“I’m in my 40s and my number one goal is to be really strong”—a trainer and mom of four shares her realistic weekly workout routine

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.

Sara Haley is a trainer based in Santa Monica, CA, who works primarily with midlife women. As well as being a pre/post natal exercise specialist, she’s a busy mom of four.

Over the years, Haley’s fitness priorities have evolved. “I’m in my 40s, and my number one goal is to be really strong,” she tells Fit&Well.

Since becoming a parent, Haley says she has had to be realistic about how much movement she can really fit into her weeks and focus on what’s most important for her. “Sometimes, when you’re a parent, your life isn’t about you anymore, and so you’re trying to squeeze [workouts] in,” she says.

With all her children in school, she’s been able to start training more. But she says it’s important to be realistic with where you’re at in life and don’t feel as though you need to copy the exact routines of trainers on social media.

“I don't think a lot of trainers are honest about what they’re doing,”Haley says. “I always tell people, just because you saw them do it in a workout video, that might not be what they’re actually doing—that’s just the workouts they’re teaching you.”

“I want to at least make sure I’m strength training—that’s a priority for me,” she says. When there’s more time in her week, Haley’s other priorities are cardio, and flexibility and mobility training.

Sara Haley’s weekly workout routine

Monday
Full-body strength workout

Tuesday
Lower-body strength workout

Wednesday
10 minutes of treadmill sprints

Thursday
Walk in a weighted vest and barre workout

Friday
Preparing choreography for a workout class and a 10-minute upper-body dumbbell workout

Saturday
Rest day with a gentle walk

Sunday
Dance cardio

Sara Haley’s tips for developing an effective exercise routine

Get dressed to work out

“If you have a job or lifestyle that allows you to do it, put your workout clothes on first thing in the morning and don’t take them off until you’ve done your workout,” Haley advises.

Something is better than nothing

“My mantra, once I became a parent, became something is always better than nothing,” Haley says. “At the end of the day, if I haven’t done anything, I’m doing some squats and a little bit of stretching and then I feel like I’ve done something.”

“It’s the gyms that probably gave us that mentality, right?” Haley continues. “Because they have to have a class on the schedule that’s at least 30 minutes, if not 60 minutes. But that doesn’t mean that’s what it needs to be for you.”

Find real motivation

“When you see your parents aging, or you see your kids getting older, and your friends, that's absolutely my ‘why’,” Haley says. “I want to be around long enough to meet my grandchildren, and that is enough.”

“My husband does not work out as much as I do, and I always say to him, it’s not about what you look like—I want you to be around as long as I am. I think if people can’t do it for themselves, think about doing it for the ones you love,” says Hayley.