How do "single" moms fit lots of exercise in?
Leka1000
Posts: 160 Member
Hello, Im actually not single but my husband does work away alot and isn't home much.....SO - what do you mom's (full time working mom's I should indicate!) do to get all your exercise in plus keep your "shite" together? (clean house, food prepped, kids got all there needs and dah dah dah) Looking for some sweet tips here ladies! Thank you!
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If exercise is a priority, then you make time for it just like you would shopping for food, or helping kids with homework.
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When my 3 were younger we used to cycle together. When they were even younger they used to cycle and I ran along beside them. When they were babies I ran with their pram. 30 minutes a day is enough.
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i run with my daughter, i hit the gym while shes at school
but im not a working mum (had to give up work when my daughter was born too early, too sick and disabled and now i spend my days in appointments with her, about her and helping out at her school since im a parent forum member and we fundraise, hold events, coffee mornings etc ) so i dont count0 -
I think they must get up at the *kitten* crack of dawn!! Ha Ha I am trying to figure out how to fit it in myself. I would like to build my workouts into my house cleaning ( like lunges while vaccuming, plank while scrubbing the floor, etc. ) It's all about multi-tasking
I will let you know how it goes. 0 -
whouwannab wrote: »I think they must get up at the *kitten* crack of dawn!! Ha Ha I am trying to figure out how to fit it in myself. I would like to build my workouts into my house cleaning ( like lunges while vaccuming, plank while scrubbing the floor, etc. ) It's all about multi-tasking I will let you know how it goes.
Yay! I like your way of thinking! I walking during lunch breaks for 20-30min during lunch breaks 3 times a week and I lift weights at home 2-3 nights a week (sometimes with toddler playing next to me and sometimes after he goes to bed) I find it very difficult to get myself to do it as there's always cleaning to do or im already tired and just wanna go to bed...I wish I had mega energy - that would be awesome!
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Hey! I know that being a mom, especially a mom that doesn't have much help, makes it hard to find the time to exercise. I, too, had this problem. You need to slowly incorporate it in to your daily routine. Fit exercise in when your kids are napping, playing with toys, or schedule a time when they can color/play with play dough/arts and crafts so that they are entertained while you are getting fit! I am here to help, if you need the encouragement or advice.0
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How do you define "a lot" of exercise? and why do you think you need "a lot" of exercise. you need regular exercise...30-60 minutes 5-6 days per week is just fine...
you don't need to be doing hours upon hours of exercise every day to be healthy and fit...in fact, over exercise can be just as harmful as no exercise.0 -
My gym has a daycare. I make sure to go when the daycare is open.
Eating is all me. I choose to eat a healthy balanced diet daily.
If you're gym does not have a daycare and you have no other options for childcare, find some great at home workouts (there's a bunch online) and do that while the kiddos sleep.
Make it one of your priorities.0 -
I'm much like you. Feels single because hubs is gone so much. I do Jillian michaels, strong curves and take soccer balls to the field and kick them around with my 2 and 3 year olds and if I'm really lucky can get some laps in while they pick flowers.0
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My kids are grown now, but I was a full time working single mom. I worked out while they were at practice for whatever event or doing homework. Gymnastics? Take my yoga mat and do body weight exercises. Baseball? Take my running shoes and run the field perimeter. Football? Run the bleachers. School work? Ride the stationary bike. Movie night at home? Do lunges and pushups during popcorn breaks.
Everything else was lesser priority...if the dishes weren't done we ate off paper, laundry was rarely folded, the bills got paid during my lunch, I grocery shopped at the corner store & cooked in the microwave.
My kids have always said we had a great time, I was involved and I was at EVERY event. They have never said we had a clean house lol0 -
When I have the kid we jog to the playground together and I do bodyweight exercises on the play equipment while she plays. Swings are great for the abs too.0
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funjen1972 wrote: »My kids are grown now, but I was a full time working single mom. I worked out while they were at practice for whatever event or doing homework. Gymnastics? Take my yoga mat and do body weight exercises. Baseball? Take my running shoes and run the field perimeter. Football? Run the bleachers. School work? Ride the stationary bike. Movie night at home? Do lunges and pushups during popcorn breaks.
Everything else was lesser priority...if the dishes weren't done we ate off paper, laundry was rarely folded, the bills got paid during my lunch, I grocery shopped at the corner store & cooked in the microwave.
My kids have always said we had a great time, I was involved and I was at EVERY event. They have never said we had a clean house lol
You are awesome!!!0 -
I am a single mom and the solo parent to my kids. In order to fit in exercise I commute to work by bus in the morning and then walk home at the end of the day. My kids are old enough to be home alone now so I go to the pool for waterfit or go out for a run in the evenings after everyone is fed and settled. When they are at friends houses or otherwise occupied I go for long hikes.
