Create a Workout Routine for Busy Moms

Getting into shape has become a priority for me although I still struggle with how to create a workout routine that fits into my life. As a busy mom, it has been easy to put myself last and use the excuse that I just don’t have enough time for a proper workout routine. I know a lot of moms can relate to this struggle. 

This kind of mindset doesn’t help get things done, it just lets us off the hook which keeps us from reaching our goals. 

I have decided to not let myself off of the hook so easily and to make every minute that I have to workout count as much as possible. In order to create the best possible workout routine for busy moms, I have reached out to the experts from westriveapp.com. 

These three trainers can help you create a workout routine that fits into your lifestyle as well, no more excuses! 

How to Create a Workout Routine for Busy Moms

Our first trainer answering some of these questions about creating a workout routine is Amanda Kay. She can be found on WeStrive and on Instagram. 

What would you say is the minimum amount of time we need to spend each day and each week working out?

At minimum, 60 minutes of moderate to higher intense resistance training should be done weekly, but working more towards 5 hours give or take spread throughout the week will reap way more benefits and results.

How often should we be doing cardio?
The American Heart Association recommends 150min of aerobic exercise per week. That could fall under intentional cardio on a treadmill or from an active career where you raise your heart rate frequently at work.

Are weights necessary for building muscle?
As for weights, you must have resistance bands, dumbbells, etc in order to create a stimulus to build muscle! If you only do bodyweight, for instance, muscle growth will happen.. however, it will plateau at some point so adding more weight will allow for more significant muscle growth! 💪

How to Select Which Type of Workouts to Include in Your Workout Routine

Next, we have Torra Wolf who is a Certified trainer on WeStrive, check out her site mindbodyburncollective.com and find her on Instagram.

I have heard many “experts” talk about arm day, leg day, and cardio day, is this something that needs to be done on different days or can we do a full-body workout daily and still get good results? What is the reason for splitting up these types of workouts?

What are the right and wrong methods to creating the proper workout plan? Are there any? Before answering the question we need to know more about you. What kinds of changes are wanting to be made? More tone? More muscle build? Trim fat? Gain weight? With this knowledge, a perfect workout plan can be created.

No matter the starting point, progression relies greatly on discipline and efforts. With that in mind, it may be difficult to find the right fit, however with the proper knowledge, one can discover their right program.

Male or Female, if are you wanting to gain more muscle, you have to challenge those muscles and lift weights. As you lift the weights it causes the muscles to tear, which is its natural reaction in order to grow stronger muscle fibers. These slight muscle tears are what cause the sore muscles.

The body needs proper recovery time to heal the tears; therefore separating muscle groups is the best way to workout.

Does this mean that a full-body workout will not bring desired results?

This is a loaded question. As discussed before it really depends on the goals one desires. Full Body workouts are great in engaging all muscle groups in a variety of different exercises.

These workouts do not bring the muscle groups to such exhaustion as a single targeted muscle workout might, however since muscles are still engaged it will bring results.

If the goal is to build muscle, the best program is to split muscle groups into specific training days. If the desire is to workout and become healthy all around, full-body workouts are a great choice.

A lot of dieters see their weight fluctuate and there is a lot of talk about muscle weighing more than fat, so it is easy to say that although the scale isn’t showing results, we may still be on the right track. What is the truth about this, can you break it down for us?

Often time’s people will mistake the number on a scale for their personal progression.

Consider this: bodyweight will fluctuate 3-5 lbs in one day. Transformations from an overweight body type can be deceiving while looking at a scale. Intake of fluids and food play a major role in one’s weight.

Not only is sustenance a daily fluctuation, but also in the long term your body may trade-off in gaining muscle for losing fat. Even a runner’s workout routine that is pure cardio will create stronger muscles in the legs.

Muscle weighs more than fat. Therefore, these transitions will cause an increase, decrease, or no change on the scale. The combined results of weight loss through a diet and exercise will vary based on body fat percentage and given muscle mass.

