Your Ultimate Get-Motivated Guide

3. Jennifer Cashdollar
Age: 32
Hamilton, Ohio
Married, three kids

Her goal
“I have a few baby pounds left, and I’d like to strengthen my stomach muscles. But I really want more energy so I can do all sorts of activities with my kids.”

What’s getting in her way
Cashdollar has no time and feels constantly fatigued, which is just about every working mom’s challenge. “I have three children, the youngest of whom is just six months old,” she says. “I work Monday through Thursday. And I’m breastfeeding, which makes me extra hungry and tired.” Her husband’s willing to help, but he works some evenings and most weekends, so he isn’t always available.

Exercise Rx
“Cashdollar’s schedule is packed, so I tailored a workout for her that she could do at home, even while watching the kids,” Waters says. The program involves three 20- to 30-minute mini-workouts a week—with lots of crunches, lunges, and planks to target the core and butt—using basic home equipment like resistance bands and dumbbells. “This program will build lean muscle, so she’ll burn more calories throughout the day,” Waters says. For cardio, Waters advised Cashdollar to continue walking or climbing the stairs at lunchtime (a habit Cashdollar had recently started) for 30 minutes three times per week.

How it’s working
“I could feel my energy returning by the second week. The exercises were so simple that I could do them in the living room while the kids ate breakfast, watched cartoons, or played,” Cashdollar says. “I have a ways to go before I’ll feel like the pre-pregnant me. But, I knew that once I got back into the habit of exercising, my motivation would return. And it has.”