Thanks to Kayla for an awesome fit mom featured post and perspective. Kayla blogs over at Fit For Moms. You can also follow Kayla on Twitter at @fitformommas. This post was originally shared on New Leaf Wellness, but it is so good, and resonates with so many moms, that we are sharing it here too!

Kayla, fit mom featured blogger and superwoman!

I feel like I should start this post as if I am at an AA meeting. “Hi, I am Kayla and I’m the wife of an airline pilot…” B and I met in college and we always knew that his career choice would mean travel and time away. Yet here we are 5 years of marriage and 2 awesome daughters (ages 3 and 1) later finding ourselves still learning to balance time apart, time together and time alone. Currently, 70% of the time I am home solo with our girls…did I mention I have a full-time job and that I’m training for my first marathon? Time is not necessarily something I have a lot of – so when I do have time – I prefer it is well spent.Over the past 5 years, specifically the last 3 – I have really started to focus on how to balance exercise, eating well, mommy-hood and being a great wife to B – even when work takes him clear across the world. In reality, all I need to do is harness my inner superwoman. I’m going to let you in on 4 of my secrets. But shhhh….it takes a lot to be superwoman, so don’t go and tell everyone where you got your power.

1. Carve out time in your day for yourself for exercise – whether it is 10 minutes or 2 hours…getting your sweat on will always feel good. I am lucky to have a job that is flexible (so I start closer to 9 most days) and a fabulous daycare for the girls. I drop them off and head out for a run or to our local gym. Sweat + strength = one rejuvenated momma.

2. Plan and prep your meals on the weekend (or whenever you have a good chunk of time). On one of the days that B is home, I try to get all of my cooking/prep work done for the entire next week. I religiously use Once A Month Mom and her fabulous meal plans. When I get home from work and haven’t seen the girls all day – the last thing I want to do is cook. Planning ahead lets me either toss something in the crock pot in the morning or easily warm it up in the oven – and still get a healthy meal on the table quickly.

3. Be productive quickly. As soon as I get the girls to sleep, I set a timer for 30 minutes. I wash dishes, clean the counters, toss a load of laundry in, take the garbage out – whatever needs to be done to keep our house “in working order.” But, the timer helps me not try to do too much and ensures that I get time for myself each evening. I could easily clean and do “chores” all night – but I thrive on having some ‘Kayla time’ each night to sit down with a good book.

4. Fake it. Let’s be honest. There are times where I would like to pull my hair out and trying to balance all of this gets the best of me. My answer? Tell myself that I am strong, awesome and truly superwoman. It usually does the trick.

It isn’t always easy being a mom and a wife. It is a balancing act. One that has led to the greatest adventure I have ever been on. Even if it is just a few minutes a day that I wear my cape – I feel like superwoman when I get a great workout in, serve a delicious and healthy meal, have a well-kept house or just feel the occasional spurt of awesomeness. Most of all – finding a way to create a balance in my life that allows me to just enjoy and cherish every second with my husband and daughters – that is when I feel the most like superwoman.