Single Working Parents: when do you workout?

Options
Sirlevisarmy
Sirlevisarmy Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
The title says it all. I'm having a hard time getting in my workouts and my "excuse" is that I'm a very busy single mom and I just don't have the time some days. (Which is no excuse, I know!) I have a gym membership but they don't have a daycare so I haven't been going as often as I would like to.

So! Single working parents! What works best for you? Working out at home before the kids wake up? Going to the gym right after work with no kids, or working out after they go to sleep?
«1

Replies

  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Options
    Although my sons are grown, I babysit my grandson 5 days a week after a 10 hour work day but I still make time for my workouts. You have to make your health a priority. There are tons of at home workouts available online for free. Check out You Tube and Sparkpeople (Under the Article and Video section). More importantly, get the calories under control. Exercise is great but you have to create a calorie deficiency in order to lose weight.
  • Sirlevisarmy
    Sirlevisarmy Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    Branstin wrote: »
    Although my sons are grown, I babysit my grandson 5 days a week after a 10 hour work day but I still make time for my workouts. You have to make your health a priority. There are tons of at home workouts available online for free. Check out You Tube and Sparkpeople (Under the Article and Video section). More importantly, get the calories under control. Exercise is great but you have to create a calorie deficiency in order to lose weight.

    Branstin do you typically workout in the AM or PM?

    I have some home workout DVDs but still I can't seem to "find the time". There is always something to be done or cleaned at my house! I know I'm just making excuses. I'm trying to find what routine works best for others to see what I should be doing something different.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Options
    I'm up at 5am, work out in my basement (DVDs, treadmill, dumbbells, etc.), I'm showered and dressed by 6:30, get kids up at 7, put them on the school bus at 8, and go to work. When the weather gets warmer and the days are longer I hope to run outside a few times a week.
  • kasiaj
    kasiaj Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    I'm not a single parent, but I do work out in the morning before work and before the kiddos wake up. The reason for this is that when I get home from work, I clean and cook and spend the rest of the night hanging out with the kiddos so by the time they go to bed, I'm ready for bed myself. I sometime do extra exercise DVDs in the evenings since my toddler loves to exercise with me, but because she's not always up for, I can't guarantee that I'll exercise every night. Also, when the weather is nice, we go and play outside/do chores outside. So to break it down, morning workout to guarantee I do my share for the day and evening work outs count as my extras.
  • mariaoutlook
    mariaoutlook Posts: 130
    Options
    I totally admire single parents. How do you do it? :) I work full time but I don't have kids and I don't have too much time for myself.
  • Sirlevisarmy
    Sirlevisarmy Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    I have very little time to myself and that's part of the problem! I work m-f 7:30-4 pm but Thursdays are the only night of the week that we are home. Monday, Wednesday, Friday we are at my grandfathers house for dinner and Tuesdays and Wednesday my son has therapy after dinner. We are constantly on the go and in the car!
  • MscGray
    MscGray Posts: 304 Member
    Options
    Not a single parent, but we get so busy it feels like I am at times!! I prefer working out in the morning, its nice to get it in before you start your day (when you do have some time to yourself). I felt it like it gave me a little more energy for the morning too. PM work outs after the kids have gone to bed have a way of being bumped due to running out of time and/or energy, and if you do complete them you may find yourself ramped up and unable to sleep. Although with your schedule sounding just as hectic as mine, I say get it in where ever you can!!
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Options
    Sirlevisarmy wrote: »
    I have very little time to myself and that's part of the problem! I work m-f 7:30-4 pm but Thursdays are the only night of the week that we are home. Monday, Wednesday, Friday we are at my grandfathers house for dinner and Tuesdays and Wednesday my son has therapy after dinner. We are constantly on the go and in the car!

    I don't have much time to myself either. I had to choose between sleep and exercise and I chose exercise. I'm tired all the time, but I use exercise to manage my depression, so there's really no other way.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Options
    Single dad here. I workout after work about 7 . my 10 year old daughter either rock climbs , swims or plays basketball. We go 4 nights a week. Maybe 5.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,261 Member
    Options
    lots of exercises on you tube. fitness blender.com is great. you will have to find 20-45 mins either in the morning or before bed time to fit it in. good luck. p.s cancel the gym membership if not really get money worth.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Options
    Sirlevisarmy wrote: »
    I have very little time to myself and that's part of the problem! I work m-f 7:30-4 pm but Thursdays are the only night of the week that we are home. Monday, Wednesday, Friday we are at my grandfathers house for dinner and Tuesdays and Wednesday my son has therapy after dinner. We are constantly on the go and in the car!
    Maybe pick up a Fitbit and start trying to squeeze in walks and other incidental activity in small bites throughout the day. Kids can walk with you, when you get to grandfathers, etc. Can you walk during therapy appts.? Can you take 5 minutes an hour at work to walk around? A nice thing about an activity tracker is you might find that house cleaning is plenty to put you past your activity goals some days. Or playing with kids, or shopping.

    I used to bounce on a rebounder while watching tv at night, if I hadn't met my steps goals before then. Kids love a rebounder, too.

