I know this has got to be a rare post

Z_I_L_L_A

Okay, my situation is I'm a single dad that works til 6pm. I have custody of my kids which I love more than anything. Question is how do you make time for your exercises or workouts when everything else comes first? Don't laugh but, cleaning the house, cooking the meals( which they won't eat what I eat), doing laundry, grocery shopping and yard work doesn't leave much time for workouts. Is there any single dads out there running into the same problems and do you have an answer? I tried involving the kids in my workouts but they are active in their sports also.:grumble: PS the rare part is being a man with this problem.

plainjoe81

Can you coach their sports?

louisebear

how about a mini gym at home, then when they all go to bed u could workout :O)

mandemonious

I have a feeling single moms may have some insight on this "rare" condition....

Good for you for doing all you do

erickirb

What about working out at lunch or after they are in bed or both.

Shayyy01

Can you get a work out in when they are off at their sports? Doing alot of the household things is a work out in its self, so dont beat yourself up to much I find it amazing that you are a single dad and kicking *kitten* at it. Good for you

mazza2marilyn

my son is in the same position, will grandma not baby sit or a friend you can trust.

luppic8

What about getting up early to get your workout in? Or perhaps you can hire someone to come in and clean to free up some of that time for you???

Colemanlo1

I have to work out on my lunch hour during the week at work. I walk to the Gym, work out for about 30-40 minutes and then walk back. It's seriously the ONLY time I can work in with 3 boys...

tiggerbounce411

How about if you participated in practicing with them? Take them to the park and play their sport for fun with them, then you are getting a workout and spending time with them. That is what we have to do. Ours are little, so it's a little easier, but they go with us and we play outside with them and get exercise that way.

mayasmom

How old are your kids? I'm a single mom with a 6 year old. Her social/school/sport life is not yet out of hand, but it gets busier every year. Are you a morning person? Can you wake up before them and workout then?

Flyntiggr

Most Mom's do this every day. You have some options, but a lot depends on how old the kiddies are.

1) Get up early and workout before they get up for school
2) Workout at lunch
3) Workout while they are at practice - run around their field, gym, etc.
4) Workout while they are doing homework
5) Workout after they go to bed

Give them chores too - if they are in school, there is no reason they can't dust, run the sweeper, do the dishes, etc.....

TMcBooty

I have a feeling single moms may have some insight on this "rare" condition....

Good for you for doing all you do

:flowerforyou:

ASPhantom

Well, I walk while my oldest has soccer practice. You could try doing that if you are not assisting with coaching.

Otherwise, do a DVD at home. If you want to run, let them ride bikes with you while you run.

If you are trying to get to a gym for weights, I would recommend buy the basics and do it at home.

There are never enough hours in the day. It's tough (and I'm not a single mom) but, when my husband has to go out of town for work, I play that role. Make time for it. If they don't want to participate, at least you are setting the example for a healthy lifestyle.

As for the food, mine don't eat what I do either but I do make them try it each time.

haleyhin

I feel ya! I'm not even a single mom and I have a hard time getting workouts in with a high school senior, an 8th grade premier-level soccer player and a kindergartener. Do you have cable? Exercise TV On Demand has lots of great workouts, including Jillian Micheals' 30 Day Shred (I should know, I just watched it yesterday while eating nachos for lunch.) There is everything from 10 minute abs routines to full hour long yoga practices. Exercise TV is a Godsend for me; if I had to leave the house to work out it just flat wouldn't happen.

Cmccracken1

your problem translates to all parents especially when multiple kids are in the mix... i use my lunch at work and i run laps during the boys baseball practices... i pull out a little time for myself at somepoint on Saturdays and Sundays.. But i also do what i call hurricaine cleaning at home, which means i run my butt off cleaning house on Saturdays as fast as i can.. deep cleaning sweeping mopping laundry. cleaning under furniture. i have hard woods so they have to be mopped every week by hand or they get nasty. i work up a sweat and yes it is at least a low impact workout... you can find ways to work it in.. stay motivated you are not alone.

