Finding Time for Exercise as a Working Mom
After I had my second child, I needed to lose more than a few pounds to get to a healthier size. But, I could not fathom trying to find a time for exercise in my already busy schedule. From commuting 2 hours per day, working all day, taking care of household chores and of course spending every other available minute with my kids there seemed like there was no time. I thought that even if I could find time, it would be taking precious time away from my kids which is already limited because I work outside of the home. Of course the “mommy guilt” would start to appear and then I would feel overwhelmed and forget about the possibility of exercising.
Then my youngest daughter’s 1st birthday became viewable in my day planner and it kept getting closer. I started to panic because it would be 1 year from her birth and I still hadn’t lost the extra baby weight. I had even gained a couple pounds which was even more disappointing.
One day, I woke up and felt very tense, almost as if I was having a panic attack. The stress of wanting to be everywhere and doing everything was becoming too much and was catching up with me. I needed to get this under control and I remembered how I used exercise as a stress reliever when I was younger. As a bonus, later that day my four year old came to me and patted my tummy and informed me that it was getting smaller, but not quite as small as hers.
The next day, my husband and I joined the gym. I was feeling the pressures of being a mom and raising children in today’s world, that I needed an outlet. My outlet would now be the gym; I would force myself to find the time to exercise. I started going to a water aerobics class a couple days per week and after a month of so it became a habit for me.
It has been 6 months now and I have lost the baby weight that I put on. I still have more weight to lose but am enjoying the extra energy that I have from losing some weight. I know that even though I am spending time by myself, and therefore “losing” time with my kids, I need this time. It is time for me and I need to remember that it can make me a better mom by taking care of myself. I am less stressed or at least physically tired from the stress and my kids are receiving more quality time with me.
It may seem daunting but remember why try to remember why it is important to find time for exercise. Exercise is needed for overall longevity, physical health and mental health. Start walking on your lunch break as a start to making a change. Then start fitting in other activities, slowly you will start to develop a routine. I will not tell you it will be easy, a working mommy’s schedule is already packed with work responsibilities, daycare chauffeuring and all home chores once you get home. But once you develop a schedule, both you and your family will benefit from you finding time to exercise.