  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Options
    I go to the gym at my lunch break.....it is the only time I have
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    Options
    Sirlevisarmy wrote: »
    Branstin wrote: »
    Although my sons are grown, I babysit my grandson 5 days a week after a 10 hour work day but I still make time for my workouts. You have to make your health a priority. There are tons of at home workouts available online for free. Check out You Tube and Sparkpeople (Under the Article and Video section). More importantly, get the calories under control. Exercise is great but you have to create a calorie deficiency in order to lose weight.

    Branstin do you typically workout in the AM or PM?

    I have some home workout DVDs but still I can't seem to "find the time". There is always something to be done or cleaned at my house! I know I'm just making excuses. I'm trying to find what routine works best for others to see what I should be doing something different.

    When my son was little I used to plop him in front of the TV between 7 & 8pm while I did a pliates DVD - or I'd wait until I put him to bed and do it then. If you can't find the time, then you have to make the time.

  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    Options
    When I was a single working parent (full-time), I used to come home, make dinner, then sit down and help my son with his homework. After that, I'd work out. Usually the cleanup after dinner and the homework took around an hour. The food was settled in my stomach by that time, but I wasn't totally exhausted yet (as in, it wasn't too near bedtime), so it worked out fine. Sometimes my son would work out with me; other times he'd play. :)
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    Options
    I'm not single, but my husband works 12 hour days and his presence is irrelevant to my workouts. I gt up at 5am to workout before kids wake up (12, 9, 17 months, 7 months) Then I make breakfast, pack lunches, start laundry, feed animals, load kids up and go. I'm too tired at the end of the day so it has to be in the mornings.
  • TuffChixRule
    TuffChixRule Posts: 190 Member
    Options
    I'm a single mom to a teenage daughter, and I find the time by scheduling it on my phone as if it was a doctor or dentist appointment. I set it to go off about 15 minutes before the start time so I can finish up what I am doing and get ready to do my at home workout. Remember, the cleaning or picking up can wait for a half an hour so you can do your workout. I find for me it's best to workout in front of the tv on my yoga mat where no one can see me, plus I can't afford a gym membership right now.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Options
    Sirlevisarmy wrote: »
    Branstin wrote: »
    Although my sons are grown, I babysit my grandson 5 days a week after a 10 hour work day but I still make time for my workouts. You have to make your health a priority. There are tons of at home workouts available online for free. Check out You Tube and Sparkpeople (Under the Article and Video section). More importantly, get the calories under control. Exercise is great but you have to create a calorie deficiency in order to lose weight.

    Branstin do you typically workout in the AM or PM?

    I have some home workout DVDs but still I can't seem to "find the time". There is always something to be done or cleaned at my house! I know I'm just making excuses. I'm trying to find what routine works best for others to see what I should be doing something different.

    I do my workouts any time as long as I get my minimum of 30 minutes in 5 days a week. I work on the 5th floor of an office building. I walk up and down 5 flights of steps 2 times a day. I hit the gym after work during the week. On weekends, I hit the gym first thing in the morning. When the weather permits, I walk during my lunch hour. I do videos from Sparkpeople at home as well.

    Something will always have to be done. The house will always need to be cleaned. Children will always need to be fed. Dishes and clothes will always have to be washed. Boyfriends and husbands will always need to be "done" LOL! Believe me, I get it but you still need to make the time for your health. If it helps, break your exercises into little chucks of 10-15 minutes a few times a day.
  • rungirl1973
    rungirl1973 Posts: 2,559 Member
    Options
    My kids are 21 and 20. I raised them alone from the time they were 1 and 2. I've done it multiple ways. When they were really little, I worked out at night, after they were in bed. As they got older (and bedtimes got later), I started moving more toward working out first thing in the morning before they got up. I also had a couple of friends that I met at the gym every day M-F and ate my lunch at my desk when I got back to work.

    When they got into after school activities (baseball, football, etc), I would run around the sports fields while they were at practice, or go over to the gym while they were at practices. Much as I understand how tough it is making time as a single parent, it was actually easier for me to make it happen when my time was more limited. When I have more time on my hands (like I do now), I tend to procrastinate too much.
  • sheahughes
    sheahughes Posts: 133 Member
    Options
    I'm a single mum of one 10 yr old boy and have the added issue of a 3 hour total commute on the days I work!

    I'm not a morning person so I bring my son to the gym with me in the afternoon or evening and he sits in a corner and plays his iPod or psp. Other days we go for walks together.

    However we have a small town gym that is managed by the local gold mine so they are probably more flexible about kids in the gym - he's just not allowed to touch or use the equipment.

    I also wear a fitbit to encourage me to be more active. I've also learnt to relax over the housework - this includes encouraging him to pull his weight too and help out with chores etc, for instance I cook and he does the dishes/loads the dishwasher. He will put a load of washing in the machine and I will hang it out then iron it and he will put it away.

    It took a while and lots of patience but we work pretty well as a team now.
  • PieSaver
    PieSaver Posts: 19
    Options
    I used to sneak an occasional workout in during my lunch break at work, but most of the time I exercised after I tucked them in at night.

Categories