5 Ways to Squeeze Fitness Into Your Busy Mom Life #fit4less

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fit4Less. The opinions and text are all mine.

My body has changed a lot in the last 10 years. It’s softer and definitely rounder. I’ve got a few gray hairs, and I’ve started to notice fine lines I never had before. Of course, in those years, I’ve also built a loving and supportive marriage, birthed two children, lost two more, finished my degree, started this blog, changed jobs a few times, and created a pretty amazing life. Not a bad trade at all!

I’ll never fit into my old bikini again, but that’s okay. What’s most important to me now is being healthy. I want to be fit and healthy so I can be there for my kids every single day, and so one day (a long time from now I hope!) I’ll be there to watch my grandkids grow up too. But getting, and staying, fit is a challenge when you’re a busy mom. It’s hard to find the time for a full workout in between work commitments, chauffeuring the kids everywhere, making dinner, birthday parties almost every weekend, housework, and everything else. Sometimes we need to be creative about fitting in more physical activity. Here are five ways to squeeze fitness into your schedule.

1. Wear Your Baby

Instead of pulling out the stroller, try strapping baby into a carrier before walking to the store, visiting the mall, or running errands. Not just about bonding, babywearing will also help build up your core strength and endurance. Wearing your baby provides as much resistance (or more) as a pair of hand weights, but infinitely cuter!

2. I Like to Move It, Move It

Instead of making fitness something separate from your everyday life, find easy ways to incorporate more physical activity into your daily routine. The options are endless. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk up the escalator. Park at the far end of the lot. If you’re close enough, walk the kids to school instead of driving, even if it’s only one or two days a week. Walk the dog a block or two further.

Instead of loading yourself down like a pack mule, give your hands a break and squeeze a little more exercise in by taking two or three trips with the groceries. How about throwing on some tunes and practicing your dance moves while you vacuum or tidy up?

3. There’s an App for That

There are a multitude of apps out there that can help you fit in a quick workout with minimal equipment. C25K (Couch to 5k) will help you train for a five-kilometer run in 30 minutes a day, three days a week, over the course of eight weeks. Try any of the seven-minute high intensity workout apps available on both Android and iOS that use your own bodyweight to train with. Or if something a little slower is more your style, Pocket Yoga can teach you some new yoga poses.

4. Play More

Normally I like to take my book to the park when I bring the kids, but this summer I pledge to spend more time actively playing with them instead. We’ll play on the swings together, go down the slide, teeter-totter, climb on the monkey bars. Play hopscotch, hide and seek, or a classic game of tag. Shoot some hoops or join them in a hula hoop contest. Fun, fitness, and family come together!

5. Find a Fit4Less Gym Near You

I’ve been doing some research, and I found a Fit4Less gym not too far from my house. With 50+ pieces of cardio equipment, strength training equipment, free weights (5lb to 75lb dumbbells), and virtual cycling, it has everything you could need. Their around the clock hours, virtual classes, and 30-Minute Express Circuit mean you can get a workout in whenever it works for you.

Don’t need and don’t want to pay for extras like personal trainers, Zumba instructors, a juice bar, steam room, or showers? A Fit4Less membership starts at $4.99 every two weeks (and a $44 joining fee). Seriously. I’m pretty sure I spend more than that on Iced Capps in the summer (which might just be part of my problem).

Even the premium Black Card membership costs only $10.99 every two weeks, and you can share it with your spouse and family at any Fit4Less gym across Canada. You also get some more perks with this membership, like their massage chairs and hydro massage bed. I mean, you could totally just pop in for the massage part, right? No judgement!

If you have a Fit4Less near you, don’t hesitate to check it out! Fit4Less locations can be found in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Visit the membership page for more info about membership options.

What other ways have you found to fit physical fitness into your daily schedule?