Could you provide a basic example of a good workout plan for weight loss?

Age, gender, weight, physical activity level, and interests are all factors that play a role in creating the perfect workout plan. It is important to stay positive throughout the whole process as weight fluctuation may occur.

As you engage the muscles they will begin to get stronger. Splitting up the muscle groups into hour-long workouts throughout the week will allow the targeted muscles proper time to recover and gain strength.

Below you will find a generic workout guideline to follow that will allow the proper rest for the body while also increasing heart rate to burn more calories through cardiovascular exercise (cardio).

Example Workout Routine

Monday: 45 mins of Push Leg Exercises (Quads, Calves) & Light Cardio (example: Stationary Bike 10 mins)
Tuesday: 30 min Push Arm Exercises (Triceps & Shoulders) & 10 min Core & 15 mins Cardio (Elliptical)
Wednesday: 45 min Pull Legs Exercises (Hamstrings & Glutes) & light Cardio (incline Walk 10 mins)
Thursday: 30 Min Pull Arm Exercises (Biceps & Forearms) &; 10 mins Back & 15 mins on the Rowing Machine
Friday: Full Body Weight workouts 30 mins & 30 mins Cardio of your choice

Resources

https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/muscle-groups-to-workout-together#muscle-groups
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/workout-split-training-benefits
https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/1050/why-do-i-seem-to-gain-weight-
when-i-start-to-train-for-an-endurance-race-like-a-half-marathon/

Creating a Workout Routine that Fits into Your Life

Moms are superheroes who somehow get it all done every day! Finding time to get in a workout can sometimes be the biggest struggle. For Mamas who can’t always squeeze in a full planned workout, it can be great to incorporate these moves into each daily routine.

• While brushing your teeth you can do as many squats as it takes until you finish brushing.
• While cooking dinner you can throw in some counter push-ups.
• When doing laundry you can use the basic to perform rows and or deadlifts.
• Finally, running after kiddos is always a nice heart-pumping workout!

For mamas who can plan ahead and have more time to put a workout together, circuits and combination exercises are wonderful to jam-pack exercises in with a shorter amount of time. For example, you can do squats + shoulder press, deadlift + row, lateral lunge + standing ab crunch to name a few.I have found that circuits are amazing as a mom, kids come and go through a workout so when I don’t need to count reps it is easier to help them out as the timer keeps running!

I have been working out 5 days a week, Monday through Friday for about an hour each day. Some weeks the scale isn’t as kind and I wonder if I am spending my time wisely. How often should I be working out and for how long should each workout be?

 

Five days a week is a great frequency per week to exercise! It is recommended to strength train 2-3 days per week which leaves a few days for cardio exercises as well. Cardio includes steady state such as the elliptical, running, biking. You can switch up basic cardio with HIIT(High-intensity interval training)/ LISS (low impact steady state) workouts or circuits.

Working out five days a week means you can spend 30-60 minutes per day per workout. Circuits typically take 30 minutes to complete plus warm-up and cool down while strength training will take closer to an hour total including warm-ups and cool down.

As far as using the scale, sometimes it can be discouraging to rely only on a scale. Other ways that can give you a more positive overview of your training results could be; progress photos in the exact outfit/position/time of day.

Depending on your goals you could go by how clothing fits. It is good to keep in mind when you strength train and gain muscle mass that muscle is heavier than fat so you may be seeing the scale go up as you become more fit.

Finally how you feel is the most important thing of all!! Exercise is there to make you feel better both mentally and physically. This is such a great point to focus on when progression comes to mind!

Is there anything wrong with working out every day if our schedule allows it? Is rest a crucial part of getting into good shape?

 

If you want to work out seven days a week it is super important to let your body rest and recover. You could add in active recovery days that include activities such as walking, mobility, and light yoga. Rest is critical when getting into better shape so your body has time to repair its muscle tissue.