Babies are like bad rental tenants. They move into a pristine place, then proceed to tear down the wallpaper, scratch the hardwood, dent the baseboards and then on the way out be all, “What? What did I do so wrong?!”

The difference between a house and a body is that it takes a lot less time to strip the carpet and repaint the walls of a house than it does to strip the pounds and reframe your body.

And also, babies are much cuter than crappy renters. So there’s that.

That was my long and crappy metaphor to say, moms know, having kids can really mess up your shit.

And the crazy part is, after you have the baby, it actually feels kinda strange to be on your own again. Then, of course, add to that the nursing, which is a physical challenge in and of itself, and/or the long and late nights, and it all makes it pretty tough to get back to feeling like yourself again.

But today, I’m starting to make the changes.

Okay, maybe tomorrow, since today is a holiday, but trust me, VERY SOON!

The key requirement for me at this stage in the game is low-commitment–nothing that’s going to take up too much time or energy. Since I still can’t physically be away from the baby because I’m nursing, small steps it is.

After having my first two babies, I found that starting by focusing on simple diet tweaks and super-easy exercise paved the way to being more active down the line, when I was more physically ready. As they say, walk before you can run. And by “run,” I mean, “run without peeing yourself.”

So here are a few ways I am going to get some motivation to get healthy again, and I hope they can help someone else out there too!

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How I’m Getting on the Road Back to Health

1. Forcing the Greens

If you’re anything like me, spinach or any other greens don’t typically find their way onto the menu unless you consciously find a way to add them in. This means planning out at least one meal or snack a day with some type of green. Here’s what I do.

I’ve shared my recipe for a healthy smoothie for kids before, and it’s great for adults too! This is a super simple way to sneak in some spinach without even realizing it.

And since the last thing I have time for these days is chopping vegetables, we have started picking up salad kits from the grocery store (which, oh my gosh, am I the last person in the world to realize these are A Thing? Because damn, they make life easy.) This one is my favorite. Go light on the dressing you if you want to cut even more calories, and if you’re looking for a great organic option, we just started using this brand, and it’s delicious!

2: Intermittent Fasting

Okay, this one sounds a lot worse than it really is. The concept of intermittent fasting has been around for a while, and there are several ways to do it.

I like the 12-hour fast, because it’s easy enough to finish up dinner at 7 and wait until at least 7 or 8 to have breakfast the next morning.

Since it’s not a diet, it doesn’t even really specify which foods you should or shouldn’t be eating, but would it apparently does is trigger your system to burn calories more efficiently.

I also just came across this article which lays out the whole concept so simply: I love it!

3: Simple Workout Apps

Because I have to stay close to the baby right now, my workout space is a patch of carpet in front of our TV in our bedroom. The most time I can spare at once is about 10 minutes, so I fire up my favorite workout app, SWORKIT, and get down to business.

And by “getting down to business,” I mean do two moves, hit Pause to answer the big kids’ screams from across the house, get two more moves in, and then stop to nurse again. Rinse and repeat.

It won’t go down in the books as the Best. Workout. Ever. But it does get the rusty cogs moving again.

This list also has some other good workout app options; check it out!

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Hope this helps you get inspired to get moving too! How did you get start getting fit again after baby? I’d love to hear all about it in Comments below!

Sonni Abatta is an Orlando lifestyle and mom blogger who may or may not be eating dark chocolate right now, after posting this article about getting healthy. Don’t ask. Have any questions, qualms or want to collaborate? Reach out to Sonni@SonniAbatta.com!