Where is the balance?

sarah307

take the family with you for a walk in the park or on a nature trail.. or take the whole family on a bike ride. when you spend time with your husband, maybe you guys can take a stroll around your neighborhood for 15-20 minutes. it'll seem exhausting at first since you do have a lot going on, but once you get into the routine, it will just be part of your everyday schedule! and you'll get a few minutes in with good family time. eventually, your family might get into some fun exercise activity together !

BigBoneSista

All you need is 20 minutes. Ask hubby to tend to the kids for 20 minutes so that you get your work out in. Invest in a crockpot also. Its a time saver. You can have your meats cooking while you are at work so that will cut down on cooking time. Inform hubby that every night at 7:30 or whatever time you chose you want to get your 20 mins in. Make that a set time and stick with it no matter what unless something life threatening happens. Sometimes we have to put ourselves 1st in order to have piece within ourselves. I know you might feel a little selfish in the beginning but when you actually sit down and figure out how much you give of yourself to your family they should be able to give you 20 minutes in return. Thats not asking too much.

staceydewey

Do you get a lunch break at work? Try to find time to walk during any breaks you have...also when at the grocery store park as far away from the door as possible. Invite your husband for a walk around the block either before or after your work day. These are the things that have helped me when the balance is totally unbalanced in my life.

Good luck!

stormieweather

I work 2 jobs and have three children. What I do on running days is go straight for my run when I get home, while kids get changed out of uniforms and hubby gives them a snack. When I get back, I make dinners, then sit down and do my second job while kids do homework and take baths. I get them to bed, spend some time with hubby, take my own shower, and then sleep. On weight lifting nights (which I schedule for nights the kids have sports activities), we do dinner once we get home from sports (they have a hearty snack beforehand), 2nd job, homework, baths, and then hubby and I work out in the garage on our weight bench. We turn on the music and spot each other and just chat about our day and stuff. Then we shower and I hit the bed, he watches a show on TV. I do some of my 2nd job stuff on weekends and one deep-cleaning job, as well as the laundry. We have a chore chart, and everyone has to do one housekeeping chore per night. Between the five of us, we keep the house clean and yardwork done.

It is a very delicate balance to get it all in there, but if you want it badly enough, you'll find a way.

Good luck!

Angiebug1969

It's definitely one of the hardest things we do! "Woman-Wife-Mother-Athlete" Holy Moly, it's a wonder we hang in there at all... but we do!

Be kind to yourself... there are days when I can push my carcass out of bed at 3:30am just so I can fit in a workout, and there are days when I HAVE to allow myself to rest! (I open my office at 6:30am everyday)...

I don't guilt myself for the days when I schedule a training run, or a class or a workout session... I'm WORTH it, and I DESERVE it!! We all do... nomatter how full our plates are!! And that's the key that works for me... I have to schedule it! Just like I would the kids' after school practices that they CAN'T MISS... or like a doctor's appointment... My fitness is important enough to me, to put my workouts and rest days into my schedule nomatter what!

Hugs!! :flowerforyou: Angie

juliemouse83

Like Stormie, I have two jobs, also. Fortunately the evening job is my business, so I do have some flexibility in that, however, during busy seasons, I find I can work 8+ at the day job, and an additional 4-6 in the studio in the evenings.

Fortunately, the two remaining children at home are 15 & 16 and self-sufficient.

No, my home isn't spotless, and while my husband is a stay at home dad, he is limited to what house/yard work he can do given some health issues that have permanently disabled him. I could NOT, for the life of me, figure out how to work in time to work out, but I ended up getting my tail out of the bed between 4:30 and 5:00 to get to the Y by 5-5:30 and get my workout in three days a week. Fortunately, the other three days are things the kids can go with me to do (aqua-zumba, zumba, and water aerobics), and even if they don't want to go, I get the added bonus of "me" time. I also walk whenever possible at my day job to get extra calories burned.

I can say that once you get into a routine, you will feel all kinds of off kilter if you alter it. Yes, I do have to go to bed a little bit earlier (the first week I was in bed by nine), but the body adjusts, and I can actually make it past ten at night.

Good luck and keep us posted!

healthyjen342

I don't think working less is the answer. Also, getting up earlier means going to bed earlier, which means less time with the hubs, so that might not work for you.

Use your downtime. Take a brisk walk on your lunch break -- you don't have to walk the whole time, just take 15 or 30 minutes and book it around the block a few times. Just something to get your heart pumping. Avoid the elevator, and when you're strong enough, take the stairs two at a time. In the evening, set aside 10 minutes -- just 10 minutes! -- and do a quick workout off of www.exercisetv.tv or www.bodyrock.tv. While you're waiting for dinner to cook, do some bicep curls with a milk jug, or some wall push-ups. Do squats while you wash dishes or fold laundry. While you're watching tv, you can get something to use as an aerobic step, and step through the whole show, using the commercials for pushups, crunches, and planks. Take walks with the family in the evenings. Good for everyone, and you get to spend time together.

Work it in wherever you can. You don't have to have an hour of dedicated time. 2 minutes at a time is better than none.

Love these tips! You don't always have to log 1+ hours at the gym every day... the little things can be the most powerful!

AGREED! These tips are LIFESAVERS!!

healthyjen342

All you need is 20 minutes. Ask hubby to tend to the kids for 20 minutes so that you get your work out in. Invest in a crockpot also. Its a time saver. You can have your meats cooking while you are at work so that will cut down on cooking time. Inform hubby that every night at 7:30 or whatever time you chose you want to get your 20 mins in. Make that a set time and stick with it no matter what unless something life threatening happens. Sometimes we have to put ourselves 1st in order to have piece within ourselves. I know you might feel a little selfish in the beginning but when you actually sit down and figure out how much you give of yourself to your family they should be able to give you 20 minutes in return. Thats not asking too much.

AGREED! Crockpots are AWESOME! and depending on the ages of your kiddies, they can help with the cleanup/daily chores..I've tasked my daughter to making her own bed, putting her own clothes away and picking up the toys before bedtime! She also likes to vacuum, so I let her do that too..