It’s time someone was talking about fitness for the homeschool mom, in particular. I never thought I’d be able to say it but I actually love exercise these days! Fitness is challenging for anyone, but homeschool moms face their own set of challenges. Let’s talk about it.
Challenges
Finding time for fitness and pushing past excuses is hard for everyone, I’m not saying homeschool moms are the ONLY ones who have some of these challenges. But as a homeschool mom, I want to speak to others out there like me, so as to be a voice of encouragement.
These are some of the frustrating challenges homeschool moms face when it comes to fitness and exercise.
Time
We homeschool moms are busy! There’s no getting around it.
On top of all the housekeeping and homemaking duties, homeschool moms have lessons to plan and grade, questions to answer, and snacks to make.
So many snacks.
And unlike with other schooling options, the kids are always there, too (duh.) Now of course that’s why we do it, right? And we love it. But it doesn’t diminish the fact that it takes more of our time each day.
Mess
Everyone being home for so many hours each day inevitably leads to more messes to clean up. Hopefully we’re all building good habits and teaching our students too as well, but our house demands our attention, which pulls our focus from things like exercise.
It can be hard to justify taking time to exercise when it feels like there’s something to address everywhere you look.
Not to mention the mess actually makes it hard to feel motivated to workout. Ever tried doing burpees in a room scattered with toys and coloring books?
Ever stepped on a Lego while doing a back lunge?? Not fun.
Priorities
Most of the time when we as homeschool moms find ourselves neglecting something important, it’s not due to laziness or lack of care.
It’s usually because we have several priorities that feel more important and demanding of us.
Motherhood in general is demanding and our children are by necessity our first priority.
Add to that the awesome responsibility of their education and all that goes with it and we can feel pulled in so many directions we might feel like we’re being drawn and quartered!
How can we prioritize fitness when there are so many ‘glass balls’ that we cannot drop in our juggling act??
Energy
Again, this is true of motherhood in general, but certainly of homeschool moms.
We’re typically getting up before our kids, actively engaging them (and our own brains!) during several different kinds of lessons, helping regulate emotions, cooking and cleaning in the midst of it all.
At the end of the day we often have work to look over or lessons to prepare for the next morning.
It’s understandable that our energy reserves would feel depleted without the added strain of exercise!
Fitness Solutions For Homeschool Moms
But it’s not all doom and gloom! I hope you’re not feeling too downhearted, or too vindicated for that matter.
Yes, all these are valid and we can recognize the challenge without throwing a pity party or giving up.
Trust me, I’ve been there and it’s much worse than pushing through!
Making the Time
Like with most habits, it starts with the mental aspect. You might need to change your thinking before jumping into a new routine.
Maybe there was a time you were in a good fitness routine and you’re now trying to replicate that.
The reality is if you’re a mom, and a homeschool mom at that, driving to the gym, or even just having a full uninterrupted hour to workout at home, might not be realistic. You might need to start with 20-minute workouts that you can sneak in when the opportunity presents itself. Or if you have a little more control of your schedule, pick a time, like an hour after lunch for instance, and just do 20 minutes!
Don’t forget that this is all about living an active lifestyle. Maybe your ‘workout’ is 20 minutes, but you also played outside with your kids for an hour and went on a nature walk. It all adds up, and once you start paying attention to it, you’ll probably find yourself going out of your way to sneak in some extra steps or activities.
Remind yourself that getting started is the hardest part, and once you’re in the middle of it, you’ll be SO glad you did. The feeling afterward is amazing. It’s worth making the time!
Sorting Out the Mess
I have 2 posts that might help you with this:
This one is technically about decluttering for the holidays but the advice is evergreen.
And this one is about falling in love again with your home by making small, very manageable changes, as well as lots of decluttering advice and motivation.
If I could give you one word of advice on this topic from one homeschool mom to another, it’s to do this little Jump-Start method I use when I don’t even want to think about cleaning an overwhelming room:
- Set a timer. You pick the time, but honestly you can get a LOT done in 15 minutes if you concentrate.
