If you’re a mom, there’s a good chance you’ve said some version of:

“I’ll work out when I have more time.”

When the baby sleeps longer.
When the toddler stops needing you every 14 seconds.
When work calms down.
When the house is less chaotic.
When you can actually finish a cup of coffee while it’s still hot. ☕️

And maybe you’ve been waiting for that magical day when you can once again block off an hour, pack your gym bag, complete an entire workout, shower, and return to your life feeling like a functioning human.

Girl…

I have some news. 😂

That hour might not be coming anytime soon.

And that doesn't mean you have to stop moving.

In fact, what if we stopped measuring a “real workout” by how long it takes and started looking at movement a little differently?

Enter: the exercise snack. 🍪

And honestly? It might be one of the most mom-friendly fitness trends to come along in a while.

🥜 The Moment I Started Thinking About It

Around three or four weeks postpartum with my second baby, I started having that inevitable thought:

“Okay…how the hell am I going to get back in shape?”

Not because I was ready to jump back into my old workouts. I definitely wasn't. 😅

But I was starting to think about what getting stronger again would look like — and, perhaps more importantly, when the heck I was supposed to find the time to do it.

Because I remembered what working out used to look like.

An hour.

A plan.

A gym bag.

A whole uninterrupted chunk of time.

And I knew that wasn't my reality anymore.

I had to keep reminding myself:

It doesn't have to look like it used to.

I didn't need to recreate my old routine.

I needed to create a new one that actually fit the life I was living.

And that's when I started reminding myself of something I already tell everyone else:

Exercise snacks count, too.

A few squats here.

A few minutes of walking there.

Five or ten minutes of movement when I could grab it.

And honestly?

That little shift made me feel so much less overwhelmed.

Instead of thinking, “How am I ever going to find an hour to get back in shape?”

I could think:

“Hey. I can do this.”

And that felt like a much better place to start.

🍿 So… What Exactly Is an Exercise Snack?

An exercise snack is a short burst of physical activity that you sprinkle throughout your day instead of trying to squeeze one longer workout into an already-packed schedule.

Think:

💪 10 squats while your coffee brews
🪜 A few trips up the stairs
🧘‍♀️ Five minutes of mobility while your baby plays
🏋️‍♀️ A handful of strength exercises while dinner cooks
🚶‍♀️ A quick walk around the block
🔥 Ten minutes of movement during naptime

No gym bag.

No elaborate warm-up.

No perfectly coordinated childcare.

And definitely no requirement to spend 60 minutes pretending you enjoy burpees. 😂

It’s movement that works with your life instead of requiring your life to stop so you can work out.

👶 Why This Matters So Much for Moms

Because motherhood can completely change your relationship with time.

Before kids, you might have been able to say:

“I’m going to work out at 9.”

Now?

9 AM could mean feeding a baby.

9:15 could mean changing a diaper.

9:30 could mean negotiating with a toddler about pants.

9:45 could mean you finally get to pee alone.

And suddenly your workout window is gone. 😂

This is why I love the concept of exercise snacks.

They remove the idea that fitness has to happen in one big, perfect block of time.

Instead, you can collect movement throughout the day.

And those little moments add up.

🇺🇸 But This Isn't Just a Mom Problem

America has a fitness problem.

We have incredibly high rates of physical inactivity and chronic disease, yet so much of the fitness industry is built around an ideal customer who has plenty of time, money, energy, confidence, and access.

The traditional formula is something like:

Join a gym.

Block off an hour.

Drive there.

Work out.

Shower.

Drive home.

Repeat several times a week.

And maybe buy the $150 leggings while you're at it. 😜

For some people, that works.

For a lot of people, it simply isn't attainable.

Maybe you work two jobs.

Maybe you have kids and no childcare.

Maybe you can't afford a gym membership or personal training.

Maybe you're intimidated by the gym.

Maybe you're caring for a parent.

Maybe you have 10 minutes between meetings.

Maybe you haven't exercised in years and don't know where to start.

Or maybe you're just a regular human with a regular, chaotic life.

The problem isn't necessarily that people don't care about their health.

Sometimes the problem is that the way we've been told to get healthy doesn't fit their lives.

And that's a problem I care deeply about.

Because I don't believe fitness should be reserved for people who already have the time, money, energy, or confidence to participate.

Movement should be accessible.

And exercise snacks are one really simple way to make it more accessible.

💪 But Does It Actually Count?

YES.

