Trust me, as a working mom with 2 babies under 2 years of age, I know how difficult it can be to fit regular exercise into your busy schedule. I’ll share my best motivation tips for success:

1. Set realistic goals. If you go in telling yourself you will workout everyday for an hour, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Set attainable goals, such as 2-3 days per week to start.

2. Enter your workout days and times into your phone calendar. This way you will get a notification to remind you (and to encourage you) to exercise. Do it on Sunday before the week starts. For example, while meal planning/prepping on Sunday, I enter yoga into my calendar on Monday and Friday, and Barre workout class on Wednesday. If I skip yoga on Friday, I just enter it into my weekend schedule instead. Now, my goal is to go on 3-mile walks a few days per week, but I don’t enter these in. It’s less overwhelming to obligate myself to 3 exercise classes, and just add walks in between on days that work.

3. Put your workout clothes on ASAP. If you’re not working, put the clothes on as soon as you can. If you are working, change into them before you leave work, or as soon as possible when you get home. This will make you more likely to actually workout. It will prepare your mindset and remind you to get your fitness face on!

4. Have a healthy mid-afternoon snack. If you’re starving by time you get off work, you won’t have the energy to workout. You’ll be more likely to just eat instead when you get home. Aim for a small snack 1-3 hours before exercise. Something like a palmful of nuts, some fresh fruit, a (low sugar) Greek yogurt, a healthy snack bar, some cottage cheese, a handful of whole grain crackers, or a piece of whole grain toast with almond butter. Healthy snack bars are easy to keep in the office, car, or pantry too. If you buy snack bars or protein bars, make sure they have less than 10 grams of sugar, less than 10 grams of fat, and at least 3 grams of fiber.

5. Last but not least, grab a buddy! Maybe your mom, daughter, friend, husband, neighbor. It’s a lot easier (and more fun) to exercise when you have someone to do it with.

Well, these have been my most successful strategies for motivating me to workout. Once you get on track with a regular fitness routine, it’ll be easy to stick to it. Keep your goals in mind, and never give up! Personal fitness is always a work in progress.