Giving this a try

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ddennis
ddennis Posts: 4 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I am new to this online message board thing, but I thought it might help me stay motivated. I am a 35 year old mom of 3 and I want to lose some weight. I have always been very outdoorsy and athletic, but since having all of these kids and balancing a marriage and career, I find it pretty difficult to maintain myself like I used to. I am hoping some of you face these same issues. I still go to the gym, and take my kids out hiking, etc...but with little ones the hikes aren't particularly strenuous, and I only make it to the gym 2-3 times/week for a strength training class.:sad: Anyone else feel like me?

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  • ddennis
    ddennis Posts: 4 Member
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    I am new to this online message board thing, but I thought it might help me stay motivated. I am a 35 year old mom of 3 and I want to lose some weight. I have always been very outdoorsy and athletic, but since having all of these kids and balancing a marriage and career, I find it pretty difficult to maintain myself like I used to. I am hoping some of you face these same issues. I still go to the gym, and take my kids out hiking, etc...but with little ones the hikes aren't particularly strenuous, and I only make it to the gym 2-3 times/week for a strength training class.:sad: Anyone else feel like me?
  • MFS27
    MFS27 Posts: 549 Member
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    Welcome! I'm with you - have three kiddos myself and work full time and find that I don't have nearly enough time for everything I want to do! I also love being outdoors (can't stand the gym) and I do take my kids on hikes (right now the weather is not great, but spring-fall we hike almost every weekend.)

    You might not realize how many calories you are burning even when hiking at a slower pace with the kids. I took my 9, 7 and 4 year old up to Loch Leavens Lake near Tahoe in August (the hike was about a 4 miles RT, up and down) and I burned close to 2,000 calories (wore my HRM) - so don't underestimate the caloric burn of hiking!

    As for balancing work, kids, and family - I get up at 4 AM to swim from 5:30-6:30 AM with a team - that is the only way I can squeeze in a workout since the girls have their swim practice M-Thurs from 5:15-6:30, and we still have all the homework, etc. to do. So it took some time to adjust my schedule and get used to waking up before dawn :laugh: but I love it now! And most importantly - it WORKS for me. I dropped from my all-time high of 189 (after I had baby #3) to my current weight of 135 lbs.

    Food was also a huge change - we're moving towards cleaning eating, organic and unprocessed food. I use the crockpot at least once a week since I don't have a lot of time, and you can make just about anything in the crockpot!

    Anyways, browse on the board and check out some of the topics about eating your calories, exercising, etc. There are many folks here who know a lot about exercise, and all that stuff and will be able to answer specific questions you have.
  • huffster
    huffster Posts: 14
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    Welcome! I can't imagine you're in too bad a shape being as conscious of your health as you seem and trying as hard as you do to get some exercise in there. Sometimes I think we moderns try too hard to do it all and have it all. Given that we have only one life to live and only twenty-four hours in a day, there's only so much any one person can do. One person I respect a lot said, "I have chosen to fail at some things, in order that I might excel at others." It sounds like you need to take a small retreat and get a handle on your priorities. Perhaps, some things must go, or shrink, in order to do the things that matter most. I'm a pastor, so I offer that as free "professional" advice. May you find balance in your life. May the things that are dear and precious to you always find a place in your schedule and may you have wisdom in weeding the garden you're growing in. :glasses:
  • ddennis
    ddennis Posts: 4 Member
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    Thanks Molly!! Its nice to hear that I'm not the only one who finds balance to be a challenge. I seem to go along fine for periods of time and flail about at others. Seems to be a normal state of affairs for all working moms. I think I really like this website and I feel like it is really helping me to track things better. So far so good!! Thanks again for your response.
    :blushing:

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