The Time-Saving Mom by Crystal Paine

Author:Crystal Paine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Personal Growth;Time management;Life skills;REL012070;SEL035000;HOM019000
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2022-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

Fitting in Time for Exercise

One habit I know many people want to create is making time for regular exercise. But it’s often easy to think, I don’t have time to exercise with everything else going on in my life. So I have gathered some practical ideas to help you identify simple ways to make consistent movement a priority. In addition to sharing some of my favorite suggestions, I also asked moms who follow me on Instagram to offer their best tips, and I’ve included some of those too!

Make it a priority. Until you decide something is a priority, you probably aren’t going to find time for it. There are many benefits to exercise, but some of the biggest for me are more energy, more creativity, and the wonderful endorphins that result from getting your heart rate up.

Find something you enjoy. There are so many ways to get exercise. Don’t feel like you have to stick with running or Pilates if you don’t enjoy it! Try swimming or Zumba or rock-climbing or martial arts. Sign up for a recreational volleyball team or other adult team if you love competitive sports. Or just find a class or workout video that makes you excited to show up and sweat!

Pair it with something you love. I don’t love running, but I like it a lot more if I’m watching YouTube videos or listening to my favorite music. Try listening to an audiobook or podcast while taking a walk. Or if you are more of an extrovert, invite a friend to join you for a game of tennis or a walk at the park—that way you get time with a friend and you get in some exercise! In this season with little ones, I often will invite another mom friend who has littles to join me for a walk at the park. We load our kids into strollers and catch up with each other while also getting in lots of steps!

Keep it simple. Sometimes, feeling as though we have to get in an hour-long workout for it to count can keep us from doing anything. If you don’t feel you have sixty minutes to devote to exercise, that is totally okay. Do what you can. Even five or ten minutes of something is better than nothing at all. (In fact, recent studies have shown that short, intensive workouts can actually be more effective for weight loss than longer, less intense periods of exercise!)4

Do it first thing. I’ve found that if I don’t get exercise early in the day, it probably won’t happen. That’s why I hop on the treadmill before taking a shower every morning. I try to get in a brisk twenty- to thirty-minute walk and (as I mentioned before) I read a few pages from an encouraging book, pray over my day, and sometimes catch up on emails or Instagram messages while I’m walking. The time usually flies by because of this! (People ask me all the time how I read while walking on the treadmill.

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