How To Find Motivation To Workout After Having Kids
Finding the motivation to work out can be challenging when motherhood has you in an exhaustive time crunch. We get it. You have a thousand things to do, you probably haven't slept great for years, and you may even feel guilty taking time for yourself.
So, how do you suddenly find the self-motivation to work out AND stick to a fitness routine? Here's the secret: Motivation is NOT the key to sticking to an exercise plan! The key is changing your mindset, prioritizing yourself and your health, and creating a habit! Here's how to make realistic life changes that help get you back to consistent exercise.
Reframe your mindset
Redefine what a successful workout means to you. Before kids, I loved working out for an hour-plus, dripping sweat in the gym, and doing excessive cardio. Now, I often start a workout and get interrupted. I also work out mostly at home because I don't have time to commute and work out. Your idea of a perfect workout has to change because your life has changed.
Even if you don't finish a workout, it's still a success. Some exercise is always better than nothing. Just 20-30 minutes of moving your body will improve your day and well-being!
Manage your time
We live in a day and age where we're constantly distracted! Distraction can be a HUGE time suck, causing you to waste precious minutes on things you don't really care about. To better manage your time, you must be clear about what is important to you.
There is time to work out. You just need to step back and recognize where you spend time on distractions. Some ways we've been able to regain those lost workout minutes include:
Limit scrolling: Check your phone's screen time log. You'll probably be shocked at how much time you're wasting. A 2023 survey found adults spent nearly 54 minutes on social apps every day. Setting up screen time limits is a great tool to keep you accountable.
Walk past mess: Motherhood is inherently messy. You may feel like you need to clean your space before you can work out. But, the problem is you often don't get to the workout. I've had to learn to walk past the mess and focus on my workout first. Then, I will unload the dishwasher, fold the laundry, etc.
Minimize your stuff: This is so hard during the little kid years, but I have learned to live with less. My kids do not have as many clothes that I have to spend time washing and folding. I've gotten rid of my clothes that don't fit after having kids. I have purged a TON of stuff that was taking up my time. Sure, it's a time suck on the front end to declutter, but it saves you so much time on the back end.
Less TV before bed: After the kids go to bed, it's easy to melt into the couch and watch TV because you're so exhausted. But you're probably not going to bed as early as you should. Plus, blue light from the TV right may mess with your sleep quality (making you feel even more tired!). Limiting my TV before bed makes me feel rested enough to wake up and crush a morning workout.
Make exercise a non-negotiable in your schedule
Think of exercise as a task you must complete or an appointment you can't miss. That said, you may have to be flexible when getting your workouts in. Some things to keep in mind when scheduling exercise:
Work with your season of motherhood: Sleep is so precious and important during the newborn season. So, even if you were an a.m. worker-outer before the baby, your new motherhood role may force you to exercise during the day.
Use naps and weekends to your advantage: I was a naptime hustler and weekend warrior when my kids were little. As soon as they went down for a nap, I hit the weights! On the weekends, I made sure I had help so I could get my workout in.
Return to early morning workouts: As my babies started to sleep through the night, I went back to working out in the morning. I personally don't love being interrupted. I love having that time to myself. So, I try getting up earlier than the kids to work out.
Work out when kids are around: This gets easier as they get older and more independent. Start a workout with the baby in the bounce seat and see how far you make it.
Ask for help
When I was a first-time mom, I would hear the baby cry and swoop in to fix it mid-workout. Now, I have learned to be clear with my husband about needing help, saying, "Babe, I would really love to get 30 minutes of a workout in. Can you be on baby duty while I do that?"
Unplugging from mom mode is also helpful after your partner takes the kids. Maybe you put headphones in so you aren't distracted by kids yelling and running around the house. Even better, maybe you take your workout outside.
Change your focus on why you are working out
Since I don't have time for those long workouts I used to love, I had to shift my fitness focus to the importance of strength. Building and maintaining muscle is the key to transforming your metabolism, reversing chronic disease, and fending off the ravages of early aging. Focusing on strength and the long-term benefits pushes me to keep exercising.
It's also important to prioritize health and wellness over numbers on a scale. When I stopped focusing on what I looked like and started focusing on wellness, I found an EXTREME amount of peace. Some research has even shown that appearance-based motivation for exercise is linked to more negative outcomes.
Wellness is not about fitting into society's ideal of what a healthy person looks like. Wellness is having the energy to play with your kids and having compassion and patience with your partner. Taking care of yourself helps you take care of those little ones and the people you love. That's way more motivating and empowering than focusing on your looks.
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SOURCES
Dixon SJ. (2023). Average Time Spent Per Day on Select Social Media Platforms in the United States in 2023 (in minutes). https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301075/us-daily-time-spent-social-media-platforms/
Silvani MI, et al. (2022). The Influence of Blue Light on Sleep, Performance and Wellbeing in Young Adults: A Systematic Review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9424753/
Lyon G. (2023) Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well. https://books.google.com/books/about/Forever_Strong.html?id=rBLYEAAAQBAJ
Aristizabal JC, et al. (2015). Effect of Resistance Training on Resting Metabolic Rate and its Estimation by a Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Metabolic Map. https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2014216
Mcleod JC, et al. (2019). Resistance Exercise Training as a Primary Countermeasure to Age-Related Chronic Disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6563593/
Vartanian LR, et al. (2012). Appearance vs. Health Motives for Exercise and for Weight Loss. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1469029211001750
