Working mom looking for suggestions on getting it all done!

ayoung0429

Hi! Today is my first day on fitness pal! I have had a great morning and managed to double my workout time. I have a 5 year old daughter and an 11 week old daughter. I have been on maternity leave and will be returning to work full-time next week. I really want to make this work but am certainly concerned about fitting everything in! Besides taking care of my children, home, husband, job.......how do I ensure I eat healthy and exercise?

Any tips from other moms out there on how you do it would be greatly appreciated!

vim_n_vigor

I spend time on Sunday cooking and portioning my meals to take to work.
Exercise time includes my kids. Babies make a great weight - you can lift them with your legs - mine loved that, even at a very young age. Try and do the same things they do for even a short period of time - that is guaranteed to burn some calories!

tararocks

Welcome! The site is wonderful and the people are even better! I have two daughters as well, 13 and 5 and between the two of them, all their sports and playdates, my job, my house, and oh yeah my husband, making time for myself can get rough, but that's exactly what you HAVE to do. Make time for yourself, hopefully you have a good support network that allows you to do this, whether it is going to the gym, even going for 30 minutes a few times a week helps, i seldom have time to get their for an hour or more workout, it's usually like 45 minutes, but it keeps me committed and i feel good afterwards, and i have still seen changes. What can you do at home, put the baby in a stroller and go for a long walk, leading up to a jog, especially if you have a jogging stroller. As far as healthy foods, when I started my journey it was in part due to my 5 year old that has the best eating habits of anybody I have ever met, I had to do a lot of prep for her foods so I jsut started doing it for the rest of us at well. Sounds cliche but prep everything as soon as you get it home, it makes it so easy. So much easier to grab a handful of fruit from a bowl or carrots that are already cut up when i get home form work and am starving before dinner, when I don't have these choices i open chips or other snacks that are easily available. Anyway, just my thoughts..congrats on starting your journey!

tishaloses

It is hard to juggle work, family, and exercise. I usually include my boys (ages 3 and 1) in whatever exercise I am doing. I have a double stroller for walks and a trailer for my bike. I also like to do Micheal Jackson on Wii which both boys love and dance to with me. I made the decision that they were my motivation and they wouldn't get in the way of losing it. I guess they have gotten used to it because my 3 yr old asks when I am I going to exercise. We are also trying alot of new healthy foods. I make them try it once. So far it has worked!! Good luck!! You can do this. Feel free to add me if you would like!!!

ajbeans

Congrats on the new baby! As far as getting everything in, it comes down to priorities and changing the way you think. Eating right doesn't take any extra time really, if you do a little advance planning. Take your lunch to work, and if you snack at work, take those too. Carry a stainless steel water bottle with you and refill it through the day so you stay hydrated and you're not tempted to hit the pop machine. If you're a Starbucks fanatic, there are tons of healthier ways to get your caffeine fix that taste just as good and cost a lot less. Plan your meals for the week the day before you go grocery shopping, and only buy the ingredients for those meals, plus some healthy snacks like fruits, veggies, string cheese, etc.

As far as working out, just look at how you typically spend your day. If you come home too late to get a workout in, try waking up 30 minutes earlier and working out before the kids get up. If that's not an option, see if you can rearrange your evening to make time for your workout. If both of those options fail, try this: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/03/10/angry-birds-workout-plan/ That workout plan will help you get in shape in little chunks of time. 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there. You don't have to bust your butt for an hour every day to see results. On evenings that the weather is nice, you can go for a family walk for some bonding time and some extra exercise.

No excuses! You can do this, and you are WORTH it!

barb2010

Hello,
I have 2 kids 3 and 6 and work full-time. It is hard to do it all but it makes you feel better in the long run. I wake up early 4:30 in order to get my workout in. It's not fun but it allows me to be home at dinner time and spend quality time in the evening with my family. When my first child was born she went to bed so early at night, I was able to go to the gym after she went to bed. Now I go to bed early with the kids so I can get up early. I also need to plan ahead for meals and put a goal in place. I am training for a marathon in October. There is a way to do it all. Barb

KHaverstick

It's a challenge, for sure! I have a 19 month old, and work full time. Between work, spending time with my family, and taking care of any family business, working out and eating right took a backseat for quite a while. I've just recently started making a conscious effort to eat right and exercise. Right now I'm only working out three times a week, for about 30 minutes each time. I do it after my baby is in bed.

I'd like to hear everyone's suggestions, as well.