Here at Fleurdille you will find versatile, affordable fashion, tips for creating a healthy lifestyle, travel tips and tricks, moments of motherhood, and my latest home DIY project.
This post was created in collaboration with Clotheshorse Anonymous. All opinions are my own and clothing picked out by me. Thank you for supporting those brands that support Fleurdille.
Hi, babes! We’ve made it! We are officially half way through the week! Honestly, it kind of feels like Friday for me as tomorrow kicks off our last long weekend of fun before the school year begins. Tomorrow I’ll be meeting my new speech therapy assistants for the school year and we are spending the day on a boat; not a bad way to spend orientation, right? Then Thursday evening Travis and I are headed to Austin to spend the weekend with friends and have some adult time. But come Monday, we will be starting to get back into the swing of things.
School starts in less than 3 weeks for the girls and that means work starts for me, too. For those that are new here, in addition to blogging full-time, I also work as a speech therapy supervisor during the school year. So, my summer vacation is about to come to an end just like my girls’. Cue the tears.
Earlier this summer, a lot of you all filled out a survey I posed on social media. One of the questions in the survey asked if there was a specific topic you wanted me to touch on. Most of the requests were health and fitness related, and several were about time management and juggling multiple things as a working woman and mom. So today, as I prepare to go back to work, I thought it would be fun to talk about how I have learned to make time to work out.
Let’s be quite frank before I share my thoughts though – I am most definitely not the only woman that wears more than one hat and I do not have it all figured out. Every single woman I know wears many hats and could fill up every single hour of her day with work, social obligations, chores, parenting, etc. It is no secret that Americans don’t necessarily make the best lifestyle choices when it comes to time management. But, no matter how busy you are, I have found that you can find time to take care of yourself if you’re intentional and methodical about it.
how to make time to work out as a working mom:
WHY:
Knowing your WHY Is one of the most important things…for anything really. WHY do yI want to work out? Why do you want to work out? For me it’s a 3-prong answer. First, I want to work out because I want to take care of my body. God has given me the body I’m in and it’s my job to be mindful of what I put in it and how I take care of it. This is why I’ve signed up for The FITT Cycle and why I see a chiropractor regularly.
Secondly, it benefits me mentally. We go, go, go a lot in our house and it’s super easy for me to get wrapped up in my kids, their activities, friends, or my work. Even though I think I have an endless supply of energy, I don’t. I need mental breaks just like everyone else. In my adult life I have learned how important it is for me to spend time outdoors running, walking, or just working out. It balances me and allows me to function as a better mom, employee, wife, and friend.
Lastly, I am raising two girls and there’s a lot of pressure that comes with that. I want to model for them the importance of taking care of yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally. I want to show them what it is to be strong rather than “skinny.”
WHEN:
Ever since Abby was born I have struggled to work out consistently, so the first thing I did was sit down and look at my schedule. I analyzed the time blocks that were not options due to work or activities for the girls, then I analyzed the remaining “free time.” For me, the best option was to get up early, before my family was awake. This would allow me to get my workouts in without disrupting our day-to-day schedule and without sacrificing time with Travis once the girls were down.
Evenings can also be super unpredictable with social activities, so I found that even when I planned on working out after dinner, something usually came up that was more fun. Mornings rarely get interfered with.
WHERE:
This was another major component and is also a huge factor as to why we don’t work out. I looked into a gym membership and even did a trial, but ultimately, I needed something that was close to my home and preferably free. Ultimately, I decided that finding a way to work out at home would be my best bet for this season of life. It would give me the maximum amount of sleep due to no drive time, and it would cost me nothing. All I needed to do was invest in weights and some equipment.
HOW:
The how is totally up to you! For me, I do the FITT Cycle and I run. The FITT Cycle provides me with daily workouts and it monitors my macro nutrients. Running is one of my favorite ways to workout, so if I’m not doing an at-home workout, I’m running in our neighborhood. But to each her own, right? Maybe for you it’s a Barre class, a brisk walk, or yoga. Find what motivates you and find something that is sustainable.
STAY MOTIVATED:
This part will be up to you. What motivates you? A cheat meal? New running shoes? A couple days off? A full fat latte? For me, the biggest motivator is new workout clothes. I used to set big goals and save up while working toward them to spend money at one of my favorite athletic apparel stores – Lululemon. However, I recently discovered that my favorite consignment store, Clotheshorse Anonymous, carries brand new and barely used Lululemon pieces! Y’all, just 2 weeks ago I got these Lululemon leggings, a Lululemon black athleirsure top, and a mesh vest all for under $100! I mean, are you kidding me? Pants alone at Lululemon cost almost $100!
So, to keep myself motivated, I’ve started updating my workout wardrobe by getting a couple new pieces a month. By getting them via Clotheshorse Anonymous, I’ve been able to wear my favorite brand without spending a fortune. I mean, there’s just something so motivating about wearing workout clothes you’re excited about and feel good in. If you’re in Dallas, I highly recommend checking out their in-store selection because it gets added to daily.
