As a mom, excuses are easy--especially when it comes to making time for ourselves.

My alarm went off at 5:00 am Tuesday morning. I had about 1 million excuses this morning as to why I shouldn't get up and run. But, I had already taken off the last two days after my 10K race on Saturday.

So, I got myself up, went to my closet where I had placed my running clothes/shoes the night before, and ran my 4 scheduled miles at the gym. I wanted to quit every mile, but I didn't let myself.

Today I'd really like to focus on how I actually find the time to run/exercise as a mom. I know you're all curious...

You have a baby. How do you really find the time to exercise?

Do you ever find yourself making up reasons as to why you can't do something? Well, that had been me after I had my first baby back in December.

But I want to spend time with my baby...
My baby needs me...
My husband needs me...

Your family depends on you. You're a mom. This means that you have to find a way to take care of yourself. You really can't take care of your family unless you take care of yourself.

I actually gained 50 pounds during my pregnancy.

I ate too many sweets and didn't exercise enough throughout my pregnancy (it was a choice I made...). Since I had my daughter in the middle of winter, it made staying inside super easy. I wore comfy clothes, curled up on the couch with her, and called it good during my 8 week maternity leave.

Toward the end of my maternity leave, I knew I had to start exercising. So, I started slow by bundling my daughter up and taking her on walks around our neighborhood.

Excuses are so easy, especially when laying on the couch sounds so much more appealing. I'm not going to lie, I'm a huge fan of laying on the couch... I mean, it's obviously very comfortable! So, I'm really not going to sugar coat this--if you want change, YOU have to make it happen.

I have had the opportunity to be both a working mom and a stay at home mom. This is how I found/find time to exercise:

Working Mom

After my 8 weeks were up, I headed back in February to finish teaching for the rest of the school year. Going back to work brought on a whole other challenge. This is how my days went after I went back to work:

*Middle of the night feedings
*Early feeding before work
*Work all day (pumping every break I had/storing milk/cleaning supplies)
*Gym right after work--walk/run
*Dinner/assemble pumping supplies/get ready for next day
*Middle of the night feedings all over again

Going to the gym during those early days was exhausting, especially since I was back at work and pumping every 3 hours to keep my milk supply up, but I made it happen--it was that much of a priority to me. I trained and was able to run my first post-pregnancy 5K four months after my c-section.

Stay at Home Mom

Where I currently live, there aren't any gyms that have actual child care. In fact, the only gym that does only has it from 5-6pm. That doesn't fit well with me because I can't fit my runs into a single hour, and my husband is home at that time so I'd like to spend time at home with my family.

The support that you need isn't always there in your community.

So... I did originally start running after my husband got home because I was fighting waking up super early. As my mileage has increased, and runs started taking more time, I quickly figured out that this wasn't ideal.

Now, I run in the early morning--I'm talking 5:30 am early.

It's the one way I can guarantee that I will get my run/exercise in for the day. Am I an early morning person? Definitely not, but I make it happen. I also feel better about it because I feel like I'm not missing out on that precious family time at the end of the day.

If I'm not able to get my run in the early morning, I have a jogging stroller and take my daughter out with me to make sure I get my miles for the week. I never make excuses for myself--I make it happen.

YOU have to make time for yourself as a mom, or you'll never get the time.

People aren't going to make the time for you. If you look at all of the fit moms out there, they all have one thing in common: determination. Determined moms know what they want to accomplish, and they make it happen. They don't make excuses--those are easy. Determined moms make results happen, because they make time for themselves... even if it's downright exhausting.

I fight for my running/exercise time. I find a way to make it all work. How do I guarantee this?! I plan ahead and stick to my schedule. I find that having an exercise/running schedule posted on my refrigerator is a great motivator. Plus, I love highlighting my scheduled runs/exercises after I complete them--it makes me feel accomplished!

And let's be honest--exercise time is awesome "me" time. It just feels so amazing when you're finished!