(This is part 2 in a two-part article. For part 1, click here.)
Team up.
If you have a buddy mom in a similar situation, switch out child care duties so that you each have time to exercise. Or consider sharing an affordable sitter and exercising together. A person is more likely to stick to her workout commitments if someone else is relying on her. If you don't have an exercise buddy, send out feelers through your friends, family, church or civic organizations. You might find several moms interested in a workout/child care rotation.
Get something done.
Not everyone is enamored of the gym or organized exercise programs. My husband, for instance, hates anything involving repetition. He prefers to get his exercise by accomplishing something. If you're one of those people, you should know that heavy yard work, house-cleaning and big DIY jobs burn calories as well. Just realize that experts recommend you keep it up at least 30 minutes, several times a week if you want to see positive health benefits.
Give something up.
Not always the most popular decision, but sometimes eliminating activities is the only way to make room for exercise. Do you need to watch two or three hours of TV every evening? Can you get up one hour earlier in the morning and give up that hour of sleep? Could your Twitter obsession be scaled back ever-so-slightly to accommodate regular exercise? One of the hardest things for moms to learn to do sometimes is to say “no,” but write yourself a “no” prescription and don't take on any more tasks until you've found time to exercise.
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