Stroller Strides Multi.png

How to Stay Faithful to Your Workout Routine

The relationship you have with your workout routine is oddly similar to the one you have with your significant other. At first it’s thrilling. You have finally found someone or something that catapults you into the potential actuality of reaching your life goals. You will have the perfect house and a golden retriever and a bunch of little rascals playing Ring Around The Rosie in their rooms and not behaving badly - the same as you might fantasize about flying high from all those endorphins you’ll get on your early morning run or from imagining yourself losing your baby weight, fitting into jeans from high school and running into your ex that dumped you back in the day.

What your relationship and workout routine also have in common is that that life happens. The perfect house is too expensive because Los Angeles is completely unaffordable. Your golden retriever likes to pee on your couch and your children are most definitely behaving badly. You’re too tired to make it to your morning workout and those jeans are way out of style anyway. There are always excuses in both relationships and routine to find a way to take the easy way out but the truth is, maintaining a healthy relationship is hard and so is your workout routine, especially when you are a remarkably busy, tired, and overwhelmed mommy. Here’s the good news: there are ways to put that spark back into your love life (I have no answers) and a way to put that spark back into your workout routine (I have answers!).

Here are some ways I have found helpful in maintaining a healthy, fun and committed FIT4MOM workout regimen:

1. GO TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION

  • FIT4MOM SF Valley and Northeast LA has FIVE different locations. Sherman Oaks, Burbank, Highland Park, Silverlake and Glendale.

  • Attention all valley mommies! Glendale Stroller Strides is at The Americana. Which means a workout and then Anthropology and Sephora. And Cheesecake Factory. AND SPRINKLES. It’s worth the drive.

  • Highland Park mommies! Class meets twice a week which means you have three other days to go to The Americana - particularly on Mondays when there’s movie day after class. Or head to Burbank and grab coffee with the moms after class on Wednesdays!

  • East Side Mommies - take a class in the valley sometime. I’d love to meet you and point you in the best direction to get San Fernando Valley sushi and wine.

  • New locations mean different instructors, new friends, and a change of scenery, which will help if you are experiencing a lull in your exercise routine.

2. TRY A NEW CLASS

  • Whether you’re an avid Stroller Strides/Barre goer, a faithful HIIT & Body Transformation fan or Strides 360 maniac - try something you’ve never tried before. You get a FREE class anytime you come to a class you haven’t yet taken. Strides 360 is a terrific compliment to Stroller Strides and our HIIT classes in the studio because it’s the only workout where our main focus is on agility and cardiovascular strength.

  • If you haven’t taken a HIIT class in one of our 3 studio locations, take a Sunday morning community class and see for yourself what all the moms are talking about!

  • Variety is the key to sustaining a routine because redundancy can make anyone go rogue.

3. ENROLL, ENROLL, ENROLL

  • Accountability is HUGE when you’re in a goal setting frame of mind. Every week we send out a weekly newsletter with our schedule and going-ons in every location. You can enroll yourself in as many classes as you want for the week and make a commitment to yourself to go!

  • There is no penalty for enrolling and not showing up - but having yourself enrolled in the class and adding it to your calendar is super motivating.

4. SET NEW GOALS

  • Take advantage of all the things FIT4MOM has to offer beyond just our classes.

  • Sign up for your first 5K and find a running buddy on our Run Club Facebook Page to train with you!

  • Broaden your horizons and join our Book Club.

  • Come to Mom’s Night Out and meet moms with similar interests and chat with them.

5. GET NEW GEAR

  • There’s nothing better than buying adorable new workout clothes and then actually working out in them! I find that whenever I get something new to wear to a fitness class, I go more often because it feels good to work out and look cute at the same time.

  • Athleta and Road Runner (in Sherman Oaks) are GREAT options for some new clothes - shoes, too. Our friends in those stores are very helpful in finding the right fit for anyone and they often have awesome sales.

  • No time to shop? I get it. Amazon Prime - they have surprisingly flattering and affordable workout gear. I live in my $25 Prime yoga pants. And 2 sports bras. And tons of tank tops.

6. MAKE MAMA FRIENDS

This is crucial to maintaining a FIT4MOM workout plan. FIT4MOM isn’t just about the fitness. It’s also very much about the motherhood journey and the friends we make along with it. The more often you attend classes and maintain your schedule you will meet other moms on the same schedule as you. There have been so many times that I’ve felt lazy and didn’t want to go to class when a fellow FIT4MOM friend texted me, “I’m going to class tomorrow, are you?” and that alone jumpstarted me back into my morning Stroller Strides classes. Because even if I’m too tired to do burpees I’m never too tired to blab to my girlfriend.

Consistency will make you stronger and will help you find that Mama Tribe we all need to survive.

Bottom line: Don’t let life get in the way of your relationship OR your workout routine. Both are lifestyles, both are hard to maintain and both are worth it. They take commitment and work and when you give them the attention they need the end result is insurmountably satisfying. Hope to see you in class, Mamas :)