Being a mom in and of itself is hard then throw in being a wife, business owner, and working a full time job, trying to keep up with your health goals might literally seem impossible. For some it may very well be impossible, but I want to shed some light on what is actually going on behind the scenes of my chaotic life that I manage to survive.
This is coming from someone who has been lifting weights and tracking macros for 5+ years. My journey may be far ahead of yours which may be the reason it looks like I have my -ish together. However, I have never been pregnant and having our first child was a whirlwind of new adventures not just physically but mentally. I say this, because while I was starting from a point postpartum that was all new I still had the basics of what my routine was.
The first 3-4 months with my baby were hard. We were all adjusting to our new routine of not having a routine. We were in survival mode. Sleep deprivation, undereating, stress, and all the other wonderful things that come with just having a baby were hard. I didn’t try to go to the gym and opted for just doing some basic at home workouts, taking walks with the baby, and trying to make myself eat more. So, don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself while trying to get into your family’s new routine.
Going back to work helped a ton, because my days became more structured and so did baby’s. I was able to have a sitter watch her, so that gave me time to go to the gym before work. The first year I tried to stick strictly to going at one time to the gym to make it easier for the baby and not mess with her routine. If I was still staying at home it would’ve 100% been harder for me to consistently make it between having to find someone to watch the baby, lack of motivation, and just the day getting away from me. If I hadn’t gone back to work I probably would’ve tried to get my workouts in at home while the baby was having her playtime.
I quickly got the undereating under control, by making my food 30 mins before the baby was supposed to eat. Bottle feeding was hard because I couldn’t eat while feeding her, so I opted for before I fed her and put a reminder on my phone in case I got distracted doing something else.
The other thing to help was having the support from friends and family. I know not everyone has this luxury, but if you do, lean on them for help! I had mom guilt and it would keep me from ‘bothering’ someone or not asking at all, but at the end of the day if it keeps you from losing your ever loving mind why wouldn’t you ask? I was a much better mom when I got to go to the gym for an hour or even 30 mins.
Above all, planning my meals and going to the gym, or even asking for help, the most important thing to being able to ‘do it all’ was being FLEXIBLE. This was why I have always loved tracking macros for my food and having my own strength training program that got me in and out of the gym. Because, when shit hits the fan I could easily make adjustments to either of those which is why I believe I was able to stay more consistent than if I didn’t have those.
I had manyyyy days that went to shit and didn’t go as planned, even got injured, and due to sickness’ had to take a month or two off. It’s not about being perfect or doing everything you possibly can. It’s about learning throughout your journey of what works and what doesn’t and taking it one day at a time. It’s okay to ask for help and get people involved in the areas of your life that stress you out i.e. using a meal prep service so you don’t have to cook. I plan my meals out weeks in advance, along with the days I’m going to the gym (even leaving a day to swap in case something happens), and have my husband help with chores around the house and even cooking for our meals. It may look like it’s a one woman show over here, but it’s not and I try to get many people involved to help with even the small things like watching my kid for a couple of hours.
So, here’s how my schedule currently looks which is up to change whenever needed. I do work a full time job so this can change depending on what hours I am working.
Typically if I work 10a-6p:
7:30a-8:30a:Breakfast for the baby and leaving to daycare/sitter
9a-10a: I eat breakfast at work and start my day
10a-6p: Working (lunch @ 2p, Snack @ 4p-5p)
6p-7p: Gym time. If not, I head straight home.
7p: Dinner for all of us
8p: Bath and bedtime for baby
9p-10p: watch an episode of a show while finishing my last meal for the day, shower and in bed by 10p.
If I am working 11a-7p:
7:30a-8:30a:Breakfast for the baby and leaving to daycare/sitter
9a-10a: Gym
10a-10:30a: Shower and head to work
10:30a-11a: Eat breakfast
11a-7p: Working (lunch @ 2:30p, Snack @ 5p-6p)
7:30p: Dinner for all of us
8p: Bath and bedtime for baby
9p-10p: watch an episode of a show while finishing my last meal for the day and in bed by 10p.
There’s family time not included in that along with us cooking meals. I work with my clients in between some of those times as well. My days off are 100% not consistent like this as I am with my daughter or clients. As you can see it’s very basic and I only strength train 4x’s a week which leaves a 5th day open to be easily swapped around. This is what works for our family and with our work schedules, so maybe you can pull some ideas from this to help you plan your days out!
