Question for FT work-outside-the-home moms?

gr8grl68

I am very very lucky--we have a gym at our offices here in the city so I go around 2:30 in the afternoon when no one is there! I have to get up at 4:30 in the AM just to get here on time for work so there's NO WAY I'm getting up in the middle of the night to work out! I also read that working out in the afternoon is actually the best time of day to exercise. . .

curlytop89

I think you definitely have to get up and just do it. After awhile, laying around in the morning when you could be up working out will start to make you feel like you could really be doing something better. When my husband was home, I would get up at 4:30, work out for 45 minutes at the gym then shower real quick and go accross the street to work at the hospital where I ran up and down the halls as a nurse for 12-13hrs then barely made it home in time to see my kids before bed. I work less hours now, and my husband is overseas, but getting up early is the best thing. I just shut all the doors I can to keep the noise down, then either do a dvd, with volume low, or use my treadmill in my bedroom. I also got an elliptical as well, so I can read and do that or listen to music. The elliptical definitely makes less noise than the treadmill. What about some white noise around the kids rooms to block out other sounds, like a fan, or humidifier, air cleaner. Just a suggestion. I have a 20 month old, and he seems to sleep better with the cool air humidifier going so sometimes even when he is not having any cough or whatever, I will turn it on.

fantm

I get up at 5am and take a 5:30am bootcamp class. Love it! But on the off weeks, I will do a bunch of the camp exercises at the gym, at home, or in the back yard. Since I'm used to working out outdoors (even in winter), it's no big deal. I don't need a TV or much light either, just a level space and my dumbbells and an hour.

Take the time early, even if you have to go to bed a bit earlier. You'll find you have more energy after your workout.

MsP90X

HI there, I too am a FT work-outside-the-home mom and I used to struggle to fit in work out time. Now I have created a "workout" group at work that I am guaranteed four good cardio workouts per week ... but I also workout at home AFTER I put the children to bed. I know that a lot of people like to workout in the morning BUT it does not work for me... I like my sleep too much for that :P

You just have to decide that you WANT to do it ... then push play, everyday.

Make it a great day!

karensoxfan

My kids are 8, 2 and 7 months. You'd be surprised how much fun it can be for them. My son (8) loves doing Zumba videos with me and my daughter (2) mostly just jumps around and calls it exercise. You just need to find a way to make it work for you. It took me 32 years and 250 pounds to finally give up the excuses.

My 7-year old would love exercising with me, but our house is really small, and there's really not room for it, without us bumping into each other and her getting in my way.

fbmandy55

Not only am I a FT working mom but I am also SINGLE. I've bought 2 Dancing with the Stars DVDs and they kick my butt! It's great because my 3 year old tries to do the dance moves that the girls doo too! SO we get quality time playing together, I don't have to leave the house and I can take 45mins to an hour to do it in the AM before my shower or after work at night!

karensoxfan

I think you definitely have to get up and just do it. After awhile, laying around in the morning when you could be up working out will start to make you feel like you could really be doing something better. ... I just shut all the doors I can to keep the noise down, then either do a dvd, with volume low, or use my treadmill in my bedroom. I also got an elliptical as well, ... What about some white noise around the kids rooms to block out other sounds, like a fan, or humidifier, air cleaner.

I think you're right I have to just find a way to drag myself out of bed for it. I'm hardly "just laying around in the morning" though. I usually sleep until 6/6:30, then have to be ready to leave the house by 7:30. The only door I could close to help the kids sleep would be their bedroom door, and then the little one wouldn't be able to turn the knob to get to the bathroom if she needed it (it's an old house, and their doorknob sticks if you close it all the way).

I could run a humidifier, but in the summer we run AC, and it didn't seem to help last time I tried working out early mornings.

crewellademel

I bought a recumbent bike and I bike 1 hour four times a week while I watch shows or DVD's on TV. I put my kids to bed at 9pm and I bike for one hour before going to bed. That is my wind-down time for the day and then I crash. Noticed I sleep better too, on the nights I excercise before going to bed and more likely to awake rested and williing to get up on time. Hope this helps!

karensoxfan

You just have to decide that you WANT to do it ... then push play, everyday.

