Author: Carol King

One of the most frequently asked questions I get in my inbox relates to how I stay in shape. I have always been an athlete and working out has always been a huge part of my life…. that is until motherhood. With four kids under nine, I have accepted the fact that now is not the time (for me) to be running marathons. Scratch that. If I mimic the steps of my 2 year old for 3 hours, it’s likely close. But in all seriousness, I struggle with finding the time to work out and getting into a routine. If I get 2-3 workouts in per week I call it a good week!

But, you’re still skinny? How do you take off the baby weight? Diet plays a huge role in how I keep my body trim. I always say that I eat whatever I want, I just don’t eat a lot of it. Bacon egg and cheese from the Starbucks drive thru? I wouldn’t think twice, but I eat slowly and split it with my son and then continue to graze all day. My staple snacks are Lara Bars and cheese sticks, and most of our dinners are lean protein with some sort of vegetable. But every Friday we eat pizza, and another night is pasta. I truly believe that everything in moderation is the best way to live so you never feel deprived. And yes I am drinking a glass of wine at 10pm at night as I write this. Maybe if I went to bed earlier I could get up earlier and have time to workout more often but I digress….

When my baby turned two a few months ago I decided that my husband and I needed to celebrate surviving the infant years (4x) with a trainer. We have never belonged to a gym so I chalked that up to money saved to be invested in a little kickstart. We were both having trouble getting back into a groove with consistent exercise, but if someone knocks on your door at 6:45am, you had better be up and ready! This has truly been the “kick in the butt” we both needed to jumpstart a more active lifestyle. They say it takes three weeks to create a habit and it’s so true – working out can be so addicting!

I wanted to share a few things that our trainer, Adam, has taught me that anyone can do at home with literally zero equipment. Obviously when he comes there are bands and weights involved (if you follow on Instagram I post snippets of our workouts in my stories), but here I am sharing a workout I can do completely on my own.

Below are a series of exercises that you can do anywhere in your home or in an outdoor space. I go through the entire circuit, take a 2 minute walking water break, then repeat 2 more times.

Get Loose

Start by running in place for 60 seconds….

Butt Booster

Walking lunges (up and down the beach) – 60 seconds

Full Body Burpee

The easiest way to test your fitness level… just do a few of these. 60 seconds of these is torture, but #yougotthis….

Lines in the Sand

Unleash your inner child with a little hopscotch session. Actually it’s more like a football drill. Do mini baby steps inside each square, then exit to the outside of the grid, and repeat on the other side by passing through another square. Confused? Just MOVE! And yes, for 60 seconds!

The Perfect Push Up

Work on the upper body with some simple push ups – do as many as you can in 60 seconds.

Flip it and Reverse it

Get rid of your flunken with this move – 60 seconds

Core Strength

Feel the burn with a few minutes in plank position – jk “only” 60 seconds!

Celebrate

Workout over… time to hydrate. Well, for 2 minutes until you repeat this entire circuit 2 more times!

I am going to give you three pieces of motivation to actually go for that morning run: Christmas cookies, Christmas cookies, Christmas cookies. And besides the cookies, I don’t think many people can disagree that the gift of a little alone time in the form of a 30 minute run is pretty….. priceless. Finding that time and bearing the unpredictable weather (ok, really just the cold) makes it challenging this time of year, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…. I’ve never once gone on a run and regretted it afterwards. For me, its mind clearing, mood boosting, and sets the tone for a more productive day. It also justifies an extra sip of wine/bite of cookie, but I digress. The hardest part about making those runs happen this time of year is simple: warm cozy bed, freezing cold outdoors. I repeat, warm cozy bed, freezing cold outdoors. The struggle is real which is why I fully support investing in cute cold weather workout gear that motivates you to want to work out AND keeps you warm. Nike has the best “no excuses” gear for all of your cold weather workouts. I especially love their Pro HyperWarm line – it has the coziest inner layer (without adding bulk!) to cut the wind, but it’s breathable and moisture wicking for when your body temp starts to heat up. It also happens to make the perfect gift for that person who SO wants to go on that morning run or play in that paddle match or even just take their kids to the playground but it’s just. too. cold.

And if you are so lucky to work up enough of a sweat that you need to layer down…. how cute is the sports bra? Maybe it was the sparkles? Maybe it was the soft cups? Maybe it was both.

And because we know there is never enough time, throw on a beanie and a hoodie until you have time for another small gift….. the gift of a long hot shower. Or 45 uninterrupted seconds. Either or.

Ok I used to be a lot better at this than I am now, so part of me is writing this for my own encouragement and maybe to get some tips from all of you. Before I had kids I would wake up at 5am at least 4 days per week to workout at the gym. These days I can’t even fathom 5am and come 5pm I am either driving to soccer practice, making dinner, or just too exhausted from the day to even consider a workout. Finding the time to workout has been a challenge and the easiest solutions is, well, just not to do it.

Even the 9:30 classes that offer babysitting can be hard because some babies like to cry the entire time (hands raised!) and instead of de-stressing you are doing just the opposite. And now that I am working I’ve found myself thinking, “Well I don’t want to waste my working time on exercising” and when I am home with the kids, “I barely see them anymore. I don’t want to waste my time with the kids going to exercise!”

When life is crazy busy, it’s hard to find the time to workout. For me, the number one reason I like to workout is for the mental clarity. It’s amazing what a 25 minute run can do for your mind. I can say with confindence that I’ve never come home from a run and thought to myself, “Man I should have NEVER went on that run.” NO! I always feel energized and reset and more prepared to take on the day. With that, here are a few tips that motivate me to lace up….

1. Internalize the feeling of being finished a workout. Bottle it up. The next time you find yourself making an excuse not to workout, visualize yourself being done and how great you feel.
2. When time is limited, resort to efficiency. Unfortunately my schedule doesn’t permit for 90 minute bikram classes followed by post class matchas and casual conversation. Ok maybe every once in a while 😉 My go-to efficient workout is a run. I can walk out my front door, be back in 30 and, the best part – it’s free!
3. Don’t under estimate the power of workout clothes! Yes, sometimes I put them on with intentions of actually working out, and sometimes that workout never happens. Thank goodness “athleisure” is a thing! But if you never put them on, the chances your workout will happen are slim to none.
4. When in doubt, mimic your kids a.k.a. MOVE! They never stop – have fun with shadowing them and maybe have a few laughs while your at it.

And because we know time is so precious, the post work out shower doesn’t always happen right away.Sound off! How do you guys find the time to workout?