Energy For Morning Workout

mejese313

I'm the Mom of a almost 8 month old. And pretty much the only have time to exercise right now is early in the morning(I work full time and my husband has college classes in the evening so I'm left to take care of the baby). I have to get up at 5:15 in the morning in order to get some time on the treadmill. And honestly it's hard. I rarely get to bed before 10:30 and sometimes the kiddo doesn't sleep though the night(right now he has a cold so that's been rough) so I have to get up with him. I basically have 20-30 mins to get a workout it and somedays I barely have enough energy to walk 3.5 miles an hour. I feel like it's hardly benefitting me. This morning I only managed a little over a mile in 20 mins.

I'm thinking there's probably nothing I can do to have more energy and I just need to keep doing the best I can at this point and it'll get better eventually. I know I can lose this extra 25-35 pounds with just cutting calories but it's so much easier when you can exercise too and it's so frustrating to have little time to exercise and be tired when I do have time.

I wish it was summer again so I could grab the stroller and hit the pavement but it's not so I guess I'll just muddle through...

ETA: DH is always saying that if I don't get on the treadmill and run I'm never going to lose weight which is frustrating to me...

PinkCoconut

First of all, congrats on the wee one! I know these months are tough and super tiring but you can totally do it!

Second, you're right, you just need to push through it. Yes, it's going to be hard but if it were easy everyone would be doing it! If this is the only time you have then it's the only time you have. 20 - 30 minutes is PLENTY of time to make a change but you'll have to go hard! You may want to try having something in your stomach before you work out or try a pre-workout formula to perk you up a bit to get you going.

Remember that working out will actually GIVE you energy in the long run so use the time you have wisely. The hardest part is getting started!

Feel free to friend me any time!

unhgoose

Ugh I feel for you. My two are 4.75 and 2.5 now and the 2.5 year old seldom sleeps through the night. I'm on an almost identical schedule. Exercising after work pretty much can't happen, so I get up at 5:20 to fit something in. I try to go to bed earlier but I almost never achieve lights out before 10:30. When I'm lying in bed in the morning, I tell myself you'll feel so much better if you just suck it up and get up. Even if I only get half a work out in because the baby wakes up that is better than nothing.

The days I workout I'm more cheerful. Stress from kids, work, bills, my husband are all easier to deal with if I've gotten in 20-30 minutes of exercise that day. Life totally does me in on the days when I don't get those endorphins. It is HARD, but you just have to keep getting up and doing it. And don't get mad at yourself if you miss a day. I definitely skip days if the kids have been awake a lot. So if there's been too much baloney at night I give myself a pass.

Maybe the treadmill isn't fun enough? Can you save a special show to only watch when you workout? Or do a couch 2 5k thing that gives you some outside motivation? I love running but I can only go on the weekend when the husband watches the kids. I love dvds. The Firm Express workouts are only 20 mins (literally 20 minutes no extra warm up cool down time attached) and I loved them. I also like a lot of the Jillian work outs.

One more thing... I don't know if your breastfeeding or not, but I was not a woman who could lose weight well I was breastfeeding. My body thought I still needed those lbs. While breastfeeding I could lose a little but every ounce was a struggle. When I stopped breastfeeding both times the number on the scale started to really move.

Good luck!

rhon456

A little bit every day is better than nothing!! Well done for actually getting up and trying.
Do you eat before? A coffee and a banana or preworkout might help?