Busy moms often don’t get a break. When you are the mother of a young child, you especially have to be on and available nearly all the time. In an ideal situation, all moms – especially single moms or military spouses – have a village of support. But when you are single or your spouse is traveling and you have no family or friends who are available to help, parenting is exhausting. It’s insane trying to even find the time to shower, much less exercise. But taking care of our own physical bodies is so important. Not only for our physical health but for our mental health, too. That’s why a 10 minute workout for busy moms is the best way to squeeze in a manageable exercise routine. If you can find just 10 minutes somewhere in your day, you can nurture at least this one healthy habit!
Avoid the Perfectionist/All-or-Nothing Mindset: 10 Minutes Do In Fact Matter
I used to think the only exercise worth doing was at least a half hour of cardio, if not an hour. I used to run competitively. At age 15, I diligently ran 4 miles a day on a treadmill. Times have much changed since then! Yet, for many years I felt that anything less than that type of discipline was inadequate and therefore not worth it. I went for years without exercising regularly because it never felt like my small efforts were never really enough exercise to make a difference. But what I have learned since then, and what science has consistently shown, is that even an intense 10 minute workout is sufficient – and possibly superior to – a longer, easier-paced one.
Low-Intensity Exercise vs. High-Intensity Exercise
Keep in mind that slower-paced exercise like walking is wonderfully beneficial. Just because it doesn’t get your heart rate as high doesn’t mean that the continuous movement and blood flower isn’t valuable. Walking is in fact very beneficial, and good to do even in small quantities any given day. So don’t give up walking if that is your thing! There is a reason people in walkable cultures and countries have a longer lifespan and thinner waistline. I can tell you it isn’t from all the smoking.
The more you increase your heart rate, though, the more you strengthen your heart and body. (As long as you are in adequate physical health and have no medical conditions warranting otherwise – always check with your doctor if you are unsure, and stick to milder exercise otherwise.) High intensity exercise does just that – increases your heart rate while challenging your body to perform at its peak, pushing it to grow stronger. So even if you don’t have 30 minutes – or even 20 minutes – to go for a jog, favourite a 10 minute workout for busy moms on your device and do it a few days a week!
What You Need for Your 10 Minute Workout for Busy Moms
You only need a few basics you likely already have to watch a potent 10 minute workout for busy moms!
1. Access to YouTube
If you don’t have a TV screen you can connect to your laptop or computer to access YouTube, you can certainly watch a 10 minute workout on your phone’s YouTube app. You’ll need to prop up your phone where you can see it in front of your exercise space, and the screen will of course be smaller. But after watching it a handful of times you’ll memorize the moves anyway, at which point it’s only a matter of following along to the audio instruction.
If you can connect your TV screen to the internet, that is ideal so the video is large and easy to see. If you’ll be using a laptop screen instead, you’ll want to prop it where you can see it in your exercise space. When your only screen is a desktop monitor, you may be better off using your phone unless your monitor is already situated in front of an area with ample room to workout. Which leads to our next necessity.
2. Space Where You Can Workout
You don’t really need a huge space to do these workouts. The amount of space needed to exercise probably isn’t much more than the amount of space a couch takes up, if not less. But you don’t want to accidentally kick the wall with speed skating moves, so try to find a good spot with as much space as possible. Of course, you’ll also want to be able to prop your screen somewhere within easy eyeshot to pay attention to the video. As mentioned above, you may very well memorize a video you watch regularly and so won’t even need to watch the instructor as you listen for the prompts, but at first it’s certainly helpful to follow along.
3. Privacy and Time: When Can We Get 10 Minutes of Privacy?
Here’s the big one! Most busy moms may ask, ‘What’s that?’ Privacy in this context doesn’t mean nobody else is around. It simply means that whoever is around will respect your 10 minutes enough to not interrupt you while you’re exercising. They can be around, just not in your immediate workout space. Those who are too young to do so should either be napping or in another’s care.
Morning
If it’s possible to wake before your child, that’s the best time for a 10 minute workout for busy moms. It’s quiet. The exercise will wake you up and give your brain a big endorphin boost to start your day. And if you’re trying to lose weight, keep in mind that exercising first thing in the morning before eating or drinking any calories burns extra fat calories (our energy stores). Any other time, we just burn the calories of whatever we’ve most recently eaten. (A side note on healthy morning practices: drinking water with lemon or a little pure lemon juice every morning before consuming anything else is excellent for your gut health. It also jumpstarts your metabolism, so I’ve made a practice of drinking lemon water before working out. Having a glass bottle of organic lemon juice makes this easy so you don’t have to squeeze lemons.)
My toddler wakes up around 5:00 or 6:00, but thankfully he’s now at an age where I can exercise in peace (he usually just watches the video with me or plays nearby). When he was younger, my son was much needier. So while other moms could exercise while their babies chilled for 10 minutes, I never had that option! Mine cried for constant attention. If yours does the same and already wakes earlier than is palatable for you, opt for a later time.
