SUPERWOMAN OUT THERE???

beachgirl10

I Know everyone is busy, work, kids, house stuff, etc.. How do you manage everything and still find the energy to train?

I am no different, I work full time, has 3 classes a week (tuesday and wesnesday night), work at least 20 hours in my hubby's company (which involve me going there 1 night/week + the whole on sunday), 2 hours of commute everyday. As for now, Monday night I train. On Thursday, I want to go to the gym, but the house is a mess because I haven't been home for 2 nights in a row, got to clean, cook, school stuff.... Or something come up, always. My gym is not open late on saturday or sunday. But mostly, I am just tired!

how you guys do it ? I don't even have kids yet and I can seem to find a balance. Would love to be able to workout in the morning but forget about it! I have a hard time getting up for work, lol!!

I could definitely use some tip on time management... !

Elizabeth_C34

Part of it is writing out a schedule and just getting in "go" mode and staying there. I have been doing a lot of work around my house (painting, assembling furniture, moving furniture, gardening, installing kitchen lights, etc.).

You just have to not allow yourself to make excuses. Make a schedule and pencil in your workout and just do it. No whining, no moaning, no groaning, just GO.

rileamoyer

Wowzers, I forgot how tiring it can be. Not sure I can help much, I am getting too close to retirement age to worry about it any more. I finally learned (about the time my youngest was 11) that being superwoman and having an awesome looking house on top of work, school, and kids was just not worth it. Took me a while to adjust my standards when my husband retired and became the 'stay at home dad' But boy did it help with the personal and family life. Good luck, do your best and remember the best gift you can give your hubby and future kids is a happy HEALTHY you.

Rayman79

We'll I'm definitely not superwoman :P, but I can relate to your situation.

I have two daughters under 5, I work 45-50 hrs per week on average (plus a 45 minute commute each way), and still have to look after the house etc and find time to exercise.

I am a little fortunate in that my wife works four days a week so that gives her a little time to do things during the week, but not a lot. I find the key is communication and cooperation. My wife and I have a great understanding when it comes to the domestic stuff. If she cooks dinner, I know it'll be my job to do the dishes afterwards. If she puts a load of washing in the machine I'll go and hang it up etc. This stuff doesn't happen by accident though, it needs to be worked on.

The other thing you need to factor in is some time out. Have a regular time in your week where you can do whatever you want to do (maybe nothing at all). Knowing you have some unwind time really helps to keep you going.

As far as exercise, I go to the gym 5 days per week. I am lucky to have a gym not too far from home (less than 5 mins by car). I work out in the morning and can get an hour in and be home by 7am to help get the kids ready for the day. I'm not really a morning person either, but if I want to exercise this is the only time I can fit it in - so I make it work.

It is a struggle at times, and the house isn't always as clean as it used to be, but we manage.

emilymarie27

I can totally relate to you about trying to find time to workout! One thing that works for me is I get to the gym at 5:15 am and I workout for an hour so I can be back by time my husband goes to work (we have a two and three year old). The early mornings can be rough but if you find someone to go with you it is easier! My girlfriend I workout with is an OBGYN and she just showers from the gym on her way to work. Best of luck in your workouts and happy holidays! Oh, and if you are into running, I totally recommend joining a running group (I found mine by going onto meet up.com)!

prettyfitchick

I dont have kids but I work full time 7 days a week and Im traing for the navy which involves studing ranks and boring stufff So I am not going to lie I pass the buck and dont do as much house work I feel as though I have enough on my plate dont feel gulity about asking your hubby for help with the house and kids he should be understanding I workout at home I do insanity and c25k I plan on starting week 9 this week I cant afford a gym even if I could might not have time to actually go

lq022

Wow that is a very full plate ... I think the thing to do is write out your week, including everything (your commute, your workouts, the hours you work, your school and schoolwork etc) ... then highlight all of the non-negotiables (school, work,etc) in yellow ... then highlight the negotiable items in a pink highlighter .... and then underline the things that take up alot of un-necessary time (computer, procrastination etc) ..

Obviously some things like going to school and work you cant cut out ... but I know for myself, there is a good chunk of my week where I am either on the computer, or just laying around and its not necessarily relaxing ... so try to cut those things out .... THEN re-structure your week, so that you can ADD IN time to relax and give yourself a break

The other thing that might be worthwhile is to look into a house-keeper to come in once a week ... maybe while your doing laundry, she can do all of the other cleaning ... it'll give you a break from feeling like you have to get EVERYTHING done on the one day you have off ... plus your house will be clean in less time !!

It's not easy to do this whole weight loss thing in the midst of everything else going on in life ... but there will never be a point in your life where it is dull or you have a ton of time on your hands ... so we all have to re-organize sometimes! Goodluck!

lq022

Wow that is a very full plate ... I think the thing to do is write out your week, including everything (your commute, your workouts, the hours you work, your school and schoolwork etc) ... then highlight all of the non-negotiables (school, work,etc) in yellow ... then highlight the negotiable items in a pink highlighter .... and then underline the things that take up alot of un-necessary time (computer, procrastination etc) ..

Obviously some things like going to school and work you cant cut out ... but I know for myself, there is a good chunk of my week where I am either on the computer, or just laying around and its not necessarily relaxing ... so try to cut those things out .... THEN re-structure your week, so that you can ADD IN time to relax and give yourself a break

The other thing that might be worthwhile is to look into a house-keeper to come in once a week ... maybe while your doing laundry, she can do all of the other cleaning ... it'll give you a break from feeling like you have to get EVERYTHING done on the one day you have off ... plus your house will be clean in less time !!

It's not easy to do this whole weight loss thing in the midst of everything else going on in life ... but there will never be a point in your life where it is dull or you have a ton of time on your hands ... so we all have to re-organize sometimes! Goodluck!

jecka31

I don't have kids of my own but I am a graduate student and teach 3 sections of lab as part of my stipend. I spend 3 hours three times a week on my feet walking in circles helping them with their experiments, spend 3 hours a week in office hours (which is usually when I eat lunch!), any where from an hour to 3 per week grading papers (depending on how well they do, less correction = less time). I then have my own 9 hours of classes that I take. I make a point to study 2 hours for every class hour so that is 18 hours studying per week. I then have to find time during the week to do my research (between 20-40 hours depending on what I need to do). I commute 30 minutes each way (total of an hour) expect for 2x a week when I have to take my sister to her school which make my commute 2 hours (she's the opposite direction of mine!).

I've found what works for me is sitting down on Sunday and making a weekly schedule. I plan when I'm going to eat, when I'm going to walk my dog, when I'm going to do my running/strength training, etc. I also accept that S&*% happens and if I don't get something done on the day I planned, I don't let it bug me. Being a perfectionist (I'm the 1st born), this was something hard for me to do.

woja9640

If you have time between classes and during lunch breaks take a 20-30 min walk.

I did pilates dvds at hoome after work.

beachgirl10

Wow, thanks a lot guy for all your comments and suggestions. If you all can do it, there is no reason I can't! I just need to plan and prepare more my weeks and yes, allow time for me and make it non-negotiable!!