One of the most common excuses for any parent, especially new Mums is that they don’t have time to exercise and as a new parent myself, I get it.

Rushing from one thing to the next, feeding, changing, nap time, tidying the house, dropping the kids off at school, making lunches, making dinners, whilst also trying to juggle your own work commitments.

I totally understand that it’s tough and we often overlook ourselves in favour of looking after our children.
The ‘not enough time’ excuse however, often relates to something deeper for example a lack of motivation or lack of enjoyment from exercising full stop.

The key thing with all new Mum’s is that their bodies have changed quite significantly and so their self-esteem takes a bit of a hammering as emotions are all over the place at the best of times and it can be difficult to deal with.

My first bit of advice in terms of reaping the benefits of exercise, it adopting a change of attitude by thinking what you ‘CAN DO’ rather than what you ‘CAN’T DO’.

It doesn’t matter how little or how often, any form of exercise to begin with is a fantastic step in the right direction.

Poor time management and holding onto the fear of failure are often the two key drivers that cause many new Mum’s to be in denial about their health.

If you want more energy, to look younger, to feel good about yourself, to be comfortable in your own skin or to lose some weight, then your health has to be a priority.

Here are a few pointers, which will help you kick start a new fitness and health journey towards getting your pre-baby body back: -

(1) EXERCISE WITH THE KIDS – Children always have a smile on their face when they are moving around, engaged and having fun. Try to find an exercise class that enables you to bring along your little one. Win, win.

(2) MAKE A PLAN – Whatever your goal is, make sure you write it down. Make a plan for the week ahead so that you and your partner can identify ‘HIS’ and ‘HER’ time. That time for you, can then be used for exercises, to relax, to have a bath, to read, to switch off or even go for a swim. The metal wellbeing benefits from this will be huge.

(3) FAMILY SUPPORT – Can your parents step in for an hour during the week perhaps to enable you to switch off or go to the gym or a walk? I don’t know many grandparents who would turn down the opportunity to spend time with their grandchildren, so take advantage and don’t feel guilty.

(4) THINK HIIT – You don’t need a fancy gym membership to get an effective workout in. There are tons of simple low-impact exercises you can do at home or at the local park in a HIIT fashion. Think short, sharp periods of exercise followed by periods of rest. 15 minutes for most people to begin with will be suffice, then slowly build it up each week.

(5) FIND YOUR ACTIVITY - Find something that suits your lifestyle and that makes you smile, then go back for more. Once you understand your fitness personality, you’ll be able to identify activities you actually enjoy and finding time for them will become much easier.