Workout for Moms

Please meet my personal trainer friend, Kathrine Bright. She is the owner of KatFit and a mom of two boys. Since having my daughter, I’ve struggled with finding time and keeping motivated to do a workout routine at home. I love my yoga rituals, but I find that I also need a more intense cardio and strength routine. So I asked Kat to share a sample workout for moms.

Being a stay-at-home-mom is a rewarding beautiful mess, but what about you and your needs?

So many things from pre-momma life have taken the backseat, from an impromptu lunch date with friends and nights out with the girls to going to a yoga class or even a chance to hit the gym! Lunch dates transform into play dates, nights out with the girls turn into a mythical unicorn, and the gym? Eh, well yeah, the gym. I am going to go there.

I hear the excuses: “I don’t have the time.” “I can’t afford a gym membership plus babysitting.” “I am too tired.” “What’s the point?” Believe me, I get it. I am on the front lines with you twenty-four, seven, battling runny noses (how can an itty-bitty nose produce that much snot?), prepping meals, wiping bums, keeping the peace between siblings, maintaining checkups, and running the errands.

Yoga has so many benefits and complements running, weight lifting, and Pilates-style workouts. Yoga permits the body to center itself, relieve stress, strengthen and correct postural alignment, and improves sleep.

So, how do you find time to get fit and stay fit? Have I cracked the code? Absolutely not, but here is what I can share with you.

You do not need a fancy gym, expensive workout equipment (body weight or a couple of inexpensive items will do the trick), or hours to work out. The main thing you need is appreciation for yourself and self-love. First, appreciation: this beautiful mess you are in won’t last forever, although it feels like it will.

Quicker than we think, the kids will be grown and have lives of their own. Appreciate the messiness of the daily mystery. Appreciate the process of getting fit. It’s not just lifting a weight or going for a run.

This brings me to my next point—love.

Love yourself and love your body for what it has done. I have the scars and stretch marks. Sure, I am not impressed with them, but I love them for what they represent: my two incredible boys, Aiden and Desmond.

When I workout, I don’t focus on what my body is not. I think about how this is making me stronger.

One workout won’t bring back my pre-baby body, but my post-baby body now has an incalculable amount of inner strength that was not there before. Finding the time to work out and staying the course is that much harder now, but completing that workout now is 100% more rewarding than before.

Kathrine (KatFit) with her two boys.

How to Plan your 30 Minute Workout

So how do you get in shape at home amidst the kid chaos? Planning and support.

Plan your day around your workout. All you need is 30 minutes.

Depending on the ages of your children, this 30 minutes can happen during a nap, during (dare I say) a kids TV show, after the kids go to bed, or early in the morning (yes, I went there). Even better—get the kids in on the workout!

You have scheduled your workout time and are ready to workout. Now what?

Thirty minutes is plenty of time, but we need to keep you movin’ and groovin’ during the workout. I could bore you with the science, but basically, keeping your heart rate up burns the annoying fat calories and gives you a great metabolic response so you continue to burn calories while you have transitioned back into being mom. Multitasking—we LOVE it!

Set the timer on your phone or download the free app “Seconds.” You can pre-program the timer so you can just focus on the exercises.

Sample Workout for Moms

Note: If you have just been cleared and are 6-10 weeks post-partum, high-intensity exercises are not recommended. Avoid the bolded exercises. Please reach out to me for additional recommendations: teamkatfit (at) gmail (dot) com. I am here to help.

Warm Up 3 mins:

2 mins- Jumping Jacks

20 secs- Extended Cat Pose:
Come to all fours, extend one leg out behind you, and look forward. Repeat the steps on the other side.

20 secs- Cat/Cow Pose Flow:
Come to an all-fours position. On an inhale, lift your head, open your chest, dip your back, and look up. On an exhale, drop your head, round your back, and tuck your chin into your chest. Repeat this Cat/Cow Pose flow for a few rounds, then come to a neutral spine.

20 secs- Downward-Facing Dog Pose:
From an all-fours position, take your hands a few inches forward and place your palms flat on your mat. Then lift your buttocks high into the air to create an upside-down V shape. Ensure that your spine is straight, relax your head and neck, and look down between your legs.

Workout 24 mins: Complete 3 rounds of 30/10 (30 seconds exercise/ 10 seconds recover)

Click on the YouTube links below to see videos:

Squat Jumps

Push Ups:
Complete as many as you can regular style, then go to modified.

Marching Run

Plank Taps:
Start in High Plank, feet hip width apart, tap your opposite shoulder with your hand.

Lunges (R)

Heel Reach Crunch

Lunges (L)

Mountain Climbers

Step Ups
(find a step in your house)

Dips
(on that same step)

Cross-Body Mountain Climbers

Surfer Jumps

Cool Down: hold each one for 30 secs

Chair Pose:
Stand tall in Mountain Pose with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees, and bring your arms out in front of you. Pretend to sit back in a chair.

Warrior 2 Pose:
From standing position, step one foot back, placing the foot so that it is facing slightly outwards. Take your arms up parallel to the ground, bend your front knee, and look forward. Repeat the steps on the other side.

Downward-Facing Dog Pose:
From a standing position, bend down and place your palms flat on the ground. Step your feet back to create an upside-down V shape with your buttocks high in the air. Ensure that your spine is straight, relax your head and neck, and look down between your legs. Peddle out each leg by alternating each knee bend on an inhale.

Cat/Cow Pose Flow:
Come to an all-fours position. On an inhale, lift your head, open your chest, dip your back, and look up. On an exhale, drop your head, round your back, and tuck your chin into your chest. Repeat this Cat/Cow Pose flow for a few rounds, then come to a neutral spine.

Child’s Pose:
Shift back to sit on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest in front of your knees, rest your arms down alongside your body, and take a few deep breaths.

PIN IT FOR LATER:

About the Author

For more information about KatFit, visit www.kat.fit. Kathrine Bright is a former NCAA All American Athlete, mother of two young boys, wife, and entrepreneur. She specializes in working with young athletes to realize they can push beyond their preconceived physical limitations by challenging them in the gym and on the playing field. Along with working with athletes, she is passionate about working with women who are looking to transform their body and life to gain more energy and vitality to be a better woman, mother, and wife. She embraces a healthy, fit lifestyle with her family. Her family is her everything. They are her motivation and inspiration to be a better trainer, coach, friend, mother, and wife. Find Kathrine on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest.

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