Night
Exercising right before bed isn’t the best idea because it can wind us up before sleep. For many busy moms, I know that is the only alone time they have all day (hence sleep deprivation – we know we need to go to bed right after the baby, but when else can we do whatever we want?). An intense workout right before bed may not be ideal if it interferes with your sleep. However, if this is literally the only time you have all day, give it a try and make a practice of doing yoga nidra or some other very calming wind-down activity before bed to transition your body and mind in the opposite direction toward sleep. Believe me, after a hard workout, your body loves nothing more than a good stretch and to lie around! But you’ll need to calm your mind and get it to settle down, too.
Midday
If lunch break or naptime is the best time for you, go for it! There’s nothing like a midday workout to beat the afternoon slump. I know not everyone’s children nap reliably. Mine certainly did not for the first year or so. That can make any sort of naptime planning frustrating. So if you really want to be diligent about sticking to a healthy workout routine, try to make it during a time you’ll be sure to have this needed privacy.
While Someone Else is Watching Your Child
Do you already have someone else who routinely babysits while you get other things done? If no other time suffices, this may be the best time for your 10 minute workout for busy moms. Try to allocate the last 15 minutes of the babysitter’s time exercising and stretching. It can be frustrating to have to use this time that you’ve probably planned for getting other things done, but at the end of the day life is about allocating our time and resources wisely. We will always have to make decisions that don’t include every single thing we want to do. The important thing is to prioritize what matters. Your health does matter. If not only for yourself, for your children also. They need you strong, healthy and happy!
5 Videos Leading a Strong 10 Minute Workout for Busy Moms
1. 10-Minute Fat-Blasting Circuit
This is probably my favourite 10 minute workout for busy moms. It increases the heart rate but also targets the hips and legs so you’ll feel the burn in all ways! Also, for someone who’s always had issues with knee pain, this workout is easier on the knees than many other active/standing ones I’ve tried. There are moves that call for a dancer’s grace and strength but the form and easy movements are smooth enough to prevent joint pain. And the featured trainer, Andrea Orbeck, has a refreshingly soothing voice that is calm yet serious and motivating – the perfect combination to keep us focused!
2. 10-Minute Cardio Jump Workout
Here is a great workout to rapidly burn calories! You’ll wake up from the get-go. If you suffer from knee pain, I would stick to the modified version before trying the main moves. As with many workout videos, the instructor clarifies modified exercises and identifies which participant in the video will model those moves. And don’t worry – the modified moves still get your heart rate up!
3. Joint Pain-Free 10-Minute Workout
When you really need to be careful to protect your joints, this is a great workout to do just that! You’ll keep moving but at a joint-friendly pace and with joint-friendly moves. The modified version is actually more difficult, for if you want an extra challenge. (The modified version is definitely a bit intense for me, but power to anyone who tries!)
4. 10-Minute No-Equipment Flat-Belly Workout
If this workout doesn’t get your abs burning, I don’t know what will. Not only is it anaerobically intense (and your midsection will certainly remind you if you forget), but you’ll be out of breath! The combination of challenging your core and increasing your heart rate is a perfect workout combo.
5. 10-Minute No-Squat Booty Workout
While this workout isn’t as aerobically intense, you will certainly feel the burn in your bum! This focused workout targets your hips and gluts for a great anaerobic challenge.
10 Mini 5-6-7-Minute Videos Targeting Specific Areas for Strength
If 5 minutes is a more reasonable amount of time for you, there are intense 5-minute workouts as well! It is still worth it do an intense 5-minute workout instead of nothing at all. 5 minutes of strength training is excellent exercise, even if you aren’t sustaining a high heart rate for any longer than that – it is something. And strength training builds muscle mass which fuels your metabolism, allowing you to burn calories more efficiently.
My friend Bridget, personal trainer and fulltime engineer, put together a series of 10 mini workouts called Bridget’s Burns to target specific areas of the body. These are excellent for when you really only have 5 minutes! The cardio burn and the lunge burn alone are quite intense. As with all workouts, alternate which days you target specific muscle groups. You can certainly move from one workout to the next, but don’t do two days in a row of shoulder exercises. Target your bum the next day, for example, to give your muscles a chance to heal.
You are Worth at Least 10 Minutes of Daily Physical Health Devotion
Busy moms, it is hard to find the time. And busy women everywhere – whether moms or not – it is hard to find the time! It is hard to prioritize our health when there are so many other things demanding our attention and focus. But neglecting your physical health makes things harder on yourself and then everyone else in the long run. Do yourself a favor and at least think of the big picture, if not the now. Think of the increased energy you’ll have from getting your heart pumping on a regular basis. Think of the mental boost you’ll get – not to mention the confidence. And keep in mind there are plenty more short workout videos to check out as well! You aren’t limited to the same 5 forever. But start with one – I know you can do it!