- Grab a laundry basket, a trash bag, and a bag or box for donations.
- Start by throwing away any obvious trash.
- Next toss anything you know for sure you want to donate or give away into the box.
- Place any items that belong in another room in the laundry basket, but don’t leave the room to put them away yet!
- Once you have the floor and major surfaces clear of stuff, dust/wipe them down and sweep the floor.
- Put away any out of place items in the room.
- The room should be looking pretty good by now. All that’s left to do is put away the things in the laundry basket, but if the timer is up, you can wait to do those later if you want!
I think the key to keeping your house in decent condition as a homeschool mom is to quickly do things as they come up. Don’t feel like you have to set aside a huge chunk of time and tackle everything at once. Steady, consistent effort will pay off and generally keep things from getting out of control.
Living Out Priorities
If you’re thinking that your other priorities (children, their education, marriage, home management, spiritual life) crowd out exercise for you, then we need to find a way for you to connect fitness with these other priorities and align them.
For instance, your children are a huge priority. And don’t you want to set a good example of caring for yourself, for them?
Don’t you want to take care of your health so you can have energy to keep up with them and enjoy years and years to come being their mom?
Don’t you want to feel confident and strong for your husband? Doesn’t the Bible have something to say about being a good steward? That includes your health!
I’m certainly not trying to guilt trip anyone here. Carving out time for a workout when we have so many demands on our time is difficult for all of us including me.
But these are good reminders. We have to tell ourselves that physical exercise is on the same level as these other priorities. It is far from selfish.
It is a blessing to ourselves and our families. It’s a way you can care for the overall health of your family as well as yourself.
Increasing Energy
I can absolutely attest to that after-lunch slump that can often find me nodded-off in an armchair.
If you feel like you’re barely hangin’ on by the time bedtime rolls around, you might wonder how you could muster the energy to workout consistently.
But I can also attest to the fact that workouts can actually increase your energy. I know, you might be saying, ‘Yeah, right’ and rolling your eyes right now but I am not kidding. And please keep in mind that I am not one of those perky, perpetually optimistic kind of people.
I sleep in if I get the chance, and a good day for me is reading, baking and crocheting all day. And yet the more consistently I workout the better I feel and the more energy I have.
We’re going to talk next about finding ways to make fitness work FOR YOU, and that has a lot to do with it. If you’re currently trying to force yourself to do tons of cardio or something else that you hate, you probably won’t feel energized afterward. And all of that can actually lead to feeling worn out and defeated.
While we’re still on the current topic though, here are a few other small ways to support your energy levels:
- Eat enough! Please don’t starve yourself. It will cause many more problems in the long run but in the short term, you’ll find it almost impossible to maintain your energy.
- Eat a balanced diet. Everyone’s different and maybe you’re dealing with allergies or serious intolerances, but generally speaking I don’t believe in cutting out entire food groups (I’m looking at you, grains and dairy). At the very least, keep an eye on macronutrients; protein, fat and carbs. Look into approximately how many grams of each you need for your age, height and weight. And don’t forget those vitamins and minerals. Eat the rainbow and stick to whole foods that leave you feeling good after a meal.
- Get enough sleep and I MEAN IT! It’s so easy to stay up late to get things done or enjoy some free time, and simply put up with the consequences the next day. But you would not believe the research on the difference 8 hours of sleep makes. Sometimes that’s not possible, I get it. But be diligent about giving yourself the gift of enough sleep whenever possible.
- Move! Even if you don’t have time or something comes up to interrupt your workout plan, stay moving, especially after lunch. By moving I just mean don’t curl up in your chair or lay back on the couch. Read to your kids standing up, do a few chores that need done, walk to that errand or take homeschool lessons outside. Have a dance party in the living room if you need to, but objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and that can lead to an increase in energy, even if that seems counterintuitive at first.
