Help me kill my excuses!

jellybellykelly

"I don't have any time to work out!" I know it's bull! Point out all of the holes in my excuses... when would YOU work out?

I work full time and am generally gone from the house from 8a-6p M-F. I have a 13-month-old baby to fill my non-working hours.

I could/should/used to work out in the morning. My issue now is that I bring the baby into our bed in the wee hours of the morning when he wakes up and he goes back to sleep sometimes, but often that hour between 6-7 that would be the perfect workout window is my favorite hour of the day with him... he is half-awake, snuggly, sweet. I have so little time with my baby as it is -- how can I give up that precious hour??

The baby goes to bed in his crib at 7:30pm. PERFECT, work out after he goes to bed, right? The thing holding me back from that... he is the lightest sleeper EVER and the only bathroom in the house is right across from his bedroom and showering is sure to wake him up.

I have been COMPLETELY sedentary pretty much since I got pregnant. There's no excuse not to at least start small, even with gentle yoga in the evenings that wouldn't require a shower afterwards. I know I have to stop making excuses.

What would you do?

Lizzy622

Workout with baby between 6-7 instead of bring him into bed. He can do running in place with you and can be a great weight for doing squats and lifts or put him in a laundry basket and do some push- pull moves across the floor. Instead of half-awake, snuggly, sweet time, you can have giggly, happy, active time. Giving him a bit more activity during the day may also help his sleep.

Heather4448

The above advice is very well stated.
I just have one thing to add; Your child needs to get used to sleeping through normal household noise levels. Stop tiptoeing around or you'll be a night prisoner. S/he will go back to sleep- trust me.

deviousme7

What about your lunch time? I walk up flights of stairs at lunch time, nearly kills me but it burns more calories than a walk

amtyrell

How about putting baby in stroller and taking a morning walk

rachelleahsmom

Agree with all above.

Also, can you park father away from work and get some steps through the parking lot? How about during your lunch? Can you go for a walk then? Do you work a desk job? Do as much as you can standing up. Sitting is the enemy! If you're on the phone, use a soup can or a weight to do bicep curls or tricep kickbacks with your hand that is not holding the receiver.

If you don't wear a skirt, you could do a few squats every hour.

Work out at 7:30 p.m. and go to bed sweaty (wash your face, though).

Share snuggle time with dad and get up and do something active three days a week. If you belong to a gym, you could shower there (although I agree that baby needs to sleep through normal household sounds). When you're holding him, pace or climb stairs.

The point is that if it's a priority, you can certainly do a little bit here and there. Any movement is better than none.

The more important point is that he is only little for a short while, so enjoy that while you can. Pretty soon, you can park him in front of Sesame Street for 30 minutes while you do some sit ups and push ups. Believe me, a few minutes of screen time won't ruin him!

And soon after that, you'll be burning a ton of calories chasing him and pushing him on playground swings.

Your health is super important, and I know you want to be a strong and fit mom, but time goes by so fast, so be sure to take care of your emotional self, too. If that means snuggling instead of exercise, oh well. Best of luck to you!

P.S. I feel like I had my kids last year, and now one is in college and one in high school. I know I sound like one of those old ladies that tells you to cherish every moment because they grow up too fast. But, guess what? Those old ladies are right.

OaklandTeacher

Can you get an indoor baby swing? I daughter would fall asleep in it while I did quiet exercises in the room such as weightlifting, squats, etc.

katricianutting586

This was posted in my gym tonight. "No matter how you feel, Get up, Lace up, Show up, and Never give up! Hope it helps!

ladipoet

Here's another possibility: consider investing in one of those under the desk pedal cycles thingies...or have one at work AND one at home. I've heard that some (though not all) of those things are usually pretty quiet!

wcgenius

I've been a full-time working mum with a baby and - I wouldn't give up the morning snuggle time for anything. I do think it would help you no end to regulate bubbas sleeping pattern though but, the 6 - 7am snuggles need not be sacrificed. My eldest was a terrible sleeper and I went through hell, sometimes going to work - and it was the type of job you really need to be on the ball with - with as little as three or four hours sleep. I read and researched and implemented a routine and response and it was horrible but, lasted the grand total of...3 days! In three days I had him sleeping like a log and self-settling. Wish I'd sorted that sooner in hindsight! This leaves you the evening - if you have a bath could you not fill it before he goes to bed so it's ready for after your workout? Or maybe consider HIIT training. Twenty minutes of that can go a long way regarding calorie burn and increasing fitness levels.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

30 minute cuddle time then go for a 30 minute run with your child in the stroller.

Your child will want a healthy fit Mum that can do things with them.

rheddmobile

I agree with @wcgenius, I wouldn't trade snuggle time for workout time. I think the under desk bike is a good idea, as are some of the others such as walking further to work, etc. Could you engineer a short workout during your lunch?

My inclination would be to put baby down fifteen minutes later, and do HIIT beforehand.

workout_ninja

As a mum myself, i wouldnt give up the morning snuggles for exercise - however my son is 5 now and I workout between 6-7 in the morning. However, your baby really needs to get used to noises, so evening would be perfect and just take a shower. We were lucky in that when my son was a baby, we lived in a block of flats so he was so used to all the noises that come with that, that he is dead to the world when he sleeps.

maryjaquiss

Another full-time working mum here. I tend to get up before 6 to work out (!) as I am half marathon training and need to fit in at least 30 minutes' run most days before work. Would it be possible to get up even earlier then snuggle back in bed after that?

Alternatively, how about a less sweaty evening workout (e.g. bodyweight strength workout, yoga) where you wouldn't need a shower afterwards, and a 30-40 minute walk at lunch to get some light cardio in?

gerla_k

Can you turn on the shower before your work out? That way baby will fall asleep with the shower noise and won't wake up when you turn it off ?

Niki_Fitz

Pilates! On the floor, while baby plays. Especially if you've been sedentary it will get your core strong and everything else long - and ready for when you can do more. Message me if you like, I'm getting back to it with my 20-month old

cwolfman13

When my boys were babes, my wife would put them in a jogging stroller and go jogging...I cycle and would put them in the cycling trailer when I needed to.