EmilyAnn89

i find the easiest time to work out is when my kids take a nap. idk how old your kids are, but if they nap i can usually work out and get a shower in! what about when they go to bed? i know working out late at night isn't ideal, but sometimes that's the only way to get it in. you could also wake up and work out early before the kids wake up.

stephl81

Im a single mother and know the feel all too well. Do you have a support system? I have negotiated with family and friends to watch my son while I work out and I do favors for them in return by either watching their kids or letting them borrow my truck to haul stuff around or something like that. I’m also a member of a gym that has free daycare so when I have to, I drag him to the gym with me. I’m not sure how young your kids are but jogging strollers and bike trailers do me wonders. I also purchased the p90X DVD's and do the workouts when he naps or when he is occupied. Sometimes he joins me and its fun to watch him try to moves. I also do little things like take the stairs when I can; I work on the 7th floor of my building and workout on my lunch break when I dont need to worry about finding sitters. Every little bit helps! I hope that helps!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

What about working out at lunch or after they are in bed or both.

Or in the morning before they wake up. A home gym gym works nice for this.

GFreg

It sounds like a small home gym might be the way to go. You can do a quick full body routine in about 45 minutes after they go to bed. A pull up bar, maybe some kettlebells, resistance bands and a flat bench. The work around the house is keeping you active though so at least you are getting a workout in.

mdbs2004

I am a single father of 2 kids. 13 and 8 and 1 is deaf. I also have custody. I have a YMCA membership. They have daycare if your kids are younger and activities if they are older. My boy turns 13 this week and will be old enough to hit the weight room and I will then also start lifting weights. After I work out we go swimming. I turned my cable off last May so now that its getting cooler the YMCA is big part of our nightly entertainment. Also kids can do chores!! Its motiviation everyday for kids to get chores and homework done so we can go to the YMCA. Also we bike ride. At 375lb I rode a bike. It was my only workout till I lost enough weight to do more. Good Luck!!

Alacey88

Most Mom's do this every day. You have some options, but a lot depends on how old the kiddies are.

1) Get up early and workout before they get up for school
2) Workout at lunch
3) Workout while they are at practice - run around their field, gym, etc.
4) Workout while they are doing homework
5) Workout after they go to bed

Give them chores too - if they are in school, there is no reason they can't dust, run the sweeper, do the dishes, etc.....

I agree with this ^^^ I cant' even get my boyfirend to do chores....most days....:laugh:

KateHubb

I would suggest getting up early if possible, or you may have to sacrifice your lunch break during work. I completely understand your situation. I am not a single mom, but I feel like one most days. I recently posted a blog and I'm sure you could relate! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/KateHubb

Iheartsushi

Single Mom here....and my solution.: WAKING UP AT THE CRACK OF DAWN TO DO MY WORKOUTS. lol

I'm not typically a morning person, and I love my kid, but he gets in the way when I am trying to push it during my workout. Like you, I've tried getting him involved, etc. but he's three and still kind of at that age where he wants attention etc.

I used to workout after he went to bed at around 8PM but I often found myself slacking on my workouts or debating with myself throughout the day on whether I feel like working out or not lol. Also, if I had the time and my home/gym was closer I would try exercising at lunch.

Take advantage of your weekends!! I save all the 'household chores' for Saturday and Sunday. Of course, I pick up around myself during the week, but everything else is saved for the weekends (are they old enough to help with chores?). Also, Sundays I do all my prepping for my cooking and map out my meal plans for the week. That way each day I don't have to spend as much time on the cooking. This is also where they can get involved (if they are old enough).

Overall, single dad you got the right mentality. There are a ton of small things you can do to get more organized but all in all, do the best you can. If it means you have to break your workouts into smaller routines (30 min in the AM and 30 min at night, etc.) then do what you gotta do!