- Stay hydrated. Try something like Spin Drift sparkling flavored water (real fruit juice, no ‘natural’ flavors) or an electrolyte drink mix if water is boring to you. This makes a huge difference!
Make Fitness Work For You
You don’t have to do things like anyone else. It’s *your* workout.
And the only way you’ll stick to making it a second-nature part of your routine is for it to fit seamlessly into your life in a way you can (generally) enjoy.
Find A Workout You Love
This is the most important element in my opinion, and yes there is a fitness style out there you can love.
It might take some experimenting but there are so many creative options these days. The key here is stop asking things like, “Does it work??” Usually when people ask this, they’re thinking of it in an infomercial, magic-solution way.
Or else they’re only looking for something that will give them the fastest results possible.
We have to avoid both of those pitfalls.
First of all, when I taught Pilates I had people ask me, “Does it work?” My response is always, “It works if you do.” And that’s just it. The best workout is the one you actually do.
The other pitfall goes hand-in-hand with it. Looking for the ‘best’ (a.k.a. ‘most effective’) workout in order to get super fast results. You might see those results at first from something like H.I.I.T. (high intensity interval training) or kickboxing. But if you dread it, you’re not going to stick with it.
And that’s fine. Because you don’t have to do that at all!
I first got hooked on Ballet Beautiful. I loved ballet as a little girl, and was obsessed with all things ‘ballet core’ before ballet core was even a thing. So Mary-Helen Bowers’ program was perfect for me. It was the gateway to Pilates (again, before it was the super trendy sensation it is today), and that’s how I found Pop Pilates and became a certified trainer for a time.
Today I use the LEAN app by Lilly Sabri. It combines Pilates with things like strength training, boxing, low-impact cardio, barre, and lots more.
The reason that works for me is because *MY* number-one pitfall is getting bored!
I also love running and the way I keep myself going is by switching up the types of runs I do, and keeping my playlist interesting. I have to distract myself and keep it fun.
Finding Your Perfect Workout
Now I’m going to list a bunch of ideas based on what might be holding you back and help you find a fitness routine that works for you.
If you get bored easily…
- The LEAN app by Lilly Sabri. A new workout every day with dozens of styles of workouts. I use this and love it. This is a paid subscription but I find it very reasonable, especially since you won’t need a gym membership.
- Lean with Lilly, Blogilates, or Move With Nicole on YouTube. These are all free YouTube channels with hundreds, if not thousands, of workouts between them. If Pilates isn’t your thing, there are countless other free YouTube instructors. Keep looking until you find someone you click with.
- Try some classes at your local YMCA. The one near me has drop-in classes for only $5! If you don’t have a Y, check your local community pages on Facebook and ask around about any freelance fitness classes, or classes taught at fitness centers and even on college campuses. Classes are a good way to try a new style and see if it fits.
- Baby-Step-Bingo it. I talked about this in this post, but Baby Step Bingo is an idea from Mystie Winckler that you can learn more about here. Essentially, you could write out 9, 16, or 25 workouts (or videos, or Pinterest workouts, or fitness classes, or any combination thereof) in a grid on a paper or card. Each time you do one, you cover it with a chip or stamp it, and simply work your way through the card until you get a ‘blackout’!
If you need accountability…
- Again, classes are great for this if it’s feasible. I teach a class once a week and two things I’ve heard students say several times is that they never use the free workouts on the gym app, and that getting out the door is the only hard part. Once they’re at class, it’s easy. Having that set time and knowing people are expecting you helps with consistency, and being in the class environment helps you push yourself once you’re there. It’s easy to cheat your way through a workout at home for some personality types, so of you’re looking for accountability, what could be better than a room full of people?
- Use the buddy system. Now I’m not suggesting you try to align your busy schedule with another busy mom’s schedule necessarily (although, if your kids are friends that could work really well!) What I am suggesting is finding someone you can at least talk to about your fitness goals, and hold each other accountable in that way. Maybe meet up for workouts as you’re able, but an even easier way is to simply text each other things like, ‘Just crushed my workout and I feel great. Have you done yours today?’
