As mothers, we all have our own stories and circumstances. Some of you may be fortunate to have support around you to help with your children so you can get to the local mummy fitness class at your local gym. Others may have to do everything on their own, I take my hat off to you. As a busy mummy of two, I certainly understand how challenging it can be to parent solo. My husband working a 24-hour shift at the fire station is enough time on my own let alone continuously.

Before you make a plan for your mum's fitness journey it is important to be realistic with the time you have to exercise. The worst thing you can do is over-commit. You will then feel disheartened if you didn’t make the gym session you said you would do. Start small and build up from this.

Here is my step-by-step guide to starting your mum’s fitness journey today, I hope it helps!

1. Find the right programme for you: There are so many choices for exercise, no wonder it feels overwhelming. Pick an exercise/activity you enjoy and know you can commit at least 20-minutes of your time to. This could be walking, mummy fitness classes, a gym class, at-home workouts, running etc.

2. Make a plan: At the start of each week sit down with your diary and plan in your exercise. Make this appointment with yourself, this should help with sticking to it. But remember be realistic with how much time you have, as I guarantee in the early days if you are stretched for time this is the first thing that you will find an excuse not to do. This will then lead to thoughts of failure and you may be tempted to give up. BE REALISTIC!

3. Meal plan: Just like you plan your children’s meals, make sure you make your own ‘mum meal plan’. Lunchtime is very important and is the most common meal busy mums either skip or grab-and-go fast food. What you eat at lunchtime will impact your actions later on in the day. Remember to focus on a balanced plate of lean proteins, carbohydrates and good fats (don’t forget to fill half your plate with green leafy veg or salad too!).

4. The environment dictates performance. If you have cupboards full of refined foods and snacks it is going to make it much harder to create healthy habits. Rather focus on cleaning out your cupboards and replace them with foods high in nutritional value. If you like with a partner or husband then ensure you speak to them and share with them how important it is you make changes to your health and fitness. Extra support from loved ones will really help too.

5. Prepare yourself for challenges. We all have those weeks when the children are off school and nursery due to illness or work is particularly stressful. During these challenging weeks, you may not get to exercise as frequently as you like but remember these stressful times do not last forever. Rather focus on what you can do. Simply taking the children out on their scooters/bikes so you can get more steps in may be a way in which you can add more movement to your day.

The most important thing when starting your journey to a fitter and healthier you is to focus on yourself, please do not compare yourself with what other mums are doing. We all have our own stories and circumstances. If you are wanting to take the first step to achieve a healthier and happier you then why not reach out? Find out more about my mummy's fitness programmes which include a fit mum meal plan and nutritional support.