Finding time to exercise is a perpetual struggle for most of us, especially when we factor in the many demands on our overly-scheduled lives… pre-school carnivals, grammar school festivals, mountains of laundry, grocery shopping, house cleaning, the list goes on and on.  Unfortunately, the one thing that often gets overlooked on the overwhelming list of “to dos” is exercise.  Personally, I’ve had a rather cyclical relationship with fitness but have recently found my groove.  With a full time job and five kids five and under, I’ve finally figured out how to stay fit -- which makes me feel fab and gives me the energy to tackle that to-do list.  Here are a few tips: 

1.  Get up, get out and get started.  I’ve learned the hard way that if I don’t fit fitness in before our little troops awake, it simply won’t happen.  Even if I take my gym bag to work with the best of intentions of going at lunch, it won’t happen.  On weekends and days off, I’ve tried dressing in workout wear, hoping that if I look like I’m going to work out, perhaps I eventually will. Nope, not happening.  What works for me is setting the alarm for 5:45 each morning and tip-toeing out into the darkness while the kiddies are still sweetly snoozing.  By the time I get back an hour later, the sun is shining, the coffee is brewing, I literally have a spring in my step and, I know that if nothing else goes right for the rest of the day, I’ve accomplished something just for me.  And that is a pretty big accomplishment.
2. Routine reigns supreme.  The 5:45 wake-up doesn’t come easily for me.  I love my bed.  I LOVE sleep.  This time of year, I love my flannel sheets and have been known to gaze adoringly at them when I finally make the bed and promise to return soon… alas, never soon enough but that’s another story.  The point is, if you can just start to drag yourself out of bed, or to the gym or to the park or to the basement or wherever it is that you work out, you’ll find that if you keep at it long enough, it will become routine.  It will become a habit.  And habits, as we all know, are hard to break.  
3. Enlist some gal pals. I have a confession to make.  I do not do this alone.  If left to my own devices, I’d be hitting snooze, nestled in my cozy flannel sheets until long after my first-grader missed the school bus.  Knowing this, I rely on friends who will be waiting for me in the darkness, shivering in the fall chill as they await my arrival.  There is mutual pressure to simply show up and that’s half the battle.  So, whether it’s a pre-dawn run, a class at the gym, or a brisk stroll around the high school track, find a friend and tackle your fitness goals together.  You’ll be obliged to show up and, will be able to cross both “exercise” and “catch up with Suzie” off that tedious to-do list!
4. Don’t be afraid to try new things.  After I had triplets, I was determined to get to the gym and relocate the me I remembered – the one that didn’t have a deflated party tent for a belly and who I’m pretty sure didn’t have a double chin or cankles (that rather unsightly side effect of pregnancy when your calves and ankles merge as one).  As you might imagine, with three newborns, a two year old and a four year old, my time was not exactly my own; I was at the mercy of their feeding schedules and my husband’s availability (and agreeability!).  So, while I was often disappointed to miss my favorite “Power Dance” class, I was forced to try new things. I was extremely intimidated but, I did it anyway.  I took Step classes (with minimal success – I always seemed to be going the wrong way “around the world”), Spin classes (note: don’t wear baggy pants; they get caught on the pedals!) and Kickboxing (a great way to work out your aggressions!).  Trying new things helped me to lose the majority of those preggo pounds and gain a newfound confidence that accompanied me both in and out of the gym. 
5. Dress for success.  For years, I wore the running tights my Mom sent my freshman year in college with an oversized, sweat-stained Gap t-shirt to the gym.  I’m a pragmatist, sometimes to a fault and just couldn’t see the point in spending money on nice new gym clothes; I figured that money was better spent on nice new work clothes, where I was more motivated to dress for success.  Then, after I had the triplets – and had grown to a size that I once heard described as “grotesque” – one of my best friends bought me new gym clothes for my birthday. It was her kind way of urging me to say so-long to spandex and I am so glad that she did.  It feels great to put on workout wear that’s not from the 80s and, for me, feeling great is one of the best perks of working out.  Invest in a few things that make you feel good and you’ll be that much more likely to stick to your routine -- and look good too!

There’s one other thing that I’ve realized during the past few years of juggling work, family and all that comes with it:  motherhood is a marathon.  We hit the ground running and typically don’t stop until we fall back into bed exhausted at the end of the day.  So, on the days when working out doesn’t get crossed off that list, remind yourself of the stairs you’ve climbed, the laundry basket you lugged, the kids you chased and set that alarm clock for early the next day – you’ll be glad that you did.