- Online communities. Most YouTubers and fitness apps have Facebook groups associated with their brand where followers can not hear from the creator themselves, but also the other fans out there like yourself. I used to find it fun and encouraging to scroll through the LEAN Facebook group, especially when the creator wasn’t quite as well-known as she is today, because she would check in regularly and ask for opinions and answer back. Not to mention hearing from the other girls on the page, encouraging each other and answering each other’s questions. If you’re looking for accountability, you can be sure others are as well. Set something up with one, two or a few other women and chat online.
- Start a workout club. Your church is the perfect place to get a few ladies together for an informal fitness class or walking group. In my community, women would walk throughout the school building in winter and outside when the weather was nicer. I know others that ‘walk the mall’! And when I was a teenager, we had quite the group of women and young ladies who would get together and follow workout tapes (yes, literally VHS tapes lol) so that no one had to be the ‘leader’ but we could still enjoy a group environment. It might seem scary but I promise if you take the leap, others will join you and you’ll find it encouraging and fun.
If you still feel like it’s a “waste of time”…
- Combine it with something you have to do anyway. When I just had 2 very little ones, I would blast some music and dance in the living room with them. A toddler makes a perfect 20-30 pound weight! Some other ways to do this would be to walk or bike anytime you get the chance (like nearby errands), add more nature walks into your homeschool schedule, add fitness into your kids’ syllabus and join in, or take your dog for longer walks. Yard work is another way to sneak in some functional fitness.
- Do something productive while you workout. This is similar to the previous example but might be a little easier to do consistently. You could listen to an educational podcast that would enrich your life while you do squats and lunges. You could try something like the Revelation Wellness that combines fitness with prayer and scripture, if you’re going to do a quiet time anyway. Or try throwing one of your (small!) kids on your back in a carrier and do some rucking while you get in your 1,000 Hours Outside.
- Do it anyway. Yep. You heard me. It’s not a waste of time and I’m sure you know that deep down. It can feel like everything else is crowding that time out but you simply can’t let it. If combining it with tasks, or doing something productive while you workout isn’t enough to get you to do it, then you’ve just gotta keep telling yourself that this is one of the BEST uses of your time. Tell that mean girl in your head to shut up and do a workout that you enjoy (see above).
If you hate all exercise…
- Go waaayyy easier. I had to apply this when I started running and it’s actually really hard (ironically). If you dread exercise it’s probably because it feels awful while you’re doing it. And maybe you’ve tried ‘easy’ workouts and felt like they ‘didn’t work’. But remember, it’s a progression. Do the easy workout, or take that modification the instructor gives you, until it’s part of your routine. Then you progressively start challenging yourself. And trust me, that’s when it gets addictive.
- Keep trying new fitness styles. Did you know there are line dancing workouts? Cheer based workouts, as in cheer team from high school? Maybe you need to try some new gadget or accessory like a skipping rope, Pilates hoop, ankle weights or even a fitness hula hoop (yes, fitness hooping is a thing). Do a search for the most fun fitness routines and I promise you’ll find something that fits the bill.
- Get super into it. If you’re the all-or-nothing type, you might just need to find a fitness routine that you can make a part of your personality. Part of the reason I like running is because of all the ways one can nerd-out with it. Tracking stats, setting goals, acquiring gear, and just talking about it with other enthusiasts makes it so fun. Things like hiking, Peloton, Orange Theory, barre, Pilates, swimming, biking, yoga, Cross Fit, TRX, and even skipping rope have huge, enthusiastic communities around them where you can go all in. If you’re the kind of person (guilty) that feels the urge to buy a t-shirt associated with every new hobby and interest you take up, this might be the tactic for you.
What’s your current fitness routine? What’s working for you and what isn’t? I’d love to hear if you’ve ever tried an out-there fitness class or routine!
Let’s talk in the comments and encourage each other.
As always, I hope this post was helpful to you. Talk again soon,
-Tara
Leave a Reply