10 Excuses Every Parent Makes—And How to Break Them

Being a parent is a full-contact sport. There are elbows to dodge, snacks to prep, tantrums to referee, and laundry piles that rival Everest. So it's no surprise that fitness sometimes falls off the back burner and onto the floor altogether.

But here's the truth: You don't need 90-minute gym sessions or total life overhauls to get strong, feel good, and model healthy habits for your kids. What you need is a mindset shift—from all-or-nothing to always-something.

Here are 10 of the most common excuses we hear from parents—and exactly how to punch holes in them:

1. "I don’t have time to work out."

• Tactic: Stack your habits.

• Borrowing from James Clear's Atomic Habits, find existing parts of your day to tack movement onto. Playing at the park? Do push-ups on the bench. Brewing coffee? Squat while it drips. Bonus: Your kid might join in. Built-in accountability buddy.

2. "My schedule’s too unpredictable."

• Tactic: Use micro workouts.

• No one said it had to be a full-hour sweatfest. Ten-minute "workout snacks" throughout the day can still move the needle—and research backs it. (Shoutout to the Journal of the American Medical Association for showing that short bursts of movement reduce all-cause mortality.)

3. "Everything else comes first."

• Tactic: Put workouts on the family calendar.

• Soccer practice, dentist appointments, birthday parties—they all make the cut. Why not your workout? Block the time. Set the tone. Prioritize your oxygen mask so you can show up better for everyone else.

4. "My partner doesn’t prioritize fitness."

• Tactic: Leverage social support.

• Have the conversation. Swap childcare. Align your goals. If you can sync your Netflix shows, you can sync your squat sessions. Be teammates.

5. "I’m not motivated."

• Tactic: Train with purpose, not just for aesthetics. Forget chasing abs. Think about playing soccer with your kids without gasping for air. Think about dancing at their weddings. Anchor your workouts to a deeper why.

6. "I missed my routine, so I skipped it."

• Tactic: Go for 'good enough.

• Perfection is a trap. One set is better than zero. Five minutes is better than none. Show up. Check the box. Momentum matters more than mastery.

7. "I’m too tired."

• Tactic: Improve your sleep hygiene.

• Yes, you're tired. Welcome to parenthood. But if you're regularly skipping sleep to scroll TikTok after bedtime, we need to talk. Screens down. Magnesium up. Go to bed like your gains depend on it—because they do.

8. "I can’t find childcare."

• Tactic: Include your kids in your workouts.

• Fitness doesn’t need to happen in isolation. Let them crawl through your plank. Race them up the stairs. Play Lava Monster (a.k.a. agility training). Let them see movement as normal, not punishment.

9. "I don’t have time to meal prep."

• Tactic: Automate your nutrition.

• Keep it simple. Keep it boring. Have go-to meals on autopilot. Rotisserie chicken, eggs, fruit, and frozen veggies go a long way. If all else fails, protein shakes and frozen meals can fill in the gaps.

10. "I don’t know if what I’m doing is working."

• Tactic: Track something simple.

• Forget weight and measurements for a sec. Track frequency. Did you move today? Did you check the box? That’s progress. That's winning.

Final Thoughts:

Parenting doesn't destroy your fitness goals. It just rewrites them.

You might not train like you did in your 20s—but you’re not that person anymore. Now you have the chance to model consistency, resilience, and health for your kids. And guess what? They’re watching.

So let's reframe. It's not about perfect workouts. It's about showing up, stacking small wins, and building momentum.

Because strong parents raise strong kids. Period.