Workouts for Busy Moms

I have to constantly change up my workout routine. I am definitely not the kind of person who can stick with one fitness regimen for her entire life. I enjoy being active outside, like going on hikes, long walks, etc., but when it comes to a serious routine, I have to constantly mix it up. For a long time I tried running. I only started running because it's what skinny people do (Seriously. That was my reason.) Over the years I've had a few gym memberships, attended some fun group class things, tried a few different fitness apps...all of them sustained my interest for a little while, but eventually I moved on, sometimes out of boredom, but mostly out of scheduling conflicts.

I am forever on a quest to find a way to make fitness fit into my life, rather than make my life fit around a fitness schedule. I've scheduled my plans around group class times many times before. When I'm off work in the summer time that's all fine and good usually. But during the school year my scheduling is tight. Most classes take place either in the 6:30-8:30 range or the 5:00-7:00 range, neither of which are feasible options for my life. Yes, I could wake up at 4:30 and get a workout in then, or head out at 8pm after the kiddo's in bed, dinner is cleaned up, and lunches are packed for the next day, but I don't want to do either of those things. There was a little while there when I was a single mom when I actually paid a babysitter to come over, feed my son dinner, give him a bath and put him to bed while I went to kickboxing. Though I was proud of myself for prioritizing my fitness, I had a nagging "bad mom" feeling, since that bedtime routine is such a bonding time of day for me with a kid who grows too fast as it is.

Like I said, it's all about balance with me, and I believe a fitness journey should not be a selfish one. I am no longer willing to let the way I spend my sacred time be dictated by a fitness class. Plus I think gyms are a scam, but more on that in a later post...

Right now I'm really into finding at-home solutions that work for me, so I've been on a quest to find really great DVDs or other fitness routines that I can do in my living room whenever works best for me. I tried going back to Jillian, but I realized that her style just doesn't suit me. I'm not a fan of her "I'm the toughest trainer in the world and I'm going to be in your face the entire time" approach, plus I find her a crappy motivator. It seemed to me she spent a lot of her time flirting with her "backup dancers" rather than encouraging and talking to the person at home who actually needed her attention! So I abandoned Jillian after two of the four weeks I had planned and started looking for something else. For a few weeks I was extensively researching and considering a few different Beachbody plans, but I kept balking based on money and moral nagging that I might be supporting a pyramid scheme (more on that in another later post). I reached out to my mommy group and was introduced to Moms Into Fitness.

I'll go more into Moms Into Fitness another time, as I feel it is worthy of its own post. But I love Lindsay Brin and her workouts. The best part is if you get the Moms Into Fitness App you get access to a FREE 30 Day Challenge, which is a mixture of various workouts from Lindsay's DVDs. I just completed Day 5 and am a fan. I especially love that the challenge is entirely free with no gimmicks or catches, and that it's basically a sampling of all her different DVDs to see which works best for you. Since I am 2 1/2 years postpartum, I can already tell that her Pretty Fierce workouts might be more for me, and when the 30 Day Challenge is over I might be looking into purchasing that DVD set. But for now I am grateful for the mom in my mommy group who recommended this to me! 

What are your favorite workouts for busy moms? Do you have a favorite fitness DVD in your collection? Is there a class out there that I maybe haven't heard of that you really enjoy or that works with your hectic life? Share your thoughts in the comments!