And this is where exercise snacks get really interesting.

A 2026 review looked at more than 400 previously inactive adults and found that short bouts of physical activity could lead to meaningful improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness — without requiring traditional, longer workout sessions.

Other research has also connected regular short bouts of movement with benefits including improved blood sugar regulation, blood pressure, and mood.

In other words:

Your 7-minute workout isn't “less than.”

It's movement.

It's training.

It's a chance to strengthen your body, get your heart rate up, improve your fitness, and build the habit of taking care of yourself.

And perhaps most importantly:

It's something more people can actually do.

💥 Exercise Snacks = Fitness for Real Life

This is what I love most about them.

You don't have to become a “fitness person.”

You don't need to overhaul your entire routine.

You don't need a home gym.

You don't need an hour.

You can start with what you have.

Three minutes.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

A squat.

A walk.

A stretch.

A few push-ups against the counter.

And if you have more time?

Awesome. Do more.

If you don't?

What you did still counts.

That's the whole point.

💛 What This Looks Like for Me Right Now

Six weeks postpartum, my body still doesn't quite feel like mine.

It feels like I'm borrowing it from someone stronger and forgot to ask for the user manual.

I know this walk. I've done it before, with Calliope.

And somehow, doing it a second time didn't make it easier.

Nobody warns you that “you've done this before” and “this will be easier” are not the same sentence.

The old me used to plan workouts.

Block out the hour. Pack the bag. Show up like a person with a functioning schedule.

That woman is a myth now.

A rumor I've heard about but can no longer confirm. 😂

There is no hour.

There's a newborn who eats every two hours, a toddler with VERY strong opinions about socks 🧦, and approximately 47 other things happening at any given moment.

Somewhere between diaper changes, feedings, snacks, negotiations, and trying to remember why I walked into a room, there's a body that carried a whole human asking me to be patient with it.

I am trying.

I am also very tired.

And mildly delirious. ☕️

So right now, an exercise snack in my house might look like:

🥜 12 bodyweight squats while the bottle warms

🪑 A wall sit during the “one more episode” negotiation

🪜 Stair climbs with the baby carrier on while the groceries are still sitting in the car

💪 20 counter push-ups while dinner simmers

🚶‍♀️ Walking to help Thalia fall asleep

Small.

Repeatable.

Done.

Not the workout I used to do.

The workout I can actually do.

And right now, that’s everything.

🫵 Your Exercise Snack Challenge

This week, don't try to overhaul your life.

Pick TWO.

Just two.

Find two tiny pockets in your day where you can add a little movement.

That's it.

No guilt if you miss one.

No “starting over Monday.”

No waiting until you have the perfect conditions.

Because fitness shouldn't be something you have to earn the right to participate in.

It should meet you where you are.

Need a little guidance? We’ve got you. 💪

The Awesome Studio is filled with short, effective workouts designed to fit into real life — including workouts you can knock out in 5, 10, or 15 minutes.

So if you don't know what to do with those little pockets of time, we've got the plan.

You just press play. 🎬

Try the Awesome Studio FREE for 7 days and find a few exercise snacks that work for you.

No hour required.
No perfection necessary.
Just a little movement, a little consistency, and a whole lot of Awesome. ✨

TRY THE AWESOME STUDIO FREE FOR 7 DAYS →

Because you don't have to have an hour to take care of yourself.

You just have to start with what you've got.

Stay Awesome. 💖

— Wonder Nat

Sources

Wan, K. et al. "Effects of Exercise Snacks on Cardiometabolic Health and Body Composition in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2025. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12354995
"Exercise Snacks May Boost Cardiorespiratory Fitness of Physically Inactive Adults." British Journal of Sports Medicine / BMJ Group, 2026. bmjgroup.com
Frontiers in Public Health, 2026 narrative review on exercise snacks and metabolic health. frontiersin.org
Systematic review (26 studies) on postprandial glucose, insulin, triglycerides, blood pressure, and cardiorespiratory fitness. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12732512
"Is There Any Truth to the Exercise Snacking Trend?" Psychology Today, 2026. psychologytoday.com
"Exercise Snacks: How to Sneak More Exercise Into Your Day." UT MD Anderson. mdanderson.org
"5 Reasons Snack-Sized Workouts Are the Hottest 2026 Wellness Hit." Forbes, 2026. forbes.com

Exercise Snacks: The Workout for Moms Who Don’t Have Time to Work Out 🍪💪