Wanting to actually DO the workouts is my biggest hurdle, I think. The roadblocks I put up in my own head.

sillygoose1977

I hate to say it, but if you really want to work out, you will find the time and the means to do it. There is always an excuse not to. I am a single mom that works full time and I work out 5 times a week. The second I get home it's on with the work out clothes and either to the gym (where they have daycare for 5 bucks a month) or to my tv for a video or my PS3 Active. Just remind yourself that exercising isn't a selfish thing for you to be doing. In the long run it will benefit your whole family. Good luck.

karensoxfan

I bought a recumbent bike and I bike 1 hour four times a week while I watch shows or DVD's on TV. I put my kids to bed at 9pm and I bike for one hour before going to bed. That is my wind-down time for the day and then I crash. Noticed I sleep better too, on the nights I excercise before going to bed and more likely to awake rested and williing to get up on time. Hope this helps!

I wish I had the money & space for equipment. If I had a finished basement with a TV & treadmill, it would make this change a LOT easier on me.

bstamps12

I work and go to school in addition to having a 3 year old. I would recommend the Jilian Michaels 30 Day Shred video as well...it is only 20 minutes long, but a great workout. You could do that at home after your kids go to bed and really only miss out on 30 minutes of time with your husband. Or do it at night when he is at the gym and kids are in bed. You could also check out yoga (which I have never done) because it might not make you sweat very much...so maybe you could squeeze that in sometime when you said you didn't want to sweat.

erica79

I found the only way to workout while working 40+ hours a week and having a 8 year old is either early in the morning or late at night. I try to wake up at 5 so I can get in a good 1/2 hour before I have to wake up my son and start the day, but I have to admit I have been slacking. It's soo cold and I just want to stay in my bed a little longer. But yeah those are the only times that seem to work for me, unless I want my husband and son to watch me exercise. (and I don't)

PS..love the picture of you and Wally. I have a picture of my son sitting with that same Wally in my house.

hamiltonba

Karensoxfan - Every time someone gives you an idea, you explain why you CAN"T do it. Why don't you BREAK that cycle and find ways you CAN. You don't lose weight and get healthy by doing nothing and making excuses. All of us could have done that. Has it been easy for us? NO! Are we tired? sure, but exercising gives us energy (it also relieves stress). We know we must exercise and find the time to do so. Good luck.

lilRicki

I work out the minute my son goes to bed...so about 8:15pm...I hustle downstairs, throw in what ever DVD or Kinect Xbox game is on the agenda that night and away I go for an hour...still gives me time to make lunches, shower and go to bed at a decent time...now if I fall asleep or not is different...the harder I work out the more wired I am when I go to bed. I have to force myself to close my eyes by 11:30 or I'm a POS at work the next day.

karensoxfan

Karensoxfan - Every time someone gives you an idea, you explain why you CAN"T do it. Why don't you BREAK that cycle and find ways you CAN. You don't lose weight and get healthy by doing nothing and making excuses. All of us could have done that. Has it been easy for us? NO! Are we tired? sure, but exercising gives us energy (it also relieves stress). We know we must exercise and find the time to do so. Good luck.

Thank you. I know you're right. I'm just struggling to accomplish that positive attitude and break free of my own excuses. My stress is increasing again for personal reasons, which is why I think I'm struggling on the food side of the equation, but I haven't regularly exercised since high school, so it's a huge change for me to tackle. I play lots of "all or nothing" headgames with myself too, which I know are counterproductive, but again, I struggle to get away from those thoughts.

I've also NEVER experienced stress relief from exercise during any of my attempts (there have been many over the years) at making it a habit. It's just always felt like one more thing on my never-ending to-do list.

karensoxfan

PS..love the picture of you and Wally. I have a picture of my son sitting with that same Wally in my house.

Thanks. I use that picture here because it was taken the day I weighed 204 and decided to get the scale back moving in the right direction.

mixmastermolly

I'm NOT a morning person so I try to do a workout DVD after my son falls asleep. He wakes up very early so mornings aren't realistic for me. Yoga is usually a quiet, calm workout.

karensoxfan

I'm reluctant to put this in writing, but after reading everyone's suggestions, I'm going to give 5 am workouts another shot. I'm going to commit right now to trying either a 30-day shred workout tomorrow, or some other 20-30 minute cardio.

I'll also come back to verify that I follow-through on that commitment. Do you think one day at a time is the way to approach this, or make a more long-term plan?

hamiltonba

Could you start small - maybe even just 10-15 minutes 3 times a week and then once you do that for 2 weeks up it to more time and/or more days? Once it becomes a habit and you build up your stamina, you can see that it can be done and you can progress even more.