An expert trainer and CrossFit athlete shares how her workout motivation has changed since she became a mom

Welcome to Workout Diaries, a series where we ask expert trainers to talk us through what a week of exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.

Hannah Eden is a master trainer at iFit and she's also a seriously impressive athlete, with CrossFit competitions, HYROX events and an Ironman race under her belt.

Although Eden is always training for her next challenge, working out is about more than just reaching specific goals for the trainer.

“I'm a huge believer in using fitness as a tool to deal with life and the things that it throws your way,” she tells Fit&Well.

“I'm always working in a very high-stress environment, and I manage the stress so much better once I've got my workout in.”

She explains that exercise not only helps her handle work-related stress, but also the pressures of life and motherhood.

“There's a lot of emotion, there's a lot of stress, and you need to operate with a lot of patience and understanding. If I didn't work out, I think I would be far less patient.”

The athlete says she generally likes to do exercises that help her move better day-to-day and get the most out of her active outdoor hobbies, like hiking.

Here’s what her usual routine looks like.

Hannah Eden's weekly workout routine

Monday 9.30am
Metabolic conditioning workout
AMRAP workout, which means as many rounds of possible of timed rowing machine sessions, barbell cleans and treadmill runs

Tuesday 9.30am
Interval running session
800 metres of sprints, followed by 400 metres of jogging, five times.

Wednesday 9.30am
Strength and conditioning workout
Various moves including back squats, pull-ups and running

Thursday 9.30am
25-minute metabolic conditioning workout
AMRAP workout featuring box step-overs, deadlifts and the ski erg machine

Friday 9.30am
Long run at an easy pace

Saturday
Active recovery

Sunday
Rest

Hannah Eden's workout tips

1. Find something fun

Eden thinks of her workout routine like a game.

“It's not just doing one thing for an hour straight, not boring—it's very exciting and intense, which keeps me engaged,” she says.

If you're new to exercise, Eden says you might need to experiment before you hit on something you really love.

“Be open to trying new things, because you may love it, and don't stop exploring until you find something that fits your preference and your interests.”

2. Get your workout out of the way

“I have to try and fit [my workout] into a window in the morning, which is at 9:30am,” Eden says.

“I'm happy and willing to do those late-night sessions, but I really don't enjoy them as much.

“I feel a lot more alert in the morning if I get it done, and then there's nothing that can come up in the day that could be an excuse as to why I'm not going to do it.”

3. Develop discipline, not motivation

If you want to get fitter, Eden says it’s important you don’t rely on motivation alone.

“I've been doing this for almost 20 years, and to expect motivation to show up every day is just asking for the impossible,” she says.

“Motivation shows up maybe two to three times out of 10. But I think, first of all, it's about discipline.”