How do moms in big law and with young kids stay in shape? What workouts do you do/how do you incorporate them into your routine?

1 Pilates class a week on Saturdays during nap time and walking as much as possible (push the stroller for 5+ miles on weekend days and try to at least get a mile or so in after work when the weather is nice)

Mom of 3 (with one on the way) — I wake up at 4:30 am to get a workout in. Usually strength training 3x a week and walking 5x a week. Now that I’m in my third trimester…. I strength training 2x a week and try to walk 10-15 minutes daily. It’s a challenge!!

Mounjaro

Peloton here... I'm a night owl, so I try to squeeze in a workout after the kids go down (aim for 3x a week but usually 1 to 2x a week)

We don’t. I have a treadmill under my desk I walk on and if I’m lucky I get a 30-45 min workout (peloton) in on the weekends. If I get lucky and I’m slower, I can squeeze in an early morning or evening workout, but lately that’s been impossible. One day I’ll be fit again. Sigh.

Peloton mom here too. No time to go to the gym. Early morning workouts (20 minute strength, HIIT, bike) few times a week and one weekend run.

Paying through the nose to have the nanny stay late and go to a 45 min class on the way home from work

I go to 5:30 AM hot yoga and usually and getting home when everyone else is waking up.

Peloton workouts. 20 minutes here, 30 minutes there. Walking a lot.

My gym has a daycare and I see moms working out/working with a personal trainer while their child is in the daycare.

We live in a highrise but so I take the elevator to the gym and get a quick treadmill session in usually on my wfh days and weekends early morning.

No idea. The best I’ve been able to do is like 45 minute walks in the mid morning to take a break.

Is there a way to lift weights with legs while seated at a desk? I find standing desks annoying, but I feel like I could maybe lift or press with my legs.

Following! Sr associate with one kiddo. I get one quality gym session in a week on weekends, try to get at least 2 other workouts in during the week on wfh days (running or weights at home), and then walk a lot on office days. I loved working out 5-6 times a week pre kid, and reminding myself this is just a phase and one day my kid (or future kids) will be more independent and I’ll have more time?

Mostly diet honestly. I do a weekly tennis lesson at 6 am and then walk a mile or so after dinner with the kids.

We also do a lot of impromptu dance parties together, and those are surprisingly good workouts.

Sr associate with 2 kids. Working out 3 days a week is a must for me otherwise I suffer from terrible headaches, anxiety, etc., so I make time for it. I block off time in my calendar 3 times a week during lunch and go to a close gym that way I'm in and out of there quickly. I used to work out in the evenings, but now my kids are the age where I run them around, so I can't get my workouts in then. That being said, I wake up extra early on those 3 days to get my work done or stay up late. If you don't MAKE time for working out, you will never have the time and you'll suffer physically and mentally for a firm that will work you until you're burnt out and have nothing left to give. Make time for yourself!

I do at-home workouts with the FitOn app in the morning and my LO chills and plays with her toys. I usually only get 20-30 minutes but it’s enough to have made a difference. I also do an hour-long yoga class most weekends while hubby watches the kiddo. I get up around 5 though so I sacrifice sleep to be able to exercise lol.

Park further away so you get more steps in, take the stairs when you can, step outside for a walk when taking a phone call (can even do phone consults while walking and just take notes on your phone).

Former biglaw mom, but my 99th% baby either wanted me to hold her, throw her in the air, or chase her whenever she saw me…so I got ripped pretty quickly after having her without ever stepping foot in a gym lol. I also did a lot of baby squats.

Whenever I wasn’t working, I wanted to be with my kid, so I combined quality baby time with workout time. We did mommy and me floor Pilates on weekends.

My kiddo still wipes me out tbh and caring for her still feels like a pretty intense workout everyday - she just never stops moving 🫠🙃

Now that she’s older, we do lots of physical activities together since she has endless energy she needs to expel for me to have any hope of getting her down for the night

It is really hard as an associate, easier now as a partner. I rely on my husband a lot. I usually try to do at least 10 minutes of activity each day and incorporate activity into my commute.
- 10 minutes of yoga in the morning — doing intense sun salutations can get your heart rate up.
- I have incorporated walking/biking into my commute.
- I try to do exercise when my kids do it. For example, my son is enrolled in rock climbing and I climb when I take him.
- I try to set goals in my exercise to take things to the next level. For example, I am training for a sprint triathlon, so I have to set aside 20-30 minutes to run/bike/swim.

Agreed that is mostly diet. I try to get to the gym at least 3x a week (sometimes it’s 4-5 but 3 minimum) with two of those being weekend days. Besides my one week’s gym session I do YouTube weight videos for 30-40 minutes.