Mom life is rough.

Taking care of little ones means you barely have any time for yourself.

As a result, I’ve come up with a list of shortcuts to being healthy. For when you can’t get out for that morning jog…or out of your pajamas.

• Drink more water (duh). I think we all know this, but you actually have to do it for it to work. Some days I swear it feels like all I drink is caffeine and alcohol. Time to insert some huge glasses of water in between my mugs of coffee and my glasses of wine. I have found that having it in a container with a straw helps me drink more. (I have the Camelbak Eddy Bottle.) I also like to put slices of cucumbers in my water…so I can close my eyes and pretend I’m at a spa, instead of cleaning up after a two-year-old who pooped in the bathtub. (Sidenote: Putting ice-cubes in your wine counts for this tip.)

• Squeeze your butt cheeks when you’re walking or running. I noticed that I kind of squeeze my butt cheeks when I’m running, so now I make an effort to do it when I’m just walking, too. Every little bit counts!

• Naked push-ups. Ever have the feeling like your time in the bathroom is the only free time you get all day? Yeah. Me too. Since I usually manage to treat myself to 10 minutes of shower time each day, I drop and do 25 push-ups right before I get into the shower. No one’s the wiser, except my newly-blossoming tricep muscles.

• Tub squats. Speaking of bathroom time, I also get a good twenty minutes in there during my kids’ bath time. While they are trying to drown each other playing nicely, I do my squats next to the tub. (Beware if your child stands up and starts to squat IN the tub, she’s probably not exercising. See “Drink more water” tip above.)

• Kegels while driving. There’s not much you can do to improve your health while you’re driving, unless you want to bring a Thighmaster with you. Since I don’t have a Thighmaster (nor do they exist anymore, but you can get something like this), I do my kegels while I’m driving. Do they really do anything? Who knows. But I feel better because I count it as my daily charitable act to my husband.

• Side lunges while holding your baby (or your cat). Until very recently, I was up with my infant son a few times a night. Sometimes he required me to rock him back to sleep, but not while in a rocking chair. That would cause him to instantly start screaming. No, he wanted to be rocked while I was standing up, dancing around the room with him. (Yes, I’m a pushover and I’m probably spoiling him. Get over it.) Sometime in my delirium, I developed a sort of dance move/exercise that seems to soothe him…I do side lunges while gently bouncing him. It’s really more like a gentle shaking, but I don’t want y’all getting the wrong idea. SHAKING BABIES IS BAD. DON’T EVER SHAKE A BABY.

• Ab work while laying on the floor. Lots of times, my kids like to crawl all over me. Mainly because I’m laying on the floor, wondering when it will be naptime. I’ve started to take the opportunity to do some ab moves while on the floor. Nothing fancy- just your basic crunches. Extra points for doing the Airplane Game and lifting your kids in the air with your feet. (Sidenote: I hate the Airplane Game.)

• Lift dumbbells while watching TV. With all my soaps, Bravo, and The Bachelor, I have like a zillion hours of TV to watch each week. I leave my weights next to the couch so that I can get a mini-workout in while I’m shouting at the TV. “Leave Lisa alone, Brandi! Everyone hates you!”

• Eat an apple. Did you know that eating one apple can negate the effects of eating five cookies? Okay so maybe I made that up, but eating a bunch of fruits and veggies always makes me feel healthier after a day or week of eating poorly. It also helps when I’m in the middle of a binge session- just eating a carrot stick is enough to change the taste in your mouth and make you stop. Try it!

• Quick workout DVDs. I have tried the trendy P90X and Insanity workout DVDs, but my favorite remains Jillian Michaels. Her 30 Day Shred DVD is what I use to whip my body into shape. I love it because it is SO quick (like 25 minutes) and there are three different levels. You can even stay on Level 1 for a month and still get a tough workout! I’ve recently discovered her 6 Week Six-Pack workout, which I watch on YouTube since I don’t have the DVD.

• Read about working out. So this is definitely the laziest of my tips, but I swear- reading about exercising always makes me want to exercise. I open up Runner’s World and within minutes I’m planning my next run. So what if that plan never comes to fruition? In that moment, I still FEEL healthy…healthier than when I’m on Pinterest pinning cookie recipes.

So there you have it- my definitely NON-expert tips for getting somewhat healthy.

Naked push-ups for everyone!