(Around the Prayers You Already Pray)
There is no free hour coming, sis
If you are a Muslim mum, you know the afternoon I mean. The kids are loud, the kitchen needs you, someone needs a lift, and you have not sat down since Fajr. The idea of "finding time to work out" feels like a joke.
So you wait. You wait for the school holidays to end, or the baby to sleep better, or Monday. And every Monday you start again, and by the end of the week it has slipped.
Here is what the sisters who filled in the survey told us. Most rate how ready they are at 9 or 10 out of 10. What they lack is a plan that fits the day they actually have. Most programmes are written for a woman with a free hour, no children at her feet, and no prayers to pray and no room for improvement.
I remember when I used to compare myself and my time with women who didn’t have children and got paid to be on tv or social media. The workouts would be about an hour. I would have the idea that everything had to be organised before I took some time for myself. And I used to say I don’t have enough time.
Use the five prayers as your anchors
You already stop five times a day. That is the part of your day that is already protected. If you struggle, but your trying alone without a coach, instead of adding a workout on top of a full day, that you may find difficult alone, put small pieces of movement and care next to the stops you already make.
This is how the 12-week Strong Muslimah Method is built: the daily rhythm is anchored to the five salah windows, so it costs no new time. You already have to pause. Here is a version you can try this week.
Fajr. Before the day starts, step outside or stand by a window for five to ten minutes of daylight, and take a few slow breaths. Daylight in the morning is one of the daily anchors in the programme. Depending on what country you live in, you may have to wait until the sunrises if your Fajr is dark.
Breakfast. Put protein on the plate first: fish, chicken, yogurt, leftovers from last night. Protein at the first meal is the first eating rule in week 1 of the programme ("protein, fat and fibre first")
Between Dhuhr and Asr, whenever there is a gap. This is your movement slot. If you are struggling to get it in the morning (which is my fav. as it’s out of the way. And this wasn’t an easy change) Join one of the 6 weeks programmes here so you don’t have to think, you just move. Not a gym session. A walk to the school gate the long way, or a few minutes of strength work at the kitchen counter while the kettle boils. Short is fine. A walk counts.
Asr. One line in a notebook: how did today go, and what did I do for me? Thirty seconds. This is the "rewire" anchor in the programme, a short check-in with yourself.
Isha. Phone down before you pray, and keep it down. Screens off before sleep is on the programme's daily checklist.
Add those up and you have a day built from small pieces, about twenty minutes in total spread across the day. No new hour. No gym bag.
What to do when you miss a day
You will miss a day. Everyone does, and this is where most plans end: one missed day, then shame, then quiet.
Do the next one. There is no catch-up and no punishment. Pick up with the next prayer, not the next Monday. Or when you can during the day. A plan you can restart without guilt is a plan you can keep.
A word on food and sunnah habits
Your plate does not need to change into someone else's plate. Rice, lentils, ghee and cultural breads can stay. If you want to add something, add something: protein at the first meal, and the sunnah foods many of us already keep in the house, like dates, olive oil, honey and water, pumpkin, barley, lamb shoulder. Start with one. If you already do add another.
Where to start
Pick one anchor from the list above and do it tomorrow. Only one.
If you are not sure which one fits your day, take the short quiz and I will point you to the right first step: Take the quiz
I got you sis. Any struggles or question pop them in the comments below. X
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