How Moms Can Combine Exercise and Motherhood for Mental Well-being

Parents have been assured that their overwhelming stress of raising children will not go unnoticed: In the United States, the Surgeon General recently announced parental mental health and well-being counseling.

Although it is not surprising that raising children with additional challenges related to social media contributes to parental stress, that is especially visible in mothers of small children.

In my work as an exercise physiologist and health researcher, my goal is to teach mothers to move their bodies and appreciate the importance of being physically lively. while maintaining compassion for yourself. I understand that although physical activity can be beneficial to mental well-being, this is also an additional condition in case of a congested schedule.

Read more: Heart Rate Variability and Self-Compassion: Two Tools to Assist Postpartum Women Make Exercise Decisions

Moms who have to deal with endless to-do lists don’t expect the established approach to exercise (drive to the gym, work out for 30-60 minutes, drive home). Yet that’s exactly what parents’ social media feeds are flooded with, as some mothers promote their fitness programs and get back to their pre-pregnancy shape.

Why Workouts Often Don’t Work

Behavioral medicine experts have noted that established exercise recommendations—structured exercise at a specific intensity for an extended period of time— may have a deterrent effect in some circumstances. They simply don’t work for people who have trouble finding time in their schedules to take care of themselves. This may be most true for mothers who often burdening household chores in advanceimmersed in intensive parentingcarrying the mental burden of motherhood (birth and raising of a diminutive child) and work outside the home.

In recent decades, time spent with children has increased dramaticallyAND most mothers do not have the support that would make raising children easierIt is no wonder that mental well-being suffers, and even more so, physical activity.

AND 2020 study found that 39 percent of working mothers in the United States did not engage in any vigorous activity during the week. Yet those who were able to engage in regular physical activity had a higher quality of life.

Feasible physical fitness

So what is the solution? How can we promote physical activity to support mothers’ mental well-being without adding to their overwhelming to-do list? My own research with novel mothers has shown that those who try to stick to more structured exercise routines often find that they fall by the wayside because Even the best-laid plans can be thwarted by a child’s illness, work deadlines, and softball tryouts..

In a recent study, my colleagues and I focused on helping mothers engage in physical activity based on their own sense of readiness. This prevents exercise from becoming another burden that their bodies can’t handle. For example, one participant described:

“Obviously I don’t feel the best, so I’m not going to push myself to do anything too intense… I’m just giving you permission to focus on yourself more and recover, so that was nice.”

In the previous study, we presented physical activity programming in a structured online format to novel mothers. Participants were unable to follow the program as expected and felt they were failing.

“At the end of the day I thought to myself: yes, no, I’m not going to make this film, I’m going to sleep. That would tranquil me down […] I wasn’t enough, […] I should have done it, I should have pushed myself harder. So it was a love-hate relationship.

Versatile approach

It appears that a versatile approach may be best for mothers who want to remain physically lively, given the difficulty of finding time to follow more exacting programs.

“Workout Snacks” have become an opportunity to move in diminutive bites throughout the day to achieve health benefits. Furthermore, “no pain, no gain” has gone out of fashion and more and more emphasis is being placed on promoting enjoyable exerciseFor example, the ability to choose how challenging you push your body during exercise — instead of being prescribed a specific intensity — increases overall engagement in physical activity. Green exercise, or engaging in physical activity in a natural environment, It has also been shown to be more enjoyable and should be considered as a way to increase adherence.

Read more: Snacking Your Way to Better Health with Compact-Portion Exercise Breaks

As a full-time mom of two teenage children—and without a local support system—exercise has changed dramatically for me over the past few years. I’ve found time to do yoga in the office before picking up my kids from school, I’ve run or walked on baseball fields during the spring sports chaos, and I’ve lifted weights in the backyard while my kids run circles around me. It’s not ideal, but it works, and I feel better for it.

While all mothers have different challenges and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions, mothers who don’t get physical activity during these stressful years are not promoting their health and well-being. So perhaps the solution is to be versatile and understanding with yourself about getting physical while also acknowledging the many demands placed on mothers.