Having little ones at home can leave you feeling like you don't have a spare second in the day. Between rushing to and from school and picking the little ones up from activities and trying to squeeze in daily errands too, it's no wonder that the average mother only gets 17 minutes of 'me time' each day. So how can you fit in exercise when you have no time? We give you all the tips you need along with with a working mom workout routine for you to try.

How can I find time to workout with kids?

Finding time to exercise as a working parent can feel almost impossible, but it doesn't have to be! Try some of our ideas and see if you can fit exercise into your busy day.

1. Get a training buddy

One of the best ways to stay motivated is to partner up. Whether it's a work colleague, your husband/wife, a friend, or a family member, working out together can make things more fun and interesting. Not only this, but if you have someone to be accountable to and someone who you will let down if you skip your session, you'll be more motivated to get that training session done!

2. Utilise playtime

When it's your child's playtime, get involved and burn some calories! If you have an energetic toddler, run around with them by playing adrenaline-fuelled games that involve running or chasing. If your children are a little older, find games where you can both get active, especially in the garden if it's summer time as there are lots of benefits to training outdoors.

3. Try dancing

Dancing is something that burns a lot of calories, will get you up and active, and can be very fun! If your children are very energetic, put on some music and dance away. This will not only help them burn off that extra energy and get you moving, it can be a great bonding experience. 

4. Swap your car for walking or cycling

By combining your errands with exercise, you can make the time to get active without compromising any of your daily activities. Try walking or cycling to the shops instead of driving, or walking your children to school. It may be easier than you think to get around without your car!

5. Exercise before you start your day

By getting up 30 minutes earlier than usual, you could fit in an entire workout and start your day right. There are lots of workouts you can do in under 30 minutes, like this 5-minute punchbag workout, 10-minute tabata workout, or this 20-minute home workout. Even a short workout is better than no workout at all, and it'll energise you for a productive day. If you don't want to get up earlier than you already do, try this lunchtime HIIT workout instead.

How can a stay at home mum lose weight?

There are lots of tips and tricks to losing weight if you are a stay-at-home parent. Follow these dos and don'ts to make sure you're staying healthy while at home with the little ones.

1. Don't eat anything you wouldn't feed to your kids

There are lots of things you wouldn't feed to your children because the salt or sugar content it too high, so why feed them to yourself? A good rule of thumb to follow is that if you wouldn't give it to your child because of the ingredients, you should avoid it yourself too. Stick to whole foods and try to avoid anything overly processed or pre-packaged.

2. Don't snack mindlessly

If you find yourself in a rare moment of calm when your child is playing happily alone or watching a television show, it can be tempting to mindlessly eat food that you don't really need. Avoid temptation by not having snacks in the house, and stick to eating at set times.

3. Do make mealtime an occasion

If mealtime is an occasion to look froward to when you eat together with your kids, you'll be less likely to have an unstructured day. Try to have at least one meal a day together as a family where you sit at a table and focus on what you're eating, rather than grabbing whatever is nearby because you're so rushed off your feet. This might mean deliberately making time for it in your day, but it will be worth it ultimately. 

4. Don't eat through stress

Being at home on your own with the kids all day can get pretty stressful. If tempers raise and tantrums ensue, make sure you're not reaching for food as comfort. Comfort eating is something that many of us do without realising and can be an almost impossible habit to break. As above, not having any temptation in the house will help with this and always count slowly to 10 before you eat a snack so that you're not eating it out of a stressed panic.

5. Do make food fun and creative by getting the children involved

Getting your kids to help in the kitchen is a fantastic way to bond and to help them develop vital skills for later in life. Let them get creative by coming up with new recipes and help them with the cooking. If you really want sweet treats, bake cookies or cupcakes together so that you really feel you've earned them and can have fun in the process. 

Working mom workout routine

If you have kids at home or are pregnant, try this working mom home workout routine by Sundried ambassador Carly Newson.

Claire Steels is a professional duathlete and has a World Champion title to her name. She gives Sundried a snapshot of a training session along with all the stats and data so you can see what it's really like to train as a pro.

Training Session

2 x (10 x 10 seconds effort : 50 seconds recovery)

The majority of the training I have done on the bike is for TT (time trial) type efforts, however as I am looking to move into road racing I need to develop a bit more explosive power.

This sessions was aimed at developing such power and improving my sprint speed.

Short, sharp efforts with a longer recovery sounds okay, but by the end of the set the 50 seconds recovery feels far too short!

I did this session on the Wattbike and then uploaded the data to Strava.

