Stick To Your Health & Fitness Routine When You’re On The Go (Plus Community Q&A)
Have you been following along with Baby2Body On The Go? All month we’ll be sharing our top tips and resources to help you find the time to prioritize your fitness, mental wellbeing, and nutritional health without even thinking about it, and stay on track of achieving your goals – even when you feel like you’re always on the go and feel like you don’t have the time for… well, anything.
Over on our Instagram this week, we asked our community if they stick to a health & fitness routine when they’re on the move – and 18% said they do! That’s worth celebrating. But what about if you can’t seem to keep that routine going when your schedule changes or you head out on vacation?
Whether it’s your fitness, nutrition, or self-care routines that slip when you’re busy (let’s face it, we’ve all gone to bed with our make up on when we’ve had a long day), breaking your routine can lead you to feel like you’ve failed or not achieved what you set out to. But we need to break that negative self-talk, mama.
Let’s start by saying that if you’re in the 82% of our community who struggle to stick to a health & fitness routine, we can pretty much guarantee it’s not because you’re lazy or have the wrong attitude. There are lots of things that can get in the way of a routine, like having other people you need to care for calling for your attention, unpredictable schedules, or times when you’re on the move and your everyday life is different (school holiday to name one!). When that happens, don’t be hard on yourself. Sticking to a routine is great when you can, but remember if you’re walking, swimming, spending time with your family, getting out in nature, trying new foods, or immersing yourself in new cultures — they’re all valuable things to do with your time & can help you feel happier & healthier. So do what you can, enjoy the present, and get back into your routine when you’re ready.
Today, we’re tackling the biggest challenges faced when it comes to keeping up that routine when you’re always on the go. Here are our community’s top questions. Asked and answered.
1. How do I find the motivation to workout when my time is so limited?
Vacations, school holidays, busy work schedules, family commitments, and life in general, can lead to feeling like you just don’t have the time for yourself and this is one we heard a lot: it can be difficult to feel like working out is top of your priority list — especially when the “mom guilt” creeps in.
Here are a couple of things to remember when you need motivation to take the time to workout:
Exercise is good for your mental health. Exercise is a natural mood-booster, can relieve stress and anxiety, and encourage better sleep.
Exercise can give you energy. If you find the time to exercise, you’ll actually have more energy to dedicate to those busy days afterward thanks to all the endorphins your body has released!
You can just do 10 minutes. Some research has found that a 10 minute workout, with just 1 minute at high intensity, can actually have the same benefits as a 45 minute jog! So if you’re having a busy week or you’re away from home, just 10 minutes can go a long way.
2. How do I carve out the time to workout if I’m always on the go?
Start small and build up to a regular routine that works for you and your schedule! Not every day, week, or month looks the same — so there is no one-size fits all routine.
It’s recommended that we do around 150 minutes or moderate intensity per week — that’s could be five 30 minute workouts or 3 30 minute workouts & 3 20 minute workouts — it’s really up to you how you divide up the workout time and where you put it into your day. To start, we recommend building up into a full routine slowly — and during pregnancy, don’t push yourself beyond your usual limits.
3. Where can I find a short but effective workout?
Whether you’re used to your longer workouts or you’re just starting out, finding a new short workout you can do anywhere can take some time. Over in the Baby2Body app, we’ve got lots of 10, 15, and 20 minute workouts for you to choose from! Plus try this free 10 minute workout & look out for Monday’s blog post, where we’ll be sharing a 10 minute routine that you can do anywhere — and your kids can join in too!
4. How do I stick to healthy food options when I’m super busy?
Finding time to cook healthy meals can be a daunting task – especially when you're exhausted, pregnant, and have little ones running around. We talked about this last week — a good place to start eating healthy food more consistently is by batch cooking. Batch cooking allows you to prep healthier meals ahead of time, making it that much easier to eat well over time, even when you’re tired and busy. Start small by doubling up portions when you cook dinner and freezing half for a busy night in the future.
Our resident nutritionist Emma Hanton has all of the tips and advice you need in How to Eat Healthier As A Busy Mama, According to a Nutritionist & you can find her guidance, meal plans, and recipes in the Baby2Body app – all perfect for batch cooking!
5. How can I take care of my emotional needs if I don’t have a moment to myself?
We always talk about treating your mind like a muscle. The more you use it and nurture it, the stronger it gets. But the same goes for rest and recovery. If you tried exercising for hours on end, your muscles would fatigue and start to fail you, and the same goes for your brain. If you’re struggling to find even a moment for yourself, then try these two things:
Commit to a 1 minute daily breathing exercise. Our brains only make up about 2% of the body, but they use around 20% of the oxygen in our blood supply every day. Breathing is one of the simplest and quickest ways to get you in a better headspace. Even 1 minute for a guided breathing exercise can help (and they're free on our app)! You can do this when you wake up or right before bed.
Give yourself permission to daydream. You know those times during the workday when you find yourself drifting off into a reverie, and then suddenly snap back to reality? Maybe after you feel guilty for losing time on whatever you were working on. But research suggests those "unfocusing" moments can actually help reduce strain and fatigue, making you more productive in the long run. So why not use them strategically? When you’re washing up, or the kids are occupied, or you’re in the shower, allow your mind to drift off, disconnect and dream away.
Have a question you don’t see here? Leave it in the comments and we’ll get back to you!