I Swapped My Scroll Time for Squats — and Here’s What Happened

For years, I told myself the same comforting little lie:

“I just don’t have time to work out.”

And honestly? It felt true. I’m a mom of three. I have a full-time job as a chemist. I clock in at 8am and usually clock out emotionally by 4:59pm. By the time I get home, my brain is mush, my energy is gone, and the only movement I want to do are my fingers on the tv remote.

So of course I didn’t have time for workouts.

Because workouts were for people with time. Not people with toddlers.

But... deep down, I knew it was an excuse.

You see, I live with this amazing human being who calls himself my husband — also known as “the calm in our chaotic storm.” He’s a stay-at-home dad, and honestly? He does everything. Cooking, grocery shopping, school runs, tantrum-taming — and he still manages to make me a cup of coffee every morning like some domestic wizard.

One weekend, I decided to really watch him. (Creepily. Like David Attenborough observing wildlife.)

He diced vegetables while one child screamed. He grabbed the laundry from the drying line and brought it in with a toddler shouting "daddy, can we buy tesla? " . He even hummed while doing the dishes. And of course sometimes, he matches my youngest screaming. 

And then — just when I thought he might sit down and collapse — he looked at me and said,

“The kids can eat first. I’ll do my workout now and have dinner after.”

Wait. What?!

That was the moment it hit me like a kettlebell to the shin.

He wasn’t just surviving the chaos. He was managing it. He had what I didn’t: discipline. Not just in parenting, but in his routines, his food, his mindset. Meanwhile, I had been walking around in a fog of exhaustion, feeling sorry for myself… while calling every break a “well-deserved rest.”

The truth?

I wasn’t overworked.

I was under-moving.

So I started small. And I mean tiny.

Instead of scrolling Instagram for 45 minutes, I moved my body. Sometimes it was stretching. Sometimes walking.

I swapped one sugary drink for water with water. 

I started eating proper meals instead of “toddler leftovers.”

I stopped using guilt as a reason to delay self-care.

Two weeks in, something shifted. I wasn’t magically less busy. But I felt better — more grounded, more alive. I stopped needing coffee to survive, and started wanting to move because it felt good.

*okay, I lied about not needing coffee. 

This journey isn’t about flat abs or tight thighs. It’s about showing up for myself with the same love I give everyone else. It’s about being strong enough to carry my children and my joy.

If you’re a mom who feels like she’s always last on the list — I see you. I was you.

Start with one small thing. That’s all it takes.

The rest? It’ll follow.

To strength, sweat, and showing up every day —

Finding power in motherhood and muscle

p/s : please listen to Rachel Platten "Fight Song". It really lifted up my spirit.