I will be starting in-home resistance exercise of some sort in September.
ps. if you have a husband or partner even if s/he is away a lot you are in no way a single parent. I have been there too and it is worlds different from being the sole provider and caregiver for the kids and the only person in the world to worry after them as a parent would. There is no comparison.0 -
I am divorced, work a full-time job and have 3 kids ages 5, 4 and 3. I get up early (5am) and jog on my treadmill or exercise after they go to bed (around 9pm). 30 minutes 5 days a week is enough for me. They are gone with their dad Tuesdays so that night I do extra exercise and jog outside Wednesday mornings. For me, meal prep and planning is key to eating healthy. I try and cook 3 meals each night and then eat left overs and 1 pizza night. I still keep a clean house, dishes put away and feel I still get ample time to play with my kids. We go out every night and I make sure I run around with them and do minor yard work if they are occupied with playing with each other. Like previous posters have mentioned, if it's important to you, you will make the time. If you sit down and watch a 30 minute show each night, then you have time to exercise. 0
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This is what a typical day looks like in a nutshell:
Morning--
get everyone fed, ready and off to where they need to be
brisk walk to bus and then from bus stop to work--about 15 minutes
Lunch break--brisk walk after a nutritious meal
After work-- brisk walk home --about 3 miles
then relax at home, cook supper, hang out with kids
around 7:30-8 go to the pool or go for a run
maybe some yoga
bed by 10 ish.
Weekends include longer hikes.
It's important that everyone in the household contributes. There is no reason whatsoever that all the drudgery should be on one person.
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Here is my routine:
4:45 wake up
5:00-600 work out
6-8:30 get everyone ready, drop everyone off and go to work
8:30-5:30 work (no one takes a lunch here so I eat what I have packed at my desk)
5:30-6 pick everyone up and get home
6-9:00 dinner, homework, bathtime, bedtime
9-10: paperwork (school forms, random work emails) and some food prep for both the kids and me.
I usually crash around 10 or 10:30.0 -
I'm a stay at home Mom with 3 kids and my husband travels a lot. I found a gym with a daycare. Although it was difficult at first to let someone else watch my kids, I found that it was a much needed break for us all.
The kids get to socialize and have fun while I get my workout on and then I feel much more energetic and ready to tackle responsibilities at home. It's an hour out of my day.
I prep my food once or twice a week by cooking large dishes for plenty of leftovers, pre cook, weigh and bag chicken breast and pre weigh/bag all of my go-to snacks.
Lastly, I try my best to prelog my meals so my day is figured out for me already and I spend less time on MFP.
Bonus: My kids are eating healthier too! It's a win for everyone!
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Hi! How old is your kiddo? Mine is 4, I have her 50% of the time, otherwise i study full time and work extra. Before I became a parent, i was very tidy.. After a year i was totally exhausted and realised i had to rethink my prios... Happy Mom > Happy baby. I stopped worrying about cleaning, shopped grocerys for the whole week, and went to bed with my kiddo. In Sweden we have a saying that means aprox: 'better some dirt in the corner than a clean hell'
So, Slept 9-5, trained at home 5-6 (crosstrainer 30 min, 15 min excercise w bodyweight, strech, shower) IF she woke up, i told her this is mommys time for training and she could watch tv. When she got older she made some excersises with me, i had her on my back while doing pushups, and made it a game for her (making farts while doing crunches also fun 
)
I spent time with family and friends on weekends, made sure to take my other friends out on walks, and I explained to 'friends' why i couldnt go out on aw, take coffee all the time or be home late. Real friends understand
Good luck!
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Outside of leg day I can get in the gym and lift with a warm up and cool down in 45 min. Long enough for the little ones to watch one show and play0
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I work out at night in the garage. On weekend, we take bikes to the park and I walk and they bike on the path. It's tough and many nights sleep wins over a workout, but I try my best0
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On the days I am totally off and have no childcare whatsoever, I either won't exercise or we go for a walk or ride the bike with the baby seat.
If my daughter is at daycare, I'll either go to the gym or ride my bike, a lot of time riding between clients.
If she is at grandparents', I'll squeeze as much exercise as I can in.
