Anyone else a mom in school?

bnw1205

I really need some motivation from people who are in a similar situation as me. I am really feeling down this week. I had such a busy week at school and really feeling lazy. I only ran once this week and and only worked out once, if it wasn't for having to hike all over campus 3 times a week I wouldn't have gotten in all the extra walking. And even though I would like to motivate myself to workout today (especially since I ate over 60% of my calories for breakfast :O I feel so guilty) my legs are very sore and I'm tired. Amazingly I have reached my lowest weight in over a year but even that isn't helping me to feel better today. Then on top of feeling fat and lazy I still have housework and homework.

~One sad, unmotivated, guilty feeling mom.

salleymo

I'm a mom of two, married, work full-time and school full-time. I can definitely understand the overwhelmed feeling, with additional things such as housework, homework and fitting in exercise on top of caring for your kids!

MyOwnSunshine

I am a mom who works full-time and also a full-time doctorate student. I work three 12-hour shifts a week and do 6-8 hours of reading/homework/writing on all my days off.

I've ran twice, lifted three times, and done three short yoga workouts in the past week.

You have to plan ahead and you can't make working out optional -- it has to be as important as everything else. I have to stress that you really have to plan ahead and stick to your plan.

Also, stop watching TV. If you don't have time to eat healthy and work out, you don't have time for TV. :-)

lmkpete

Put off the housework and even the homework for 30 minutes; do a 'light' workout for 30 minutes and you'll actually feel more energized and be more productive. Even brain functions improve after a workout so tell yourself that's the first step in your homework.
Sometimes I make a deal with myself, if I start one of my easier workouts and don't 'feel' like finishing I can quit with no guilt.
I NEVER have quit, in fact I'll sometimes work harder than I thought I could or add an additional 20 minutes doing something else.

Good luck-now just go and get started without thinking about it, you can do this!

bnw1205

I am a mom who works full-time and also a full-time doctorate student. I work three 12-hour shifts a week and do 6-8 hours of reading/homework/writing on all my days off.

I've ran twice, lifted three times, and done three short yoga workouts in the past week.

You have to plan ahead and you can't make working out optional -- it has to be as important as everything else. I have to stress that you really have to plan ahead and stick to your plan.

Also, stop watching TV. If you don't have time to eat healthy and work out, you don't have time for TV. :-)

I wish I had time for TV lol. Its hard to plan workout time due to my work load constantly changing, and my husband sometimes getting home at 4 and sometimes at 7. The best I can hope for is to go run with the dog after hubby gets home. And never on Thursday because its my long day (class until 10 pm)
When do you schedule your workouts? Is it the same time everyday? How old are your kids? Mine are really young so I normally can't get in my workouts until after my husband is home.
I'm also really guilty of staying up late studying after the kids are in bed and almost always getting hungry at 10 or 11 at night.
I'm hoping Im not coming off as rude, I'm just generally curious for a perspective from someone who seems to have their schedule all figure out.

bnw1205

Put off the housework and even the homework for 30 minutes; do a 'light' workout for 30 minutes and you'll actually feel more energized and be more productive. Even brain functions improve after a workout so tell yourself that's the first step in your homework.
Sometimes I make a deal with myself, if I start one of my easier workouts and don't 'feel' like finishing I can quit with no guilt.
I NEVER have quit, in fact I'll sometimes work harder than I thought I could or add an additional 20 minutes doing something else.

Good luck-now just go and get started without thinking about it, you can do this!

What do you do in a "light" workout? Is it something you came up with or follow something?

StepAwayFromTheCupcake

I'm a single mom of two little boys, (3 and 5 years old), I work full time as a massage therapist, and I go to school full time. Put off the housework! Taking that time to workout and make yourself feel better is much more important than cleaning. I usually take my kids for walks with me, or to a baseball field where we can run around for a while--I feel like I burned some calories, and the kids are super tired by bed time. Win-win!

MyOwnSunshine

I am a mom who works full-time and also a full-time doctorate student. I work three 12-hour shifts a week and do 6-8 hours of reading/homework/writing on all my days off.

I've ran twice, lifted three times, and done three short yoga workouts in the past week.

You have to plan ahead and you can't make working out optional -- it has to be as important as everything else. I have to stress that you really have to plan ahead and stick to your plan.

Also, stop watching TV. If you don't have time to eat healthy and work out, you don't have time for TV. :-)

I wish I had time for TV lol. Its hard to plan workout time due to my work load constantly changing, and my husband sometimes getting home at 4 and sometimes at 7. The best I can hope for is to go run with the dog after hubby gets home. And never on Thursday because its my long day (class until 10 pm)
When do you schedule your workouts? Is it the same time everyday? How old are your kids? Mine are really young so I normally can't get in my workouts until after my husband is home.
I'm also really guilty of staying up late studying after the kids are in bed and almost always getting hungry at 10 or 11 at night.
I'm hoping Im not coming off as rude, I'm just generally curious for a perspective from someone who seems to have their schedule all figure out.

Here's how my week goes:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Work 12 hour days with a 40 minute one-way commute, so I get up 30 minutes early and get in a Rodney Yee yoga workout before getting my daughter up and dressed and both of us ready to go.

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Get up at 6:30, get daughter ready for school and put on my running gear. Leash up the naughtiest of the two dogs (so she's worn out while I'm doing homework), walk daughter to school and run for 20-30 minutes with naughty dog. By 9:00 I'm doing homework. At about 2:00 I straighten house or throw in a load of laundry and get ready to go to the gym. I try to be at the gym by 3:00 and lift for 60-75 minutes. Pick up daughter after gym and go home to make dinner. Clean up dinner dishes and then do homework reading until bedtime.

Saturdays and Sundays: I try to sleep in and/or take a nap at least one of the days because I'm usually short on sleep. I absolutely fit in one 60-75 minute weight session at the gym -- daughter goes to free YMCA kids care and loves it. I generally do shopping on Saturdays as well, and fit in some homework. Sundays I try to get in a run, but sometimes I"m not successful, or we do a family activity instead. I don't stress too much if I miss my weekend run. More homework.

Before deciding to go back to school full-time (I'm the main breadwinner, so working part-time or not at all is not an option) I had a serious discussion with my husband about cleaning the house. I am adamant that everyone in the house cleans up after themselves and no messes are left. That is the easiest way to minimize housework. My husband is supposed to be doing most of the housework. Sometimes it gets done, sometimes it doesn't, but if everyone cleans up their mess and clutter on a daily basis, my house is clean enough.

I thought long and hard before making the commitment to a full-time doctorate program, but it's only for 3 years and will increase my/our quality of life immensely, so it's worth it to sacrifice for now. I promised myself that I would not give up my workouts and healthy eating, and there's nothing that will make me change my habits and re-gain my weight, so essentially, I just make the important stuff fit.

goldengirl111

Wow, you have a busy schedule. I'm dealing with alot of stress eating and sitting while doing hours of homework. . . .any suggestions.

goldengirl111

Great suggestion to put off the homework and housework to get charged up by workout. Thanks.

MyOwnSunshine

Wow, you have a busy schedule. I'm dealing with alot of stress eating and sitting while doing hours of homework. . . .any suggestions.

I have definitely struggled with this! The way that I turned around my constant grazing habit during homework is to plan my meals on my days at home like I plan my meals and snacks on work days. I keep a lot of protein and veggies prepped and on-hand so I have healthy lunches and a healthy snack. Then, I stick to my plan. No unplanned eating is my rule, so I just say no to my urge. Also, hot tea helps a lot, because it gives me something to consume during homework, and I can take breaks to go to the kitchen to brew it.