parenting help

vivid2012

Go for a walk with him before his bedtime... It should help tire him out and give you both the exercise you need..

yup, walk together with him would be a good choice.

kbrogan78

My daughter is 4 (well, will be 4 next Tuesday!). I second the idea of joining a gym with childcare, if that's in your budget. Like a previous poster, I'm single and work from home, which means that I'm on duty 24/7. With the gym, not only do I get exercise but it's also a little time away, which every parent needs from time to time.

kandrews24

1. go to gym that has a child care center...he gets to be with kids and you get to workout
2. get up earlier then him and exercise
3. can he ride a bicycle/tricycle? if so, he can ride, you can walk fast or jog
4. you can exercise, he can have independent play time
5. exercise after he goes to bed at night (not my favorite option because by that time i am ready for bed too!)

Amen, to the options above. I do combinations of all of those. I belong to the YMCA. The first hour of daycare is free and it is a dollar an hour thereafter. Also, sometimes, the kids can play in the small pool, while I swim in the large pool. You could hire a teen on ocassion to play with your grandchild while you enjoy a mega workout. I also have my son ride a scooter or his bike while I walk. Sometimes we walk to a nearby park and then he plays (while I walk around and stretch) and then we walk back. Other times, because I have a husband, I leave to go to the YMCA at bedtime and he puts the kids to bed. That way, I don't feel that I'm missing family or work time. I'm missing bedtime and TV. Lastly, if you ever sign your grandchild up for lessons (swimming, gymastics, music, soccer etc.), you can use that time to walk and workout. Lastly, playing with kids is lots of exercise. You can play tag, go to the kindergarden playground near you, and run around, play ball, ride bikes together, etc.

You can do this. Start small. Better for you to do even 5-15 minutes than anything. You'll get the swing of it.

IndigoVA

I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old. I do my exercise during their afternoon snack time. I give them some snacks, either rent a kids movie or put in a DVD, and go to the basement to do my workout. I felt guilty at first plopping them in front of the TV so I could exercise, but now I rationalize that I deserve an hour of "me time" every day. We have a small house, so even though I'm one floor away from them, I can still hear them.

Ruchell

Bumping for later for myself! Could use some of these ideas too!

tallteacher

I have a 9 year old and a 2 year old, and in addition I watch a 1 year old and a 5 year old. Sometimes I get up early to work out. Sometimes we take walks together (yes, they are slow and yes they are only 1 -2 miles, but every movement counts!). It helps when you take the kids on a walk if you have a destination. Our favorite destinations are the park, the Dollar Store, and the library. My 2 year old likes to "play" the Just Dance 2 game on the Wii with me. I sweat, she dances around - it's great fun! Oh, and pop him in a bike carrier. Great work out for you - and the kids love it too!

As for food, I plan my food ahead and often make my food for the next day on the night before. That way I'm less likely to pick up something easy and unhealthy because my preplanned, healthy food is easier to pick up and eat than junk food.

And water? I keep a jug full that holds 8 glasses of water (I got it at Wal mart). I just pour my water into my glass out of that. It's easy to see through the day if I'm getting my water in or not.

Also, I have found it easier to start ONE thing at at time. One week change your food. The second week, add in 3 days exercise. etc, etc. However it works for you. It seems as if you already have a lot of changes in your life. It stresses me out to have too many, and easing into it works best for me. Good luck!