Single Working Parents: when do you workout?

Sirlevisarmy

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?

Branstin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I go to the gym at my lunch break.....it is the only time I have

AskTracyAnnK28

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

ketorach

I work out 3x a week when the kids are at their dad's house. It's the only time I can fit it in. I treat the 1-hr time blocks as an important appointment that can't be cancelled or rescheduled.

EricLFC1892

I get up at 4:30am to have an early burn.. is the only time i have

Onesnap

Although I'm not a single parent the feedback I've seen from either single parents (or a parent where their spouse travels a lot) is to go workout at somewhere with daycare or babysitting built in. My gym has babysitting and I see a lot of parents take advantage of it during my Monday Zumba class. I've also heard good things from folks that use the childcare at the barre studio (for barre classes) and that's the only way they would get a workout in.

cwolfman13

I am not a single parent, but I am a very busy father of two young boys and here are some suggestions...

1 - drop the gym...gyms are nice, but not necessary to get some exercise.

2 - If you insist on a gym, find one with a daycare

3 - Remember that a good, solid workout can be had in 30-60 minutes...you don't have to spend hours upon hours exercising.

4 - There are numerous home DVD workout programs out there at your disposal...these could be done in the AM before the kids are up or in the PM after they're in bed.

5 - I sacrifice my lunch hour 4 days per week to get my rides in...this means I end up just eating at my desk while I work.

Once you get on a schedule and a routine, it gets easier...it just becomes another thing you do during your daily.

caitsaunt

I work out on my lunch breaks - the gym is close enough to the office that it works OK. However, busy season is coming and I may start working out right after I drop the kids off at school, before I get to the office and can't get away from desk.

pinkvici

MscGray wrote: »

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!!

This!!
I was fitting it in in the morning - until my toddler decided to start waking anywhere between 5/6am! Added to this, she's gone from sleeping through to 1-3 night wakings!!

I'm now going to try to alternate am and pm workouts where I can. It's not easy but I need to get in shape!

VryIrishGirl76

yes to all of your original post.
I've gone in the mornings, late nights, right after work, etc.
My gym has no care either.
Currently going right after work and I squeak sessions in while she is at practices twice a week as well.

wolfsbayne

During my lunch break. I worked out then even before my husband died and I became a single parent again. It's really the only time I have. So many things to do in the evenings at home.

nickelp22

I am not a single mom but my husband has an erratic schedule; I work full time and have 2 kids (6&8) I almost always get up early 5:30am to work out. Sometimes I will do a longer work out at night after the kids are in bed. Like tonight since my husband will not be home until 11 I will work out from 8:30-9:30 ish and then clean up and make lunches. It isn;'t ideal but I rather do that and still get to spend time with my kids than do it while they are awake.

FatFreeFrolicking

Is there any way to switch to a gym that provides child care?