Hope I've helped!

wvjanie

Getting up early is also an option. Some good ideas. Might I suggest that you explain to your children why you are feeding them the food you are giving them (I'm assuming it is healthy) and then don't give them a choice to eat something else (part of being the parent). Tastes can develop with exposure. In the "old days" our parents put the food on the table and you either ate it or went hungry, after enough time hunger won out and we ate it. Keeping as much of your life as simple as possible is essential in finding times for what is truly important. Good luck to you, the important thing is to just keep moving forward and be flexible and creative. You are an inspiration to many here of MFP.

fakeplastictree

To say what most are saying. How old are the kids? I wake up at 5AM sometimes to go jogging before everyone is awake. And I do my strength training stuff at night after they go to bed. Its tough but if it's what I want to do that's what I have to work with.

ninerbuff

Okay, my situation is I'm a single dad that works til 6pm. I have custody of my kids which I love more than anything. Question is how do you make time for your exercises or workouts when everything else comes first? Don't laugh but, cleaning the house, cooking the meals( which they won't eat what I eat), doing laundry, grocery shopping and yard work doesn't leave much time for workouts. Is there any single dads out there running into the same problems and do you have an answer? I tried involving the kids in my workouts but they are active in their sports also.:grumble:

Dude, you don't do laundry, and yard work every day. Every gym has child care (if you kids are young). You can do an hour a day and be efficient. And you need it or you'll be like many moms I know who take out their stress and frustrations out on the kids and SO instead of spending time with themselves. If it's important to you, you will MAKE time for a workout somewhere in the day.

deathstarclock

Use your kids as weights. Perfect for arm curls. Do bench presses with your kids on top of you. Or have them sit on your back while you do pushups. Get a pull up bar and let your kids "hang out" while you're doing pull ups. My dad use to do these things to my brother and I and we got a "kick" out of it (I had to LOL at myself for the pun). Then we grew too old and heavy. Like others have said, incorporating your kids into your exercising is an easy option (like with the team sports). My dad was also my baseball coach so I learned from those experiences. He was very involved with our physical development because he wanted us to grow up into top athletes.

An in home gym really helps, and it does not have to be extravagant. Just the basics for general conditioning and maintenance. A pull up bar, a flat bench with the back extension, maybe some free weights. There are SO many things you can do with just a bench alone. You can look into body weight exercises too. This sounds silly but I like to do pushups while I'm grilling chicken....

tmiqueen

I'm a single mom of a teenage boy and I have to schedule my workouts during my 15 minute breaks at work (walking), along with working out while he's at sports practice. I get off work at 4:30 and get home by 5 p.m. I start dinner and will work out until just before having to leave to pick him up from evening practice at 6:15. Every little bit helps, ya know?

If you pick them up from sports and they're too beat to work out with you, give them fun things to do while you work out. While you ride your stationary bike, they can do homework. While you do your kickboxing DVD, they can do an art project (or cheer you on? lol).

Without knowing the age of your kids, I'm not sure if you can leave them on their own while you take a jog around the block.

Diary_Queen

I'm a single mom of 6 year old twins. I get home at 6pm as well. Cook dinner, do laundry (yes daily if I can manage), do homework, bathe kids, read books, pack up their lunch for school the next day & my breakfast for work the next day, pick out everyone's clothes for the next day, get them to bed at 8pm and I workout from 9pm-1030ish... sometimes later. I also workout during my lunch break if I feel I need a smidge more. It's possible. Of course, I sacrifice a lot. I don't stay online chatting all night like I'd like to. I don't go out with friends (even if I had a babysitter, I would just go to a workout class) and I no longer watch television or movies. That's just how it is for me.

Z_I_L_L_A

Ok, I'll try to respond to all in one post. I already don't get enough sleep from being the only adult and doing everything, single moms know what I mean. If you don't have the energy to workout because of lack of sleep how good would your workout be. As for the gym, I have one, all free weights and cable machine from power lifting years(600lbs worth). As for coaching, I coached fastpitch travel softball at the highest level, coaching doesn't burn enough calories. My daughter is 17 and a junior in HS, my son is 11 in middle school. I guess I will have to fore go some sleep to get it done. I run a business for my X in-laws they are dealing with cancer right now. I get no breaks at work. If you can help get homework done( AP calc,AP bio,etc.), do dinner for them,laundry baths in bed by 8pm, wait til they get older. I also can't afford gyms, dude. I don't live with my mom either, I have a house and make payments. We live in the country away from others too.