How to Stay Active During School Holidays Without Losing Your Mind

So look.

School holidays hit… and suddenly everything that felt vaguely under control just disappears overnight. There’s no real structure, no quiet windows, and somehow you’re feeding people constantly while also wondering how it’s only 10:17am.

And that plan you had the one where you were going to “stay consistent” with exercise?

Yeah. That feels… ambitious.

It’s very easy at this point to fall into the trap of thinking you just need to be more disciplined. That if you were just a bit more organised, a bit more motivated, you’d keep everything ticking along nicely.

But honestly? That’s not what’s going on here.

The issue isn’t discipline. It’s that you’re trying to apply a term-time rhythm to a completely different version of life. And the mums who manage to keep moving through the holidays aren’t doing more than you – they’re just doing things differently.

This isn’t a broken routine – it’s a different one

School holidays don’t break your routine. They replace it.

And when you keep trying to force your usual structure – early runs, uninterrupted workouts, neat little time blocks – it’s always going to feel like you’re falling short. Because that version of your life simply isn’t available right now.

What works far better is accepting that this is a different rhythm, and asking yourself what movement looks like here, not in your ideal week.

There’s actually a fair bit of behavioural research that backs this up. One of the biggest predictors of whether habits stick isn’t motivation – it’s whether the behaviour fits the environment you’re in. When there’s a mismatch, we don’t fail because we’re incapable. We fail because the structure doesn’t support us.

So instead of trying to replicate your old routine, this becomes about building a version that works in the chaos.

👉How to Stay Consistent With Exercise as a Busy Mum explores this in more detail!

Plan a little… or the chaos will plan for you

Now, I know we love the idea of being spontaneous. “We’ll just see how the day goes.” Lovely in theory. Slightly less lovely when it’s day four and everyone’s climbing the walls and you haven’t moved your body once.

The reality is, school holidays need a bit of structure – not rigid, not overplanned, but intentional enough that the week doesn’t just run away from you.

This might look like booking the kids into a club for a morning so you can train. It might be blocking out a couple of early starts in your week. It might even be sending a slightly rogue WhatsApp to the school mums group at 7am saying:

“Right, I’m doing a walk three mornings this week if anyone wants to join.”

And yes, that might feel a bit “keen.” But you’ll often find there are other women quietly relieved that someone else suggested it.

There’s also something really powerful in this idea of mental contrasting – a concept from psychology where instead of just thinking positively about what you want to do, you actively acknowledge the barriers as well. You recognise that the holidays are chaotic, that time is limited, and then you plan with that in mind, not against it.

That’s what makes things stick.

Make movement social (this is where everything shifts)

If there’s one thing that makes the biggest difference during school holidays, it’s this.

Stop trying to fit movement in around your life… and start building it into your life.

Because the easiest way to stay active right now isn’t willpower. It’s people.

Instead of defaulting to sitting down for a catch-up, suggest a walk. Turn playdates into park meet-ups where you can actually move while the kids entertain themselves. Pick places where there’s space – lakes, trails, big open parks – anywhere that doesn’t require you to sit still for two hours.

And yes, sometimes you will be the one initiating it.

But here’s the thing: a lot of women are waiting for someone else to go first. When you do, you’re not being pushy – you’re creating an option that didn’t exist before. Read more about making active mum friends here.

Lower the bar (but keep the standard)

There’s a big difference between lowering your expectations and lowering your standards.

During school holidays, your workouts might be shorter, messier, interrupted. You might run for 20 minutes instead of 60, walk more than you planned, or squeeze something in between snack requests and “mum watch this” moments.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t count.

In fact, from a psychological point of view, these smaller actions are incredibly powerful. Research around self-efficacy shows that consistently following through on manageable actions builds belief in your ability far more effectively than sporadic big efforts.

So every time you choose to move – even briefly – you’re reinforcing the identity of someone who shows up for themselves.

And that’s the bit that actually sticks.

Plan Micro-adventures

One of the quickest ways to shift your energy during the holidays is to change your environment. Because doing the same routes, the same park, the same loop, when everything already feels a bit repetitive… it can start to feel like a chore. Trust me, training for the London Marathon has got me feeling this to its core. A change of environment is so simple, yet transformative.

But go somewhere new, and suddenly it feels like an outing.

There’s research around this too. Studies comparing exercise in natural environments versus indoor or urban settings show greater improvements in mood, energy and overall enjoyment when movement happens in “green spaces.” It’s not just in your head – your brain genuinely responds differently.

So think small.

A different park.
A trail instead of a pavement.
A day trip where movement is built in.

I’m literally doing this at the moment – deep in London Marathon training and completely bored of the same streets, so we booked a little New Forest trail run. Childcare sorted, one night away, different scenery.

Boom. Instant reset. And a PB, thank you please. Not that it matters, but maybe the change of scene, the calmer mental state, had something to do with it?

You can read more about how to embed this into any kind of travel in this blog I wrote: The Active Mum’s Guide to Seeing the World Without Giving Up Movement

Evenings count (and sometimes they’re the easiest win even when you’re exhausted)

We often assume exercise has to happen in the morning. But during school holidays, evenings can be one of the most realistic windows you have.

And this is where you can flip the script slightly.

Instead of the usual “shall we grab a wine?”, why not be the mum who suggests a workout class instead? A spin class, a yoga session, even just a walk together. It still ticks the social box, but you come away feeling like yourself again.

And if getting out isn’t an option, this is where home workouts – yes, even the ones we all claim to hate -can actually earn their place. Because when time is tight and childcare is non-existent, something quick in your living room is still far better than nothing.

It’s not about loving every minute of it. It’s about recognising that sometimes, these are the solutions that keep the bigger picture intact.

Watch the self-sabotage (it’s sneaky)

This is the bit we don’t talk about enough.

When routines disappear, it’s very easy to slip into quiet self-sabotage.

“I’ll just start again after the holidays.”
“This week’s a write-off anyway.”
“There’s no point if I can’t do it properly.”

And before you know it, you’ve checked out completely.

But most of the time, this isn’t laziness. It’s a response to overwhelm. When things feel messy, our brain looks for an easy way out – and “starting later” feels like relief in the moment.

The problem is, it just makes it harder to restart.

So instead of opting out entirely, the goal is to stay loosely in the game. Not perfectly. Not intensely. Just enough to keep the thread going.

Let it be fun (non-negotiable)

If it’s not fun during school holidays, it’s not happening.

So this is your permission to drop the seriousness.

Run races in the garden. Walk to places instead of driving. Turn it into a game. Count something. Laugh at it. Make it messy.

Because movement doesn’t need to look structured to be valuable.

And honestly, some of these chaotic, slightly ridiculous moments end up being the ones you remember most anyway. Read more about why fun is the most underrated fitness strategy here.

A final thought

School holidays don’t take your rhythm away.

They just ask you to find it in a different way.

In smaller windows.
In shared moments.
In slightly less polished versions of what you’re used to.

And if you can lean into that – rather than fight it – you’ll probably find you come out the other side not starting from scratch… but still very much in it.

Move a little where you can.
Keep things simple.
And do fun shit.

I’d love to start hearing from you and how you manage your workouts in busy motherhood moments. Please drop me a comment here, or message me on Instagram to share!

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Read next:

→ How to Stay Consistent With Exercise as a Busy Mum
→ How to Find Mum Friends Who Actually Want to Be Active
→ The Active Mum’s Guide to Seeing the World Without Giving Up Movement

→ 5 Unexpected things that happen in motherhood when you exercise