If you’re too hot, too tired, too busy, or just feeling a bit blah – skipping your workout can seem like a good option.
But if this is happening more often than not, losing pregnancy weight might take longer than you would like; and you might be falling into a bad habit that can be hard to shake.
When you make the decision to really try to lose pregnancy weight it can feel as though all of your energy is focused on healthy eating.
But if you really want to get your results cranking into high gear, adding in some exercise is a sure fire way to get trimmer and more toned.
Read our tips below which can help you avoid cancelling that workout.

Think how you will feel at the end (not at the start)

So often we focus on how hard those first few minutes of exercise are.
Instead, try to vividly recall the feeling after you’ve completed some training.
Sure your body might ache a bit, and you’re all sweaty and hot – but that ‘high’ that you experience post workout is worth bottling.

Workout with someone fitter than you

Find yourself a workout buddy who can really push you harder than you can push yourself. This way you will be less likely to slack off and miss a workout, as you won’t want to let your friend down.
Plus when you are training together you can count on a bit of that competitive spirit to help give you a mental push to try your hardest in the hope that one day soon you might beat your fitter buddy.

Act like someone who just loves to exercise

Have you heard the expression ‘fake it til you make it’? If you play a bit of make believe in your own head that you are a really fit, toned, healthy person who just LOVES exercising – this can actually really help you to squeeze that workout in.
It also works with your healthy eating plan – try to ask yourself questions like ‘would someone who has already reached their goal weight eat this as a morning snack?’

Dangle a carrot as a reward

We all love to feel rewarded for our efforts (remember the gold stars in your work book at school?).
Set up some specific rewards that you can use to keep yourself focused.
Perhaps it could be a massage if you exercise three times per week for three weeks. It could be a new piece of exercise clothing whenever you beat your personal best for running.
Whatever works for you and keeps you focused on getting that workout done today is what you should do. Here are some ideas to get you inspired.

Do what you enjoy

If you really truly absolutely hate jogging, forcing yourself to do it three times a week is surely going to set you up to fail.
Try to find other exercises that you like (or at least, ones that you don’t absolutely hate) and do those instead. Check out our 10 ideas for exercises that you may not have thought of yet.
You might even enjoy trying to exercise with the kids if that makes it more enjoyable. For instance take them in their pram or on a scooter for a walk along a coastal path. Grab a kite and head for a park.

Make some notes

There’s nothing worse than exercising loads and feeling as though you are getting nowhere. But how can you determine if you are improving if you aren’t keeping track?
Make some notes about how long it takes you to do certain things (such as 50 squats or a 2km favourite walk).
Then you can compare again in a month’s time and see how far you’ve come.

Swap a one hour workout for three 10 minute sessions

It can sometimes be hard to get yourself pumped for a full hour-long session of exercise. Why not break it down into more managable chunks and go super hard at those?
You could try our Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD. Each section is either 10 or 15 minutes and you can complete them separately whenever you get the chance.
You could also try some of our HIIT training ideas where you get in, do the workout, and get out.
And while 10 or 15 minutes doesn’t sound like much, but if you commit to doing that two or three times a day it will quickly add up in terms of your calorie burn.
If you like the structure of regular advice on what exercises to do, why not join our next 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge?

Need to stock up on Healthy Mummy Smoothies? Then see our shop here