Time-poor? Mentally pulled in different directions? Feel like your gym kit gets used for everything but the gym? Welcome to The Recharge —where mums share how they’re navigating health and wellness in early motherhood, in their own way.

First up: Louise Buttler, founder of Live Brave pilates and mum to three under six. Deep in the trenches of rebuilding her postpartum strength (and retrieving broccoli from the kitchen floor—ah, weaning), she’s got a few non-negotiables that you might just want to borrow from. 

I would love to exercise when I get up in the morning, but, realistically, it never goes like that. My morning is generally very chaotic. I've got a five-year-old, a three-year-old and a seven-month-old, and my lot are early risers. 

The first thing I do when I wake up is drink a pint of water. I always take a huge glass of water to bed with me the night before. I often don't drink enough in the day, so I make sure I'm hydrated to set me up for the day.

It's a juggle! I schedule workouts in my diary and [try to] exercise while my baby naps. But some days it doesn't go to plan. On those days, I take the baby for a long walk during nap time instead. I think being outside in the fresh air is one of the most healing things, especially when your life is hectic and noisy with children. 

I keep my movement achievable. An hour can feel overwhelming and unattainable when you're juggling kids. 15 or 20 minutes a day of movement can be transformative for the body and for the mind. I believe it's better than trying to do an hour every three days. I try and fit in movement where I can. I might do five of my favourite exercises while the children are in the bath –anything that makes me feel like I've moved my body. 

At weekends, my children do a workout with me. I'll put a 15-minute yoga or Pilates class on the TV. They find it fun. Babies love to watch, if you put them on the mat with a toy. It's not peaceful, but it's how I get it done! 

I used to find it really hard when my babies didn't nap at the times I thought they were going to be napping. I struggled with the lack of control. But now, with my third baby, I've become much better at letting go. There's always tomorrow. With Baby #3 I'm a lot more realistic about my day.

Slow down. Most days when I've got the children I'm trying to do everything at a million miles an hour. When I've got help, I take a breath and do everything more slowly.

Eating well. 

With my first and second babies, I’d make sure they had nutritious meals, but I’d just pick at their leftovers. I’ve really noticed that when I don’t eat properly, I feel more on edge—stuck in that fight-or-flight state. Having proper fuel in my body makes all the difference.

Now that my youngest is weaning, I want to do more cooking. I actually discover a lot of great ways to cook through my kids—since I’m always sneaking in vegetables, and that’s good for me too!

I'm holding quite a lot, as a mum and a business owner. I'm taking on my children's emotions, stress, everything. I've had to find tools to support me to thrive as well. If I'm feeling dysregulated, I head out on a walk and get some fresh air. I also find Pilates really healing for me. If I'm trying to prepare for a meeting and I can't think straight, I'll do a 15-minute Pilates class and it resets me. 

Some days feel pretty dark when you're in the trenches at three in the morning. I can't get the baby back to sleep and I've got another one who's going to wake up at six. It can feel very lonely and overwhelming and just like, how am I going to get through this day? 

I go back to the simple things:

•  I have a shower get dressed, eat some food, hydrate. 
• I get all the children outside for 15 minutes of fresh air.
• At the next nap, I'll put my feet up and rest. 

With my third child, I've realised rest, just laying down and bringing your heart rate down, is so important.

I find cooking mindful. Some evenings, I will have a glass of wine while I cook. I love that time with my husband to chat about the day. Pre-kids, the evening was my time to exercise, whereas now I feel very tired in the evenings, so I love to get into my pyjamas instead. 

• 7pm My kids go to bed and then I have some space to myself. 
• 8:30pm I often have a bath before I go to bed. 
• 9pm I like laying in bed and chatting to my husband. It's a good way to decompress and talk about worries, the children or work. I sleep better once I've talked it out. If my husband is away, I journal. It's not something I did pre-kids, but now I feel like I have so much in my brain. If I can just write it down, I can leave it and go to sleep. 
• 9:30pm I'm a big believer in breathwork. I had postnatal insomnia after my first baby and that was when I learned the power of breathing. I use a very simple app, which literally just tells you to inhale and exhale. It calms my nervous system and really helps me sleep.

As a mum, there’s always a million things to do. You walk into the kitchen—there’s mess, dishes on the side, washing that needs doing. It’s easy to get caught up in it all, but I’ve learned to let go of the things that don’t really matter.

What does matter? Finding 20 minutes for exercise or fresh air. It makes me a better person, a better mum, a better wife. My brain works better. If I haven’t moved my body or been outside all day, I can feel it—I’m just grumpier.

I also prioritise keeping my bedroom as a sanctuary—tidy, calm, a space that feels like mine. The rest of the house? Sometimes it’s chaos, and that’s okay