Becoming a parent can completely change the way you use your time. Between work, childcare, school runs, meals, housework and everything else that needs doing, finding an uninterrupted hour for exercise might be unrealistic.

The good news is that staying active doesn't have to mean spending hours at the gym. If you're wondering how to stay fit as a busy parent, it can be much more realistic to find ways of fitting movement around the life you already have.

That might mean a ten-minute workout at home, walking while your baby naps in the pram, exercising with your children or choosing a gym with childcare. Some options cost money, but plenty are completely free.

If you're struggling to find the time, these five practical options can help you work exercise around family life, whatever your schedule or budget.

How much exercise do busy parents need?

You don't necessarily need to complete your weekly exercise in long workouts.

The NHS recommends that adults aged 19 to 64 aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week, alongside strengthening activities on at least two days. It also recommends reducing long periods of inactivity.

Importantly for busy parents, physical activity can be spread across several days. This means walking, cycling, short home workouts and other everyday activities can all form part of a more active lifestyle.

If 150 minutes sounds impossible when you're already juggling a packed week, don't let the number put you off starting. Building more movement into your normal routine can be much more achievable than trying to suddenly create a perfect fitness schedule.

Here are five options to consider.

1. Use a personal trainer to make limited time count

Hiring a personal trainer won't suit every budget, but it can be useful if you have limited time and want some structure rather than trying to work out what to do yourself.

You don't necessarily have to travel to a gym either. Personal trainers increasingly offer online sessions, home visits and flexible programmes that can fit around work and childcare.

For a busy parent, the main advantage is that you can tell the trainer exactly what you're working with. Perhaps you have 30 minutes twice a week, no gym equipment and need to exercise at home. Or maybe you can get to a gym once a week but want ideas for shorter sessions on other days.

A suitably qualified trainer can design exercise around your fitness level, goals and available time, as well as show you how to perform exercises correctly.

Before paying for sessions, think about whether you'll realistically use them. Compare local trainers, online programmes and small-group sessions, and check qualifications before booking.

If money is tight, this certainly isn't essential. There are plenty of free ways to exercise, including the next option.

2. Try short workouts at home

Home workouts are one of the easiest time-saving workout options for parents because there's no travelling, childcare or gym bag involved.

You don't need a home gym either. There are free exercise videos online covering everything from yoga and Pilates to cardio, strength and low-impact workouts, including plenty that require no equipment.

Instead of searching for a full one-hour workout, try looking for something that fits the time you genuinely have available. That might be:

• a 10-minute or even 5-minute workout before the children wake up

• 15 minutes while a toddler naps

• a short strength session in the evening

• yoga after the children have gone to bed

• a quick workout during a lunch break if you work from home

If you spend much of your working day sitting down, exercise doesn't have to be restricted to one formal workout either. Taking regular movement breaks and fitting exercise into a busy schedule can make being active feel far more manageable.

You can also use things you already own rather than buying lots of fitness equipment. Bodyweight exercises need little or no equipment, while resistance bands can be stored in a drawer if you want something inexpensive and compact.

The best home workout isn't necessarily the longest or hardest one. It's the one that fits into your life well enough that you'll actually do it.

3. Exercise with your children

One of the biggest problems parents face is that time spent exercising can feel like time that has to be taken away from the children.

It doesn't always have to be.

Turning family time into active time can allow everyone to get moving without finding a separate gap in the day. It's also one of the cheapest ways to exercise because many family activities are free.

With a baby or toddler, you could put them in the pram and go for a brisk walk. With older children, try walking, cycling, playing in the park or kicking a ball around together.

At home, you could put some music on and dance, create a simple obstacle course in the garden or challenge everyone to active games.

Other ideas include:

• family bike rides

• walks in the countryside

• playing tag

• skipping

• swimming

• kicking a football around

• running with older children

• active games in the garden

• exploring local parks and trails

I've shared more ideas in my guide to fitness activities the whole family can enjoy.

You can also think beyond activities traditionally labelled as "exercise". A family walk, gardening or an afternoon exploring somewhere outdoors can all get you moving. There are lots of ways to incorporate exercise into daily life without arranging a dedicated workout.

If your children are interested in trying something different, activities such as racket sports can be another option. For example, padel combines elements of tennis and squash and can be an activity for parents with older children.

The advantage of exercising as a family is that you aren't trying to squeeze yet another commitment into an already busy day. You're simply making some of the time you spend together more active.

4. Find fitness facilities that work for parents

If you prefer exercising away from home, look beyond the equipment when comparing gyms and leisure centres.

For parents with limited free time, the facilities and opening hours can make the difference between a membership you regularly use and one that becomes an expensive monthly outgoing.

