No time to exercise? Try telling mother of seven children, Brenda Ashley. As well as owning her own business, Brenda will be training to compete in hurdles at this years Australian Masters Games — one of Australia’s top sporting events.
This super-mum has shared her top tips of balancing mum life, and pursing your passions, no matter how busy you are.
Organisation is key
For me, keeping organised and staying on top of jobs around the house is vital in making time of hobbies. Before I make time for myself, I ensure all the kids have done their chores, the house is clean and everything on my to do list is done.
Quality time
Quality time with my family is a must, and it’s a huge help that my kids share my love of athletics, so they are very much involved in my sporting career. Whether my kids are training alongside me, or shouting out pointers from the sidelines, my family is always by my side having fun with me.
Stick to a routine
Attending every single training session is a must, so sticking to a tight routine is what works best for me and my family. My husband is also a huge help, so we will usually go through a schedule together and make sure everyone in the family is on top of all their commitments! We also stick to a strict bedtime, this is vital, especially for my younger kids as we all need a good night’s sleep as we’re a very active family.
Incentives
I have a few tricks up my sleeves for managing good behaviour with all my kids. I have found my weekly colouring in competition a fun activity for the kids, which they all love. Only kids who have been well behaved can enter and at the end of each week I announce a winner with a small reward. This has been one of my best kept secrets, as it keeps them busy and they are rewarded with good behaviour.
Brenda is set to make her family and all Australian mums proud when she competes in the 80 and 400m hurdles at the Australian Masters Games taking place in Perth later this year. Good luck Brenda!
