I Live in a 1-Bedroom with 3 Kids. This Is the Only Way I’ve Been Able to Consistently Exercise at Home.

They say you can’t pour from an empty cup. I’m not sure I even have a cup anymore — but I remember what one looks like. For me, it looks like reading before bed instead of shouting “good night” into the void until my kids finally stop talking. It looks like making myself a juice instead of scavenging scraps off their plates while I clear the dishes. And it looks like working out beyond toting around my kids’ backpacks and things everywhere.

I used to go to the gym every day except Thursdays. Then I became a mom — and eventually a single mom of three in a one-bedroom apartment — canceled my membership, and honestly, never looked back. Who had the time? For a while, I scanned every corner of my apartment for somewhere to squeeze in equipment. I measured behind the couch. I eyed the closet. I did mental gymnastics about whether a stationary bike could double as a nightstand (it cannot). After many failed attempts and one humbling Pinterest spiral, I found the answer: a folding treadmill.

It costs a fraction of what I’d pay for a standard treadmill and it doesn’t require rearranging my entire home. It goes up to 7.5 mph — plenty for my current 6.7 pace, with room to grow when I’m feeling brave. It sets up in under a minute. And when I’m done, it folds flat and slides against the wall like it was never there.

That was the shift: I stopped trying to reorganize my life around exercise and found exercise that could arrange itself around mine.

It’s quiet enough that I can run while the kids are sleeping in the next room. (Anyone who has lived in a one-bedroom with three children understands why this matters more than almost any other feature.)

It’s light enough that I can move it myself, which is important when you don’t have a second adult around to help wrestle furniture.

It folds thin enough that my kids haven’t tried to climb it, ride it, or otherwise treat it like a piece of playground equipment. Flat against the wall, it reads as “boring grown-up object” rather than “exciting new toy” — which, in a household with small humans, is the highest possible compliment. Disclaimer: I keep mine anchored under my desk now so it can’t tip even if they tried. If you don’t have a desk to tuck it under, a bed or sturdy table works too. Wall-anchoring with a bungee cord is an option, but make sure you anchor it to studs.

It’s cheap enough that buying it didn’t feel like a leap of faith.

And the best part? I actually use it. Not in the aspirational, “I’ll start Monday” way I used to talk about the gym. I use it while the kids are eating breakfast. I use it during the 15 minutes between bath time and bedtime. I use it when someone’s watching a show and I can sneak in 20 minutes before anyone notices I’m not sitting next to them.

Slowly, stubbornly, I’m remembering where I put my cup.