Carrie Underwood: When It Comes to Working Out

This article originally appeared on People.com.�

Before having her son 2-year-old son Isaiah, Carrie Underwood would work out six or seven days a week, but she doesn�t put pressure on�herself to maintain such an intense workout schedule anymore.

�It just happens if and when it happens,� Underwood, 34, told PEOPLE of her new approach to working out at the CALIA by Carrie Underwood Summer Kick-Off event in Malibu on Friday. �I�ve gotten a lot better at doing what I can when I can, but also cutting myself a little slack. You have to!�

That means squeezing in a workout when it�s doable.

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�Now it�s like, �Okay, I have 20 minutes. What can I do in 20 minutes?’� she says. �I can go run for a little while, I can go do some tabata rounds, I can do something.�Sometimes I�m like, my workout today is going be running around after my kid. If we�re going to go to the park, why not run there and push him in the stroller?�Then I get a good cardio session to and from, and then he gets to play, so everybody wins.�

If she does have a little more free time, she�ll�do�a full tabata workout.

�I �play cards� a lot ��I assign different exercises to each suit, and I sit�down at breakfast and plan out what each suit�s going to be,� she says.

Her other go-to activities are running and group exercise classes, like Barry�s Bootcamp.

�I love just putting headphones in and going for a run,� says Underwood. �I feel so good when I get home, especially when it�s hot. I�m one of those weirdos that likes to run when it�s super hot outside! Or classes. I find myself competing with other people in the room. I�m like, �Oh she�s good, I want to be like her!� I try to �beat� someone in the class. They have no idea we�re competing!�

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The singer says finding time for herself is�possible thanks to family support.

�It helps having a supportive husband and a great unit around me,� she says. �You have to sit down and talk to those around you because I feel like I�m a better mom, a better wife, a better friend when I feel good about myself. It�s endorphins and all that stuff that�s being released, too. No bad things can come out of taking care of yourself!�

And having her own fashion line of workout gear is extra motivation to hit the gym.

�I used to go to the gym in ratty old sweats, but if you already feel good going into your workout, it just kind of gives you that little extra lift,� she says.

Underwood says her drive to work out comes from herself, and not from external pressures to look a certain way.

�It�s all about realizing why you do it,� she says. �I want to be a great mom and I want to be around for him for as long as I possibly can. I want to feel good about myself, I want to set that example for my child and make that a priority, because he�s watching. He�s a busy guy, so I need to keep my energy levels up to be able to play with him and chase him around. So it�s for me and my family and for feeling good about myself. Sometimes you have to remind yourself, but it helps to just say, �It�s not for everybody else, it�s for me.� �