doing so. He/she will see a visible difference in the body within a few days.
In this case, taking a picture once a week or month is a good idea. Take a picture and compare it to your previous picture. You can use a collage maker. Comparing two pictures will motivate you to keep doing a daily workout.
5- Follow fitness groups on Facebook and Instagram:
Nowadays, most people spend a good enough time on social media, such as Facebook and Instagram.
It is proved by researchers that when a person sees a specific thing daily, that thing may affect his/her mind and personality.
If you will follow more cooking channels on social media, then you can become a great chef but on the other hand, it can make you eat more than normal.
So, following fitness groups and figures on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter is a good thing in the sense of keeping you on track of working out daily.
6- Watch at least one fitness based video on YouTube:
YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. Millions of videos about millions of topics are freely available to anyone.
You can also use YouTube to keep up your motivation to work out daily.
But how?
When you will watch fitness-based videos, YouTube will suggest you more videos like that. Whenever you will open your YouTube, a new fitness video will pop up and you will, at least, not forget to workout.
7- Make exercise fun:
Never take exercise as punishment. Make it fun. Do not follow the workout programs, that you are not liking.
Turn on some music of your choice and take the exercise as a dance party.
8- Try different type of exercises every day:
Sticking to the same type of exercise daily will make you bored.
Try different exercises daily. Mix the things up.
There are many options like Cardio, Resistance, yoga, swimming, or dancing. When you will do different exercises daily, you will stay excited to work out.
9- Make Whatsapp groups for other Moms who want to work out:
The best way to stay engaged in an activity is to connect with similar people with similar goals. Find other moms who want to work out and stay connected with them.
You can make a Whatsapp group and make yourself accountable.
Facebook groups are also another helpful option.
10- Be easy on your body:
Being easy on your body is important. Don’t work out too hard. If you will, you may lose stamina too early. Everyone knows the capacity of their body.
11- Reward yourself:
Rewarding yourself is a great way to keep on track. These rewards can be from a new shirt to a party with friends.
In this article:
- At-home workout tips and ideas for busy moms:
- How to find time to workout
- How to stay motivated to workout daily
- Things you will be needing to workout from home
- Best workout programs for moms
Things needed to workout at-home:
There’s not much you have to get to work out at home. Let me list the items:
Must-Haves:
1- Dumbbells:
A pair of dumbbells is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the workout. Get a good pair of dumbbells from Amazon. Click here
2- Yoga Mat:
A yoga mat is not so expensive and easily available online. It helps in saving from falls and slips and saves the floor from sweat.
Get a Yoga mat on Amazon. Click here
3- Resistance band:
Resistance bands are rubbery in texture and help in putting your muscles on fire during the workout. They are easy to store and help you in doing hard exercises standing in one place.
Get Resistance bands on Amazon. Click here.
4- Towel and a Water Bottle:
Although these are not exercise equipment you will need them during your exercise many times. So, having a towel and water bottle in hand is a great thing to do.
Get your workout towel and Water bottle on Amazon.
5- A Mirror:
Exercising in front of a mirror is a good idea. It improves stamina and motivation to work out.
You can place a mirror on a corner of your home and use that area as a gym.
6- Comfortable gym suit / Yoga Pants:
Fit and comfortable clothes help in staying active and motivated throughout the workout. Get your Yoga pants on Amazon. Click here.
Optional things:
Here are some things you can add to your home gym if you want to. These are not necessary but if you can get them, they will definitely add value.
- Balance ball (Buy on Amazon)
- Jump Rope (Buy on Amazon)
- TRX bands (Buy on Amazon)
- Treadmill (Buy on Amazon)
- Stationary bicycle (Buy on Amazon)
- Step platform (Buy on Amazon)
In this article:
- At-home workout tips and ideas for busy moms:
- How to find time to workout
- How to stay motivated to workout daily
- Things you will be needing to workout from home
- Best workout programs for moms
Best Workout programs for moms:
There are so many workout programs on the internet but how to choose a program that is best for your time schedule and energy level?
As a mother, doing an hour-long workout with so much equipment is totally not possible.
So, I would choose workouts that need almost no equipment and take less time but more energy.
Plus, most of the mothers are not able to work out harder because of childbirth. I myself was not able to do hard work out until after 1.5 years of my daughterâ€s birth.
There are 2 YouTube channels that are my favorite.
Leslie Sensone’s walk at home videos:
As a beginner, I was not able to work out harder. The cesarean section was also a cause.
At that time “walk at home” videos were my lifesaver. These exercises are short but effective and the plus point is that you don’t need any equipment at all.
You can walk a mile or 2 while standing in one single place, without going anywhere. I found this walk very easy yet effective and less time-consuming. Just follow Leslie’s Instructions and you will see good results within a few days.
Team Body Project videos on YouTube:
Later on, when my body became used to doing exercises then I found a YouTube channel called “Team Body Project“. I really like their videos and still following their workouts.
The things I like the most about their workouts are:
- Most of their videos are almost half an hour-long
- All standing
- You don’t need any heavy gym equipment, Only a pair of dumbbells will be enough.
- A mixture of different exercises
- So many different videos
- Easy on the joints
These 2 channels are my favorite but there is another program that is very famous, called the “Beach Body workout“. This workout program is the most famous especially among mothers of little kids.
You can find all of these videos simple on YouTube.