The screenshots attached show my speed, heart rate and then the last shot shows speed, heart rate, power and cadence.

Speed, power and cadence are fairly consistent across all of the efforts, although they drop a little towards the end. Heart rate spikes for each of the efforts but also gradually increases across the whole session.

I find sessions like this challenging and frustrating but in a strange way it means I enjoy them more! Weird I know!

Do you find yourself making excuses because of your age? Are there things you wish you could do but think they're best left to youngsters? Think again! Staying active and fit as you age is one of the most important things you can do. We're here with our top tips to maintain your fitness and stay healthy as you get older.

Do resistance training

It's still the biggest trend among fitness fanatics to do lots of heavy weight training, but lifting weights and doing resistance training has many more benefits than just bulking you up and giving you a great physique. It is scientifically proven that weight training increases your bone density which is important as you age to prevent natural deterioration in your bones and can help protect against age-related issues such as osteoporosis.

Not only this, having strong muscles around joints such as the knees can prevent these joints from failing so you're less likely to need a knee or hip replacement if you're regularly lifting weights. This doesn't mean you should be trying to out-lift everyone at the gym but doing regular, sensible resistance training will do the trick. Anything that adds resistance counts, so you don't have to hit the free weights area but can use the rowing machine, resistance machines, or lift weights if you'd like!

Forget the fads

Keto, paleo, whole30... there will always be fad diets around and people who claim that they lost drastic amounts of weight by following them. However, as you age your body needs extra care and won't bounce back so easily from an extreme diet. More so than ever, as you age you need to take it easy and if you're trying to lose weight you need to do it very slowly. Avoid fad diets which are very high in fat or that cut out entire food groups and instead stick to a natural, whole diet rich in lean protein, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and lots of fruit and vegetables.

While it may be true that these extreme diets do allow some people to lose weight, it is still a severe method and a lot of people end up gaining all the weight back anyway.

Stay 'all day active'

The best way to be active is to be 'all day active' which means walking or cycling instead of driving, making sure you don't sit for extended periods of time, and making a conscious effort to be active throughout the day instead of just for an hour or so of prescribed exercise.

If you adopt an active lifestyle you are far more likely to be healthy overall and to benefit from reduced lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. If you work, try adding activity into your work day by going for a walk at lunch time and incorporating exercise into your commute. If you're already retired, make the most of easy at-home exercise such as gardening and walking the dog. 

Know your limits

It's always important to listen to your body and this is true even more so as you get older. There are often stories in the news of people discovering a passion for marathon running at the age of 60 or CrossFitters who are in their 80s, so we know it's possible to be active as we age, but make sure you're careful. 

At any age, it's important to listen to your body and stop training if you become injured. Never push through real pain and give your body plenty of time to rest and recover. If you weren't particularly active when you were younger, you will most likely find it tougher than someone who has been active all their life.

What are the best exercises for older people?

So if you're going to stay fit and active as you age, what exercises and workouts should you be doing? These are the best exercises for older people.

Yoga or Pilates

Yoga and Pilates have proven their effectiveness over thousands of years and are practised all over the world. Low intensity slow movements combined with tough holds and challenging positions will test your muscles and improve your fitness while being gentle on your joints and not over-exerting you. Be careful though, practices like hot yoga or Bikram can be very strenuous so perhaps stick with the gentler types, especially if you have conditions like high blood pressure.

Swimming

Swimming is zero-impact and can strengthen your joints without putting any pressure on them. This is especially good if you are heavy or suffer from joint problems and/or conditions like arthritis. Swimming is a full-body workout and will exercise all of your muscle groups from top to toe. It is also a functional workout as your muscle groups have to work together to move (rather than isolated movements such as a bicep curl) which is better overall for your health and fitness.

Weight Training

As mentioned above, weight training is not just for young gym goers looking to pile on the muscle and impress their peers. Done with correct form and in moderation, weight training can increase your bone density and can protect your joints from deterioration. Not only this, our metabolisms slow naturally as we age but weight training increases the metabolism, so this will offset some of the natural side effects of ageing and help keep you in great shape.

Walking

Keeping it simple, brisk walking is an easy and free way to stay fit and active as you age. Walking at a fairly fast pace can burn anything from 60 to 100 calories per mile. Walking is easy on the joints and getting out into the fresh air is great for not only your physical health but your mental health too. Pair this with making it social by walking with friends, making it practical by walking to the shops or appointments, or making it fun by walking the dog and you've got a great easy way to get fit without feeling like you're even trying!

