‘SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER!’ The anthem of every school-aged kid, and the most terrifying words to a mother of school-aged children. Kids out of school means kids at home making messes, needing to be fed and most of all, needing to be entertained. This can really throw a wrench into any routine and creates real challenges when trying to stick to a workout routine.

Make it work

My workout partners!

You’re a mom, you know how to improvise and figure out the stickiest situations. You’ve got this. Here’s a couple tips to get you started:

• Wake up 30 minutes earlier, it is summer after all and the sun is up earlier – you can be too
• Your kids aren’t the only ones at home, hire a responsible neighbor kid to help watch your kids
• Short on cash? Swap time with another mom, you watch her kids 30 minutes and then she watches yours – it’s a win-win
• Take the kids to park get in a 30 minute exercise routine while you are there. You can even invite your kids to join you!

Schedule it

When you want to take your exercise or “me time” it legitimately HAS to go on your calendar, just like a doctor’s appointment or a haircut. I also like to make a backup time in case something throws me off schedule. That way if I have my workout planned for 5:30am but if miss my alarm, have a sick kid or one who wakes up extra early, then I know my alternative workout time is 10am (or 9pm). I like a backup on my backup, life can be unpredictable.

Get an accountability partner

As with any commitment, it is best to have someone helping to keep you on track. Right now I have committed to the 21 Day Fix with my hubby and it is working well. He is a morning person and is helping me get out of bed (ugh!) and workout. I also have an online group that I check in with daily. I keep them motivated and they do the same for me.

Another way to stay accountable and make exercise more fun is working out with friends, in person. Once a week I try to either go to a friend’s house or have someone over to my house and workout with me. If you live in the Phoenix area, I’d love to have you join my friends and me. We workout together at our Phoenix Fit Club. If you need an accountability partner, I’m here for you.

Prioritize it

I don’t know about you, but I am constantly working to get the important things to the top of my list. It takes less effort to handle the urgent or easy stuff, but I know I’ll never get my goals accomplished if I don’t make time for the tasks that move me towards my goals. There’s a saying that I refer to frequently, “Like all things in life, if it is important, you will find a way – if not, you will find an excuse.” So here’s to a summer of fun and no excuses!

Got some summer survival tips to share? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.