Fitness for Real Moms

Fitness for Real Moms: Strength Training That Fits Your Life

There was a season of my life when I thought the reason I couldn’t stay consistent with fitness was because I just wasn’t disciplined enough.

I’d start strong on a Monday. Set the alarm earlier. Lay out my clothes. Promise myself this time would be different.

And then someone would wake up in the night, or the baby would skip a nap, or I'd get sick...

By Thursday, I’d already feel behind. By Friday, I’d feel like I failed. Again.

What no one tells you is that most fitness advice isn’t written for a life like this.

It’s written for uninterrupted mornings. For women who can decide at 4:30 p.m. to go to the gym and just… go. For people whose energy belongs mostly to them.

Motherhood doesn’t work that way.

Your energy is already spent in pieces before you ever think about a workout. You’ve made a hundred decisions by noon. You’ve solved problems no one saw you solve. You’ve carried the invisible weight of everyone else’s needs.  And then somewhere in the middle of that, you’re supposed to “prioritize yourself.”

For a long time, every workout felt like one more decision (and if I'm being honest, sometimes it still feels this way). What should I do today? Is this enough? Should I be doing more?  Why does this feel so hard?

It wasn’t that I didn’t care. I cared deeply. I wanted to feel strong again. I wanted to recognize myself in the mirror. I wanted energy that didn’t run out by mid-afternoon. But I didn’t need a more intense plan. I needed less friction. I'm still easing in to this thought process. This isn't an overnight shift that happened for me. But instead of chasing the perfect gym program-I picked something simple that  I could do at the gym, but I could also do it at home when my schedule shifted for whatever reason. Just a set of dumbbells, maybe a chair...

No driving anywhere. No coordinating childcare. No punishing myself for missed days. Just a plan waiting for me when I had a window — even if that window was small.

It still surprises me sometimes how well its working.  I'm not killing myself, I'm not adding way more cardio...I feel steadier and stronger in ways that matter outside the workout.  Carrying the kids is a little easier (and that's saying something-my two year old is a beast and going up stairs holding him is no joke). I feel better in my own skin.

 This hasn't been a dramatic change. It is gradual. Five more pounds on a lift. One less ache in my back. A quiet confidence building week by week.

What I realized is that moms don’t need programs that demand everything from them. We need programs that respect the fact that we’re already giving a lot.

Dumbbells were enough. A clear progression was enough. Three or four focused sessions a week were enough. That's the reasons I built my 12 week at home progressive dumbbell program the way I did.

It tells you what to do. It progresses you week to week. It builds strength without draining the energy you need for everything else.

It fits into nap times. Early mornings. Evenings when you’d rather scroll but know you’ll feel better if you move.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time — when the kids are older, when work slows down, when life feels lighter — I understand that instinct.

But motherhood doesn’t suddenly become less full. It just becomes different.

The real shift happens when you stop trying to force your life to fit a program… and instead choose a program that fits your life.

You don’t need to want it more. You need something sustainable enough to keep showing up. And strength — the steady, repeatable kind — is where that begins.

If you want to know more you can find it here!