As a mom, how should I approach exercise?

As a mom, you don't have to close everything off and focus on just the exercise to get a fat-defying, energizing workout. Most moms can agree that exercise has to fit into your life and the business of your household. But of all the "secrets" we hear about when it comes to sculpting the body and maintaining fitness, we often don't think about the bonus of nurturing friendships at the same time. As women, we have an innate need to identify with other women, especially moms who share the same struggles of raising children. Workouts can be as much about the mental therapy of good conversation as it is about the body therapy of good exercise. It's as easy as that.

We're not saying that you have to exercise with friends every day, but the point is clear: it helps to view exercise as an opportunity to tune out your "real" world as an overscheduled mother and just be in the moment with your body. It's where you are allowed to finish a sentence. It's where you give yourself permission to have no interruptions and to focus on just yourself and perhaps another human being. Your body may be working hard, but your mind is relaxed. You don't feel exasperated. There's nothing more energy-building than that. Far too often we see women treat exercise as yet another chore, another To Do. It's boring. It's hard. It's exhausting. It's not fun, but it doesn't have to be that way. Far from it!

The message here isn't so much about any activity that gets you moving and your heart beating is enough to do the job. But it's how a mother should go about her activity that makes a difference. With the goal of losing herself among thoughts, friends, and a body in sweaty motion, she gets results that go farther than a nice pair of legs, or set of abs, or whatever. And that's probably the ultimate key to success in staying active and fit. Without that component you won't be motivated to do anything.