I just fine any window I can for a half hour of exercise. If I can't, I just eat less.0 -
I am a single, full time employee, full time student, and full time mom hahaha. It helps that i am studying Exercise Science and I enjoy fitness. During the week I only work out 30 mins a day; its the perfect amount of time. My daughter is 4, so during that time is when I allow her to play on her electronic for the day (only 30 mins a day). I workout with her in the room, so I can lead by example how to live a fitness lifestyle. I jump rope or do jumping jacks, or high knees for cardio. And i do a workout circuit that is nonstop so I can burn the most calories. If I have more time in the day, and energy, lol, I will do a 30 min workout in the day, and a 30 min workout at night. I have a Fitbit so I make it my goal to hit 10K steps a day (whether i workout or not), and on the weekends I like to walk a lot with my tot. Its doable, and you dont have to wake early in the morning if you dont want to. For my daughter it was all about learning when it was time for Mommy to workout. She had to learn, it wasnt always easy, but she got it. Just like we have dinner time, reading time, bed time, we also have time to exercise. Sometimes she doesn't even watch Mr Maker (her favorit show on YouTube) she gets up and jump around with me lol. Consistancy is key. YOU GOT THIS!!! #teammom0
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Im not a single mom but my husband works a ton and has never helped with the kids who are now 13 and 6 years old. I own and singlehandedly run a busy cafe and do all the paperwork for our landscaping buisness and have for 12 years all while raising my kids without daycare or any help. Of the 12 years i have gotten a workout in almost everyday. I wake up at 5am and get in a 1 1/2 hour workout before i get the kids on the bus and head to the cafe. You make time for things that matter!0
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Sheonagolden wrote: »I am a single, full time employee, full time student, and full time mom hahaha. It helps that i am studying Exercise Science and I enjoy fitness. During the week I only work out 30 mins a day; its the perfect amount of time. My daughter is 4, so during that time is when I allow her to play on her electronic for the day (only 30 mins a day). I workout with her in the room, so I can lead by example how to live a fitness lifestyle. I jump rope or do jumping jacks, or high knees for cardio. And i do a workout circuit that is nonstop so I can burn the most calories. If I have more time in the day, and energy, lol, I will do a 30 min workout in the day, and a 30 min workout at night. I have a Fitbit so I make it my goal to hit 10K steps a day (whether i workout or not), and on the weekends I like to walk a lot with my tot. Its doable, and you dont have to wake early in the morning if you dont want to. For my daughter it was all about learning when it was time for Mommy to workout. She had to learn, it wasnt always easy, but she got it. Just like we have dinner time, reading time, bed time, we also have time to exercise. Sometimes she doesn't even watch Mr Maker (her favorit show on YouTube) she gets up and jump around with me lol. Consistancy is key. YOU GOT THIS!!! #teammom
I love this!
What a great perspective. MOM POWER! 0 -
emiliebecause wrote: »I am a single mom and the solo parent to my kids. In order to fit in exercise I commute to work by bus in the morning and then walk home at the end of the day. My kids are old enough to be home alone now so I go to the pool for waterfit or go out for a run in the evenings after everyone is fed and settled. When they are at friends houses or otherwise occupied I go for long hikes.
I will be starting in-home resistance exercise of some sort in September.
ps. if you have a husband or partner even if s/he is away a lot you are in no way a single parent. I have been there too and it is worlds different from being the sole provider and caregiver for the kids and the only person in the world to worry after them as a parent would. There is no comparison.
Why would you even mention this? I wasn't comparing anything.....
It will be much easier for me when my kid of old enough to stay home alone. He is only 3.
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Im not a single mom but my husband works a ton and has never helped with the kids who are now 13 and 6 years old. I own and singlehandedly run a busy cafe and do all the paperwork for our landscaping buisness and have for 12 years all while raising my kids without daycare or any help. Of the 12 years i have gotten a workout in almost everyday. I wake up at 5am and get in a 1 1/2 hour workout before i get the kids on the bus and head to the cafe. You make time for things that matter!
Awesome! Gettin ER done!!!
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Alot of my time is spent cleaning....lol aka clean freak...I need to calm down on this I think. Please my sister is moving close to me soon!!! This means babysitter!!!! Yay! Hello badminton! Hello weights AT THE GYM.
My days are usually:
630am wake up
715am leave home to take kid to day care
8-4pm work
4-445 stop at grocery store or some place
5-630pm cook, clean kitchen & lving room
630pm-7 relax
7-9pm - more cleaning up, bathing kid, out for walk with kid, running to more stores
9pm - kids bed time
930-10pm - lunch prep and possibly meal prep for next day supper
10pm - weights and/or cardio at home IF I HAVE THE ENERGY!
11pm - already sleeping usually0 -
i was in your situation untill very recently (husband worked nights and week ends at a low paying unskilled labor job, and I am a full time engineering student, also working) our kid is almost 3 now. it seemed impossible, I always felt guilty and it was hard to have time for myself when I had so many other things to do: chores, homework, quality time with my kid, extra work etc. when I could, I exercised 30 -60min during my daughters nap, got up ealier or stayed up later. I got her her own yoga mat and she sometimes exercises with me to the YouTube video. in general, even if it's impossible to fit in a workout, I make an effort to be active with my kid. take her to the playground every chance I get, make up active games, piggy back rides etc.
PS to those who are offended by the name of your thread, there are quotation marks around "single", so op makes it clear that there's no comparison intended. plus, some of us with inparticipating husbands have no other help from either side of the family. we practically live alone with the kid, there's no safety net, no one to come help us when we're sick taking care of a sick child, and then have responsibilities such as school and work. Oftentimes all we see from our spouse is a paycheck, so it does seem comparable to being single.0 -
When I was a single mom I would wake up at 5 every morning to run in my treadmill while my child was sleeping. Then some days on my lunch break at work I would drive 10 minutes to the gym, 30 minute workout, 10 minutes to make myself some-what presentable, and 10 minutes back to work. If you REALLY want to exercise you will find the time.0
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OMG I forgot to mention that I DO fit in exercise during lunch time at work! 25min walks 2-3 times a week...0
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