The shoulders are not usually a part of the body that people focus on when trying to lose weight or tone up, but having shapely shoulders can do wonders for your overall physique. Try this shoulder workout to sculpt and tone.

Shoulder Workout

Seated Military Press

The military press, otherwise known as the overhead press or strict press, is the flagship shoulder exercise as it is a compound movement working all parts of your shoulders and as such will feature as the first exercise in any good shoulder workout. This variation on a classic will take the burn to the next level and will really test your limits. Your shoulders are completely isolated so there's nowhere to hide and no way to get away from the burn.

How to perform

If you have a partner to hand you the bar, you can do this exercise anywhere. If you are on your own, you will need to sit under a weights rack so that you can rest the bar above you.

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you and your back straight. 
2. Hold the bar close to your chest at chin height with both hands.
3. As you exhale, push the bar up above your head until your arms are straight.
4. As you inhale, slowly and with control lower the bar back down to chin height. That's 1 rep. Try to complete 10-12. 

Because you are sitting on the floor, your legs and core will not be able to assist your shoulders and as such this is a completely isolating exercise, highlighting all weakness and really resting your strength. Start with a light weight until you increase your strength. It's meant to be tough!

Leaning Dumbbell Raise

This is a single-arm exercise which will target the deltoids and give shape and tone to the sides of your shoulders. Again, it is a highly isolating exercise and so will burn intensely but give great results.

How to perform

You will need to find something sturdy capable of holding your full weight that you can hold and lean away from. Any equipment bolted to the wall of the gym should work for this. 

1. Hold something study with one hand, with your feet together and close to the structure, lean your body until your arm is straight.
2. With a dumbbell in the other hand, raise your arm from your side to shoulder height and back down again. That's 1 rep. Complete 10 on each arm.
3. Complete all your reps on one arm before changing to the other.

Front Raise With Steering Wheel

You may well have done front raises at the gym before as they are very simple, easy to do, and yield great results. That's why we are taking it to another level by adding the 'steering wheel' movement to ramp up the burn. Take this exercise slowly to maximise results.

How to perform

1. Stand up straight with your feet hip width apart and hold a plate like a steering wheel with both hands in front of you. 
2. Slowly lift the plate up until it reaches shoulder height.
3. Hold the plate there and twist it slowly like you would a steering wheel.
4. After a few twists, slowly lower the plate back down again. That's 1 rep. Try for 10-12. 

If you dread your workout, chances are you're not going to do it. Slogging away on a treadmill for hours may be good for your body but it's not great for your mind. We've put together 5 awesome ways to get fit and burn calories without even realising it!

1. Gardening

Gardening is a great functional fitness workout as it will have you squatting down, stretching high, lifting your arms, and carrying heavy loads, all of which will challenge every muscle group in your body. A 140lb (10st) woman can expect to burn up to 300 calories from 1 hour of gardening!

This is a great way to keep fit as it is free, you don't have to leave the comfort of your home, and in the summer you will be exposed to revitalising vitamin D from the sunlight. Not only this, it's a great skill to develop and you will have a beautiful garden to show for your efforts!

2. Playing a musical instrument

It may not feel like it, but playing a musical instrument can be a very energetic activity. Especially instruments like the drums where you use your whole body to play, you can expect to burn between 100-300 calories in an hour!

Learning to play an instrument is an excellent skill to develop as it'll focus you mentally and this should help you in day-to-day life. Not only this, it can be very social as you can then join a band or orchestra to share your passion with others.

3. Playing with your children

It can sometimes feel difficult to exercise when you have kids as finding time can be almost impossible. Playing with your children by chasing after them in a park or playing football or another sport with them is an awesome way of getting fit yourself while also allowing your kids to expend all their pent up energy. Forget lifting weights, lifting your kids will give you a great workout without having to hit the gym!

Playing with your children gives you an opportunity to bond and you won't even notice how many calories you're burning. Another benefit is that you'll be helping your kids to get active from a young age which will really help them in the long run.

4. Walking the dog

If you have a furry friend or two, you can expect to burn up to 200 calories an hour by walking them. Depending on how energetic your dog is, you could even go jogging with them to help them exercise better. 

By having the company of your dog, you won't feel as self-conscious while out and about and knowing that you have to walk them will be all the motivation you need. 

5. Cleaning

Finally, spending time cleaning your house can be a great way of burning calories, toning up, and you'll have a beautiful sparkly house at the end of it! Just like with gardening, cleaning will act as a full body workout as you'll be squatting down to scrub low surfaces, reaching high, bending and twisting in all directions in order to clean. This will mean that all of your muscles are worked – even ones you may never have worked before!