Some gyms and leisure centres offer crèches or other childcare options. Others provide children's activities at the same time as adult classes, which can give you an opportunity to exercise while your child is already occupied.

Depending on the facilities near you, you might find:

• gyms with on-site crèches

• parent-and-baby exercise sessions

• family swimming

• children's lessons running alongside adult activities

• early-morning or evening classes

• flexible or off-peak memberships

• pay-as-you-go sessions

This is particularly worth considering if you're asking what fitness facilities suit parents with limited free time. The closest or cheapest gym isn't automatically the best choice. A slightly more expensive leisure centre that provides childcare or has classes at convenient times could be far more useful, and once you've joined, it's worth making the most of your gym membership rather than letting it go to waste.

Before signing a long contract, work out how often you could realistically attend and calculate the approximate cost per visit. A £40 monthly membership used eight times costs £5 per visit. Used twice, it costs £20 per visit.

Check whether there's a free trial, day pass or pay-as-you-go option first. This gives you a chance to find out whether the journey, opening times and facilities actually work around your family routine before committing your money.

5. Walk, run or exercise outdoors

You don't need a membership or much equipment to exercise outside.

Walking is perhaps the easiest place to start because it can be incorporated into things you're already doing. Walk the school run when practical, take a longer route to the shops, go for a brisk walk during your lunch break or take the family out for a walk at the weekend.

If you want something more energetic, running is inexpensive and flexible. You can go straight from your front door without travelling to a gym, which makes a short run easier to fit into a busy schedule.

If another adult is home with the children, you might use 20 or 30 minutes to go for a run rather than waiting until you have an entire free morning.

Parents of young children may also consider a suitable running buggy, so you can run instead while you take the little one out for a walk! 

Older children might want to run or cycle alongside you. Alternatively, if they're attending football practice, dance, swimming or another activity, consider whether you can use some of that waiting time yourself.

Rather than sitting in the car for an hour, could you go for a walk nearby?

This is one of my favourite ways to think about exercise as a busy parent: look for time that's already there.

How to stay fit when you genuinely have very little time

Sometimes the problem isn't motivation. Your week really is full.

In that situation, trying to copy somebody else's workout routine can make exercise seem even less achievable. Instead, look at your own week and identify small opportunities for movement.

For example, you might walk for 15 minutes while your child is at a club, do a short home workout twice a week and take a longer family walk at the weekend.

You could walk rather than drive for a short local journey, take the stairs, do some gardening or get outside with the children instead of thinking exercise only "counts" when you're wearing gym clothes.

If you're balancing parenting with working from home, it's particularly easy to spend long stretches sitting at a computer. I've previously shared some tips for staying healthy when you work from home, and simply getting up and moving regularly can be a useful place to start.

For families where everything feels hectic, it may also be worth looking at the wider routine. Finding ways to make busy family life easier can sometimes create small pockets of time for things that otherwise keep being pushed aside.

Free and low-cost ways for parents to keep fit

Staying active doesn't need to become another large household expense.

Walking and running outdoors are free once you have suitable footwear. Home workouts can be free. You can exercise in the garden, use outdoor fitness equipment in local parks or turn family outings into active days.

If you do want to spend money, think about what you'll genuinely use before investing in expensive home equipment or a long gym contract.

A few inexpensive pieces of equipment such as a yoga mat or resistance bands may be more useful than a large exercise machine that eventually becomes somewhere to hang clothes.

The same applies to subscriptions. A paid fitness app might be worthwhile if you use it several times a week, but there are so many free workout resources available that you don't necessarily need one.  I find loads of free workouts from 5 minutes to one hour long on YouTube and use these every week. 

For a family trying to control its spending, choosing exercise that doubles as free entertainment can be particularly useful. Walking, cycling and visiting parks can give you something to do together without paying for a family day out every time you leave the house.

Make exercise fit your life, rather than the other way around

There's no single best way to stay fit as a parent.

For one person, a gym with a crèche could provide valuable uninterrupted exercise time. Someone else might prefer ten-minute home workouts. Another parent may get most of their activity from walking, cycling and being outdoors with their children.

Your routine might change as your children get older too. What works with a baby won't necessarily work once you're dealing with school runs, after-school clubs and different working hours.

Try not to make exercise another impossible item on your to-do list. Look at the time, money, childcare and energy you actually have available, set some realistic fitness goals, then choose something that works within those limits.

Final thoughts

Learning how to stay fit as a busy parent is often less about finding huge amounts of spare time and more about making better use of small opportunities throughout the week.

Short home workouts, active family time, walking, running, a personal trainer or a parent-friendly gym are all possible options. You don't have to choose only one either. A mixture of different activities may be much easier to maintain as family life changes.

Most importantly, don't assume exercise has to be expensive or take hours. Start with what feels realistic for your circumstances and build from there.