Busy moms how do you do it?!

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Hi all I'm 26 years old. I work full time. I go to graduate school at night and I have a 3 and 4 year old. I really struggle finding time to exercise. I was wondering what other moms or busy people are doing to keep up with their exercise routine. I would like to lose 20lbs.

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  • atabt
    atabt Posts: 58 Member
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    Hi there, can you go for a walk at lunch or break time? I am in the same boat as you although my kids are a bit older. It is tough. Perhaps walking from car/bus to your classes? Maybe wear workout gear and jog to class?
  • MelissaFitzCup
    MelissaFitzCup Posts: 8 Member
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    Yeah im similar. Work full time, study part time and have two boys Four and one. I work out lunch time during the week and steal an hour or so on Saturdays when I can.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    First it was a jogging stroller. Now that she's 5, I've moved to a dog cart, pulled by my younger dog. We spend about an hour after work chatting and walking together. Last night we were out for an hour and a half and covered a little over 5 miles. :)

    I will also second walking on lunch breaks. I have access to a gym at lunchtime, so sometimes I swim or lift weights, but walking is really all I need to lose weight. The gym offerings really just keep me from getting bored.

    My fitbit helps me keep accurate track of how many exercise calories I should eat back in a day. Honestly, it's one of the better fitness investments I've made in the last decade.
  • nishatay
    nishatay Posts: 67 Member
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    Good advice ladies I'm going to try and get some exercise during my lunch breaks instead of just eating lol.
  • crazyjerseygirl
    crazyjerseygirl Posts: 1,252 Member
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    Are you living with any other adults? My gym class is at 5am, but that only works if there is someone else there to watch the kids. Other than that sneak in walking. Park far away. Pick up your kids when you can, when you are studying break every 20min and do a quick exercise if that will help you focus.

    Rock on lady, rock on.
  • walleymama
    walleymama Posts: 174 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I suppose it depends on why you want to exercise. If losing 20 lbs is your goal, you can do that without exercising. Truth is, exercise doesn't burn many calories, not enough to make a big difference in your eating allowance for the day (unless you are running 5K or more). But I notice that when I stay busy, I can get through the day with a lot less eating, craving, snacking, and that makes it much easier to stick to my calorie goals.

    If you just want to exercise to stay fit and healthy, walking is excellent and you can fit in a walk in many ways, as suggested above. I'd also like to give a plug to YouTube - I do yoga workouts from the Yoga With Adriene channel. They are great for stretching and feeling good, but also building strength. I like her Yoga for Weight Loss series (honestly, not much of a calorie burn but great for strength and toning). There are also tons of aerobic, pilates, and other exercise videos on YouTube. Being able to do them at home makes a huge difference when you have little kids!
  • packersfan0103
    packersfan0103 Posts: 250 Member
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    nishatay wrote: »
    Hi all I'm 26 years old. I work full time. I go to graduate school at night and I have a 3 and 4 year old. I really struggle finding time to exercise. I was wondering what other moms or busy people are doing to keep up with their exercise routine. I would like to lose 20lbs.

    I'm in the same boat. I purchased a mini trampoline. Googled exercises, learned it is called rebounding. Trying to stick to it as much as possible. I like it because I don't have to leave the house to get a little bit of exercise.
  • nishatay
    nishatay Posts: 67 Member
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    nishatay wrote: »
    Hi all I'm 26 years old. I work full time. I go to graduate school at night and I have a 3 and 4 year old. I really struggle finding time to exercise. I was wondering what other moms or busy people are doing to keep up with their exercise routine. I would like to lose 20lbs.

    I'm in the same boat. I purchased a mini trampoline. Googled exercises, learned it is called rebounding. Trying to stick to it as much as possible. I like it because I don't have to leave the house to get a little bit of exercise.

    I like the trampoline idea! Although I'm sure my kids would completely take it over lol
  • nishatay
    nishatay Posts: 67 Member
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    walleymama wrote: »
    I suppose iypends on why you want to exercise. If losing 20 lbs is your goal, you can do that without exercising. Truth is, exercise doesn't burn many calories, not enough to make a big difference in your eating allowance for the day (unless you are running 5K or more). But I notice that when I stay busy, I can get through the day with a lot less eating, craving, snacking, and that makes it much easier to stick to my calorie goals.

    If you just want to exercise to stay fit and healthy, walking is excellent and you can fit in a walk in many ways, as suggested above. I'd also like to give a plug to YouTube - I do yoga workouts from the Yoga With Adriene channel. They are great for stretching and feeling good, but also building strength. I like her Yoga for Weight Loss series (honestly, not much of a calorie burn but great for strength and toning). There are also tons of aerobic, pilates, and other exercise videos on YouTube. Being able to do them at home makes a huge difference when you have little kids!

    I guess I'm exercising to tone up and speed up the weightloss process. I also agree there are good workouts on youtube. Maybe I'll try some yoga.
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,013 Member
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    Hey, good for you for working, going to grad school, and being a mommy! Look up HIIT workouts, they're fast since you're low on time. Search youtube for quick things to get your heart pumping. Also, look up exercises you can do at parks while your kids play. I've found that the best thing to do with being busy with 2 small kids is to be flexible with your workouts, I just try to do something active everyday, even if it's just a walk. You can do it!