I have had the pleasure of personally working with hundreds of busy moms over the course of my fitness career, not to mention that I am one myself, so I can relate to the 'busy mom' challenges.
WORKOUT? I don’t even have time to use the bathroom!
Mother’s are without a doubt the most selfless clients I have ever worked with, almost to a fault. Honestly, I wish they would just be a little more selfish sometimes and give their personal physical and mental health a bit more of a priority.
Many good mothers miss the boat when it comes to their fitness. In general, they tend to think that it’s okay to put all of their personal ambitions aside for the good of their friends and family. But in reality, moms are not as effective as they could be when deviating from a healthy lifestyle.
After all, a mom who doesn’t workout and doesn’t eat the right foods at the right times will not be functioning at 100%, even if she thinks that she is.
Multi-Task Much?
In retrospect, I have identified the 5 anchors that tend to hold most moms back from getting the better body they so desperately are seeking. Here they are, in no particular order:
Obstacle#1- Too Many Missed Meals- Especially Breakfast!Many moms are simply on a roller coaster ride from dawn until dusk, dealing with the stresses of parenting and/or challenging careers. Mornings can be especially difficult since there is often the need to feverishly multi-task to get the kids and the husband fed and off to school and work. Not to mention the fact that many busy moms today have to deal with their own demanding, high-stress jobs.
Set that alarm 5 minutes earlier and make it a point NEVER to miss breakfast!So missing breakfast becomes a reality, often leading to a host of other missed meals and snacks throughout the day. This leads to cataclysmal series of events that deprive your physique of lean, toned body mass while simultaneously priming your body to overeat junk food later in the day and store ugly, unwanted fat. Furthermore, this starvation protocol creates low levels of blood sugar which zaps your energy and leaves your feeling foggy, irritated, and lethargic all day long.
Look- there’s always room for break fast, you just need to make the time! Better yet, plan and prepare a breakfast high in lean protein and fiber in advance the night before to best ensure you stay the course.
One solution that’s worked really well for our clients is called PROGRADE LEAN. It’s a tasty meal replacement shake that contains a whopping 35 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. What’s the best part about it? It leaves NO room for excuses! All you need to do is put 2 scoops in water, mix, and enjoy.
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www.synergize.getprograde.com
Obstacle#2- Failing To Make The Daily Workout Appointment This one is simple, yet oh so powerful. Think about it- moms never miss an appointment for their kids. Why? Well yes, it’s because they love them, but more importantly, it’s because they love their kids enough to religiously schedule their appointments!
Schedule your workouts and stick to them like they are a family obligation!
If you are a busy Mom who is serious about your fitness, then you absolutely need to take the same approach with your workouts.
In addition, you need to be sure that you schedule in your daily workouts when you are most likely to do them rather than when you prefer to do them. For example, I prefer to workout in the afternoon, but with my very busy work schedule it’s best for me to get my workout done first thing in the morning. This way the stresses of work never get in the way of my fitness.
In my experience, most Moms work best when doing their workouts either first thing in the morning while the kids are still sleeping, or right after they drop their kids off from school. It seems that too many unexpected obstacles come in the way of an afternoon or evening workout for the typical mother. But, regardless of when the best time may be, just schedule it in and stick to it like it’s a family commitment!
Obstacle#3- Too Much Mindless Noshing In The Kitchen During The DayI can’t tell you how many times I have had a Mom who as “been following the nutrition plan” with limited success to later find out there were some extra eats and treats in the mix. It wasn’t that they were being dishonest about it- rather most people don’t really comprehend how much they actually put in their mouth every day.
Think about it- how many times do you see most people just mindlessly eat something during the day. All of us do it and trust me, it can add up and fast!
Many moms spend LOTS of time in the kitchen around tasty food all day- and they eat a lot more of it than they realize!
I know, I know- you have to sample the goods to know if it’s good. But, you need to understand that the occasional taste test can sabotage your fat loss goals.
Furthermore, moms get into trouble with the frequent snacking practices of their children and it’s tough to pass on food when it’s always in your face. A couple goldfish here, a couple goldfish there, and before you know it you just killed the whole dam bag!
My advice is to guard your mouth with lock and key. Ask yourself every time you bring something close to your lips the following question: “Will this help me burn fat and build muscle?”
If NO- put it down and go read a book ;)
Obstacle#4- Too Much Cardio While Pushing a StrollerInterval training burns nine times more body fat than long, slow, boring cardio. Aerobic training burns calories but it simply doesn’t increase your metabolism like interval training does. And the true power of interval training comes from the intensity of each work period.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to see moms moving, even if only a little bit. It’s great to get outside and move with your kids! However, we need to be honest about the fact that it’s not really feasible to train with intensity while pushing a stroller. Fast arm movement is the key to getting your wheels moving during sprints, so if you are pushing a stroller you’re losing out on some much needed speed to maximize your results.
Honestly, how much intensity can your cardio workouts have when you are pushing a stroller?
Furthermore, I don’t think it’s safe to perform sprints while pushing a stroller. I know that I certainly wouldn’t trust my clumsy-self doing intervals with a baby’s safety literally in my hands. So, get out and push a stroller, maybe even jog a little, but don’t think that you are getting anywhere close to the same kind of benefit that you can get hands-free and in open space with high-intensity intervals.
Obstacle#5- Too Many Glasses Of Wine In The EveningNobody wants to hear that a glass or two of wine at night is going to stop your fitness goals in its tracks. But the reality of the matter is that alcohol has the double-edged sword of both paralyzing the fat-burning process while simultaneously creating fat within the body. Plus alcohol tends to lower inhibitions leading to the consumption of other junk food. Not good!
A couple glasses of wine per day is a your one-way ticket to cellulite city… sorry!
So I say “zip it” to all of those folks who say: “consuming several glasses of wine a day is healthy because it has anti-oxidants and that keeps you from getting sick.” This is just a bunch of babble from lushes who are trying to convince themselves that it’s okay to drink regularly and be healthy- but it’s not!
Fruit and veggies have more anti-oxidants and tons of other health benefits, so we just need to cut the BS that wine is an integral part of a healthy diet.
Now, I want to be sensitive to those busy, hard-working moms who have a glass of wine at the end of the day to unwind and take some of the load off of their shoulders because I get that, and I do that from time to time. But I also know there are other healthier ways to de-stress that don’t have such a negative effect on your body composition. Such activities are stretching, foam rolling, taking a bath, reading a book, etc.
So please remember- if you booze, you WON’T lose!
Train Hard,
Coach
