It's hard enough for any modern woman to find time to keep fit and eat right. Once you add a demanding career and a 4-year-old to the mix, making it to the gym regularly might seem like an unachievable goal. Mona, an obstetrician-gynecologist and mother to an active 4-year-old boy, is one sister who seems to have figured it out. We recently tracked her down at the gym to find out the secrets to her fitness success.

“I used to feel like my gym time was selfish,” Mona said. “After all, I work long hours, so I wanted to spend what free time I had with my son. I came to realize that making fitness and exercise a priority actually benefited my son. The time that I spend exercising enables me to relax and de-stress, which helps me be a more patient and loving mom. I have a lot more energy, I feel good about myself, and I am teaching him how important it is to stay active. As a doctor, I know that childhood obesity is a national epidemic. I want to my son to learn good habits early so that he won't have to struggle with his weight later in life.”

Take a tip from Mona:

• Schedule gym time into your daily routine. Mona has found that regularly going to the gym before or after work, or during lunch, is very effective. It is less disruptive to her family's routine, because she's already away from home during this time. Plus, she doesn't have to motivate herself to leave home to go to the gym.
• Exercise with your family through family hikes, bike rides, trips to the pool and other activities. Combining family time with exercise time is an excellent way that Mona teaches her son how fun it is to stay active. In addition, it provides a way for her to stay fit and spend time with her family at the same time.
• Adjust your work schedule so that you can start and leave earlier. Mona starts her work day at 6 a.m., which means that she can leave work early at 2 p.m. She can work out before she picks up her son from preschool so they still have a few hours to spend together each day before bedtime.
• Join a gym with a kids club. Mona's gym provides an on-site babysitting service so she can bring her son with her to the gym. He has fun playing with the other children and she can exercise without worrying about him.
• Carve out an hour of alone time each day, whether or not you exercise that day. Mona uses that time to unwind, think about the day's events and plan for the next day. It helps her to stay centered and develop a strategy for managing all her time—at the job, with her family and at the gym.