How To Stay Fit While Balancing Parenthood Responsibilities

If you're a parent, it can feel difficult — or even impossible — to balance taking care of your kids and taking care of yourself. But it's important that you pay attention to your needs and fitness so that you're better able to parent at your best. So what's the secret to staying fit and healthy on top of managing all the day-to-day responsibilities of mom or dad life?

The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all magic bullet solution here. But there are several tips that can help you stay in shape. Here are X of them.

Prioritize Fitness

It sounds selfish to put yourself first, but here's why it's not: You have to take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Have you ever been on an airplane and heard what to do in the event of a loss of cabin pressure? You're supposed to secure your own oxygen mask and then assist your child or children with theirs. Why are you instructed to put on your own mask first? Because you need to be able to breathe before you can help others!

Your own personal fitness is the same way. Deciding you'll take a morning jog every day and then sticking with that plan, for example, ensures that you'll be happier and healthier — and have more energy — for the school drop-off line.

Give Yourself a Leg Up

Consider adding tools to your wellness toolkit that will aid in your fitness journey without adding unnecessarily complications or huge time commitments. A great example of this is a transdermal patch — like the Thrive patch — to take the guesswork out of making sure you're getting the proper nutrients and vitamins to support your health.

Track Your Progress

It can be very motivating to see the progress you're making as you're getting healthier. Consider investing in a step counter or other wearable technology that tracks your month-over-month progress. If your kids are older, you can even turn it into a fun family competition. Timmy averaged 8,000 steps a day in January? Mom averaged 11,000! 

Use Multitasking to Your Advantage

Parents are notorious for their superpower-like ability to multitask. Use this skill to your advantage by finding ways to get fit while completing other parenting duties. For example, take an regular evening walk with your child to talk to him or her about homework or the school day. This isn't just good parenting and quality bonding time — it's an opportunity to stay in shape.

Schedule Small Segments of Time To Avoid Being Overwhelmed

It can feel overwhelming to schedule time in your day for fitness, especially if you're already sleep deprived. But just 20-minute blocks of time a few days a week can make a huge difference. Set your alarm for just 20 minutes earlier in the morning to get in that early yoga session or dog walk. Find creative ways to make up those minutes — such as showering in the evening or planning what to wear the day before — so the impact is even less noticeable. 

Eat Healthy

Another parenting win is when you know you're fueling your family's health and wellness by putting nutritious meals in their bodies. In the process, of course, you also benefit. A nice shortcut is to use a meal plan delivery kit. There are several available that offer vegan, vegetarian, and keto/paleo options. All ingredients, plus a recipe card, are delivered straight to your door.

Don't Give Up

Most importantly, create a wellness plan and stick with it. There will be setbacks, but when you make the effort to overcome the bumps in the road, you will see the rewards of those efforts with time. Remember that parenting is hard, but you've got this. By staying fit, you're setting an example for your kids that it's possible to take care of yourself and be a good role model at the same time.