Balancing Fitness with SAHM/WAHM Duties

Balancing fitness with SAHM/WAHM duties is one of my daily challenges, and it’s often a point of conversation that I have with y’all on Instagram.  I never really know how to categorize myself…I mean yes I am a stay at home mom but I’m also a work at home mom?  There needs to be some sort of in-between term for that, lol.  How about: SAWAHM.  Stay And Work At Home Mom.  There.  Okay I digress.  What I wanted to share in this post is not a new acronym for that title but instead tips on how to balance fitness & working out with whatever your daily duties include, but especially if taking care of a kid is thrown into the mix!

Tips for Balancing Fitness with SAHM/WAHM Duties

1. Have a schedule, but be flexible.  When it comes to the baby aspect of this equation, life (& working out) got much easier when we put Emma on a schedule & sleep trained her.  We use Moms on Call (read more here) and highly recommend if you’re needing help in that area!  Knowing when she would be taking a nap made it so much easier on me to structure my day.  Having a to-do list for the other things in my life and knowing what I needed to do on what day came next.  Generally I use her morning nap (9-10:30) to do my circuit workouts on those days.  On run days, I try to wake up early and run before she or Craig is even awake.  Then, her second nap time is my next “get work done” window, which is between 1-3.  I also generally work after she’s gone to bed while we watch TV- writing newsletters, editing pictures, putting together Instagram posts, working on the app, or doing one of the many tasks for goldbraid.  On mornings before I run, I get up early enough to have coffee and maybe write a blog post or answer emails (writing this post doing just that at 6:30am before I go run).  I always have to do at least an hour or two of work on the weekends…that’s just how it goes.  Schedules are great – but of course you’re at the whim of a tiny human and they might not always follow your plan. That’s okay.  Just do the best you can but if you have to be flexible on certain days just go with the flow.   That brings me to my next point…
2. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.  What I mean by this is, if your schedule doesn’t work out how you want it to one day and you aren’t able to get in your full 30 minute workout…can you still squeeze in 10 minutes? 15? Just doing something is better than doing nothing.  Take babe out on a stroller walk, or pick them up and do a workout using them as the weight!  Squats, squats to press, jumping jacks (if they can walk, it’s fun to get them to try), do pushups, crunches, or burpees while they are having their snack…really any movement is good.  Also- if I absolutely can’t find another time and need to use the TV for a quick Wiggles episode for Emma while I get in my workout, to me that is worth it.  I don’t stress over screen time because I know there are many days she doesn’t watch it at all, and I’m a better overall person and mom if I get in my workout.  So she can sit there and watch an episode and I’ll workout to the Wiggles jams in the background 😉
3. Don’t be so hard on yourself.  As moms we can have really high expectations for ourselves and have so many things we want/need to do.  Give yourself some grace here – you are only one person doing a LOT.  Some days you might be able to knock out everything like a rockstar and some days you might not manage to get dressed or do anything besides keep a tiny human alive….and if that’s the case, you’ve still done an epic job!
4. Get it done early when you can.  Waking up a bit earlier, if you’ve reached past the state you are super sleep deprived (otherwise sleep is more important!) is the best way to make sure you get your workout done uninterrupted.  Try doing it a couple times a week at first and see how it goes!  If you prefer to work out later, maybe you can try to wake up earlier to get some other tasks checked off your to-do list.
5. Embrace the chaos.  This is what I’ve had to do, ha. I certainly used to like to dedicate certain days to certain tasks because my brain just seemed to work better that way, but that’s just not an option anymore.  My days are incredibly segmented due to the nap schedule and only being able to work when she’s asleep.  I’m constantly multitasking.  I hated it to start with and it was a challenge, but I’ve gotten used to it now and just sort of have to know exactly what I’m going to be working on the second she goes down so I can get right to it and not waste a second.  It’s chaotic but I know it’s temporary and it’s worth it for me to be able to spend her awake time with her and just being mom.
6. Get someone to help out.  For me, I worked hard to get my blog to be where it was so that I could be at home with my future kids but still contribute financially to the family.  So I don’t really want to be hiring a nanny full time or something like that, (totally fine if that’s your choice!) but if on occasion you just need a day, or even just a couple hours! – hire a babysitter or see if a family member nearby can help out.  Also – check out the mothers day out programs at the YMCA near you or other day care places.  Emma is going to start preschool in the fall just a couple days a week – mostly for her to socialize and play with other kids – but I know those hours will be some serious “mommy gets things done” times!!

You’ll be able to find your right balance of it all, just use these tips for Balancing Fitness with SAHM/WAHM Duties and see which ones work for you.  I’d love to know what tips you have, too!  I hope these have helped.  You’ve got this mama, and you are doing a great job!  If you’re looking for a workout program that schedules every workout for your week right into your phone, all with workouts under 30 minutes that can be done from home (or anywhere!) then click here to sign up for the Besst Workouts app. It’s all the workouts I do every day 🙂

xo,

Bess