Emma Lewis, mother-of-seven, insists there's always time to workout.Getty
A Nothern Irish mother-of-seven has urged people to prioritize their physical health, stating there is always time to work out, even when raising seven kids.
Emma Lewis, 39, said people who claim they are too busy to exercise are just "making excuses".
"It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s total rubbish if you think you don’t have time to do a quick 10-minute workout," Lewis told the South West News Service.
"If you can sit on your phone for 30 minutes, you can exercise."
Lewis said she used to think she was too busy being a mother to exercise but said she has recently learned how to prioritize herself, as well as her kids.
Lewis added that she used to work out every day before work before becoming a Mom and said she decided to try and rediscover that lifestyle in 2021 when she looked in the mirror and did not recognize the person looking back at her.
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"When you’re navigating parenthood, it can all slip away," Lewis said. "I was feeling exhausted, lethargic and unmotivated all the time because I was burning the candle at both ends and not having routines for myself."
Lewis told the South West News Service that she began setting 10 minutes aside each day to exercise and found that it instantly improved how she felt. She said she now does a mixture of weights and pilates and says she no longer feels lethargic or sluggish after making the lifestyle change.
Lewis added that she also tries to fit in exercise while carrying out daily tasks, stating that she likes to squat while preparing meals and she often brings weights to the bathroom.
She revealed that she has also changed other lifestyle habits and says she now often reads a chapter of a book and seeks to make more nutritious meals.
She believes she is now in the "best shape" of her life and is setting a good example for her kids.
Lewis said she never used to leave the house without doing her make-up before having kids and revealed that she is now implementing similar self-care habits.
"It started with exercise and diet but now it’s about self-care which means reading, fake tanning twice a week and I never do the school run without my hair and make up done.
"When people message me asking how I do it all, I just say that I find the time."