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Today I wanted to share some workout motivation tips for mums. The bottom line is, finding the time and motivation to work out when you’re a busy mum is easier said than done for sure. When you barely have the opportunity to shower in peace, it certainly feels like you’re up against it when trying to stay fit and healthy.

The good news is that there is usually a way you can squeeze in some exercise in between having to look after the kids, running a household, and juggling your work. But how on earth do we do that anyway? Today I’ve teamed up with Femme Luxe to share my top fitness and workout motivation tips for mums. Try some of these tricks to help you carve out some time to break a sweat.

9 workout motivation tips for mums

Nail it first thing

The later on in the day you leave it, the longer the list of reasons and excuses you’ll have not to do your exercise. Try setting your alarm just that little bit earlier than when everyone gets up. That will look different for everyone depending on when your kids get up.

So for example, if everyone tends to be up at 6am, try setting your alarm that little bit earlier at 5.45am so you can squeeze in 15 minutes of exercise. Make sure you have your workout clothes ready the night before so you are ready to get going. Setting your alarm at 5.45am may sound scary but if it’s only 15 minutes before when you normally get up, then just focus on the fact it’s only 15 minutes earlier – not the 5.45am party!

Build it into the day

If you’re finding it hard to carve out time to exercise during the day, build it into something you’re already doing. For example, if you’re taking the kids to the park, make that time your bootcamp – monkey bars are great for doing pull-ups, look out for places you can do some step-ups or a bench you can do some sit-ups on.

Maybe there is a workout area you can use while the kids are playing. Or if you’re taking your dog for a walk, stop at every bench on the way and do some press-ups and dips. The key here is not to care what other people think! Remember you are doing this for you, and that is a very honourable deed in this mum life.

Use the moments in-between

OK, so there are not many moments in-between in our daily lives, but all those 5 minutes add up! Waiting to take the dinner out of the above? That could be a 5-minute resistance band workout. Kids blobbing in front of the TV? That could be a 10 minute HIIT workout or round of shadow boxing.

Rather than looking for chunks of time when you are able to exercise, look for micro-moments. You will be amazed at how much difference 5 minutes every day makes. Here is a great 5-minute workout routine you can do anytime, anywhere.

Get the kids involved

I often find that if you just go ahead and exercise, the kids will want to join right in. The trick here is not to ask them if they want to do it with you! Often I’ll put on a Zumba workout and I look like I’m having so much fun that my daughter will want to take part too. That way you get your exercise in and they stay occupied!

Get other mums involved

This year, a few mum friends and I started a Saturday morning fit club. We decided we had so much stress to get out of our system that a good old boxing session would be perfect for it. So we met every Saturday morning in the park or at our place, and brought the kids along.

The kids either played together in the playground or busied themselves with LEGO or whatever was in the toybox at home on a rainy day. It ticked off both exercise and childcare which was the perfect solution. The group mentality held us accountable and made us show up even if we were feeling unmotivated and rotten. The perfect support crew!

Make time don’t take time

The difference between people who exercise regularly and those who do not is that they don’t take time but make time. Could you swap 10 minutes or social media scrolling or email checking to exercise and invest in your health and fitness instead?

Top workout motivation tip: you can conduct an audit of how you are using your time in the day and look at anything that is essentially a time waste or time drain and instead use that slot to workout.

Build a habit

It can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behaviour to become automatic. If you are starting a new exercise routine or regime, the secret is to stick to it for at least a month. That way you have the best chance of developing a more solid and longer-lasting workout motivation.

Listen to your body

As women, we operate according to our menstrual cycles and our energy levels are very much dictated by that. Get to know your cycle and how it affects your energy levels and your ability to exercise. For example, I find that I can generally push myself until week three, after which there is a natural drop off in energy levels and ability. So while I may be all about the HIIT and cardio up until that point, thereafter I may switch to more gentle yoga-based, theraband workouts or steady state cardio at home thereafter.

Have fun and mix things up

There is no point in doing a type of exercise that you hate. That is the opposite of workout motivation! Instead experiment with different things and see what you like. There is a whole crazy world of different workouts just a click away on YouTube.

My current exercise portfolio includes: HIIT, belly dancing, salsa fitness, zumba, boxing, running, weights, barre, theraband workouts, cycling and yoga. By having a wide variety of exercises to choose from, there will usually be something that you feel like doing or that suits your energy levels that day.

Some workouts I love doing at home which you might like to try include:

Leilah Isaac’s belly dance workouts – she has some great ones for beginners

Fight Camp’s boxing workouts with Coach PJ

Heather Robertson’s HIIT workouts

All of Boho Beautiful’s yoga sessions

Zumba Sulu’s zumba workouts

HASfit’s weight workouts

POPSUGAR Fitness barre workouts

Dance workouts by Kyra Pro (especially the Mamma Mia ones!)

So come on mamas, we owe it to ourselves, our health and our sanity to muster up some workout motivation, and look after our minds, bodies and souls! Together we can find a way, not an excuse…..