How do I find the time to exercise?

RebeccaGSK

Hi, My name is Rebecca and I just joined. I really need to support and suggestions on how to find time to exercise and stick with it. My schedule looks a little like this; 6:30 rise and get ready for work along with my 2 girls and get them to school by 7:30. Straight to work then hit the ground running. I usually run with a cup of coffee (going to try to use substitute sweeteners only and maybe some sugar free creamer). I try to throw some natural baked almonds in for a snack to curb hunger and keep metabolism going. Then if I'm lucky I get to sit down to work while I eat a quick lunch. After lunch it's mostly paperwork time. Sitting at my desk working on a computer for about 3 hours with various interruptions. Then come 3:30 I run out the door to go get kids who must be picked up by 4:00. At home I begin supper or get kids changed for their activity (ballet, basket ball, volley ball etc.). Run them to their practice or game then run back home do some light house work, get kids in tub or shower and then it's usually time for bed. I required at least 8 hours of sleep. Where can I fit exercise in there?

KMSForLife

My favorite quote: "If you want to do it, all you have to do is do it." -Ben Davis


I wake up at 4:30 am to workout. It sucks but it is the only time for me that will work during the week.

4:30 am - 5:30 am = workout
5:30 am - 7:30 am = shower, eat, kids up, kids to school
8:00 am - 4:30 pm = work
4:30 pm - 9:00 pm = everything life throws at a mom of 5!
9:00 pm - 4:30 am = sleep

josery1630

Hi! I'm a working mom like you with two boys. I usually either exercise while they're at their activities, after I've fed them dinner, or early in the morning. It looks like your options are:
Get up early (5:30 or 6) and get a workout in
Workout when the kids are at their activities and forgo the cleaning
Workout after they go to bed

All three of these options would still allow you to get your 8 hours of sleep. Feel free to add me if you want some support.

KatesJourneytoLookGr8

Make the time

jamaicanlady

My schedule is similar:

4:30 a.m. - Wake and workout
6:00 a.m. - Breakfast/get ready for work
6:45 a.m. - Leave house to take bus to work (which is a 1 1/2 hour drive)
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Work
7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - All the things associated with being a mom, a teacher (e.g. mark papers), a person (eat!)
10 p.m. - 4:30 a.m. - Sleep (if I'm lucky and my 1 year old daughter doesn't wake me up in the middle of the night like she did last night)

It's hard I know, especially the lack of sleep. I tell myself though that it's just for a time. I have to do what I have to do. I set a goal for June 30 (to get the body I want). The sooner I accomplish it, the sooner I can get back to a regular schedule with more time for sleep.

Jomoli

My schedule looks similar to yours... i wake up at 5:15, get lunches together, get myself and my 2 1/2 year old daughter ready for the day, and am out the door by 6:45. I have a 40 minute commute. my job is very busy and i usually barely have time for lunch. I leave by about 4:30, pick my daughter up, head home, make dinner, try to get my daughter in bed by 8 but usually she is not asleep until 9, and then I get ready for bed. Sounds like I can't fit in exercise but somehow I do. Exercise has always been really important to me and I make it work, but I have found that I have to fit it in wherever I can. At work, I try to fit in 1 to 3 15 minute walks a day on most days. i do pushups and sit-ups and other stength exercises at my desk throughout the day. After work, I will trade off either picking up my daughter or making dinner with my husband so I can go for a run or bike ride - I do this about 2 times a week during the work week. I also have found a gym that offers day care that I go to for about an hour with my daughter 2 times during the work week. On the weekends, I always fit in a long bike ride or run or hike in on one or both days. In all I am getting 5 to 6 days of intense exercise plus walking and strength training when I have a few minutes of free time. I have a very busy schedule but I have found ways to make it work. You may not be in a situation where you have a spouse that can help give you time for exercise, but if you are, I suggest talking to them to get their support. I also suggest looking for a local gym that offers child care, and exercising at your desk throughout the day or during breaks. If you search the web, there are a lot of suggestions on how to get a good workout with only doing somthing for 4 to 5 minutes at a time 6 times a day. You just need to find what works for you

JudyPMorg

I had to wake up earlier - I used to sleep until 5:30 am, but now am getting up at 5:00 am to get 30 minutes on the exercise bike! You can do this! Good luck!

Sixalicious

Have you thought about preparing meals on the weekend and freezing them or using a crockpot to cook your evening meals? That way you could probably stay for practice with the kids and use that time to exercise. Bottom line is that you have to slow down and make the time to workout. If that doesn't work then at the very least you could try to use your fifteen minute break at work to walk.

TORNATO1

You may find that you will need less sleep if you start working out. It is amazing how much more energy I have from a hard core cardio workout :-).

DropsOJupiter

My favorite quote: "If you want to do it, all you have to do is do it." -Ben Davis


I wake up at 4:30 am to workout. It sucks but it is the only time for me that will work during the week.

4:30 am - 5:30 am = workout
5:30 am - 7:30 am = shower, eat, kids up, kids to school
8:00 am - 4:30 pm = work
4:30 pm - 9:00 pm = everything life throws at a mom of 5!
9:00 pm - 4:30 am = sleep

This ^^^^
Yes it sucks but you are worth the effort and so are your kids who will love having a healthier mom!

havingitall

I wake up early to workout. Although my kids are grown up now...it is the only time I like to workout.

If it is important to you, you can find time in your schedule. Do you ever sit and watch TV? You could use that time to do an exercise video. Can you take a walk with the kids? Take the kid sto the playground and do some exercises on the equipment.

It takes creativity and an effort to succeed...but you can do it!

Mike523

Wake up earlier. Get up at 5 or 5:30 and get some exercise into your schedule. It will be difficult at first, but stick with it and it gets easier. I was NEVER a morning person. HATED mornings with every fiber of my being. But when I decided to get fit, I decided to overcome that hatred and get my body into the habit of being up at 5:00am every day, ready to work out. You can do it too.

cherryrobot

After the kids are in bed, then what? Do you go right to bed? Do you watch tv? If you have time to watch a 30 minute sitcom, you have time to do a 30 minute work out.. I personally LOVE Jillian Michaels 30 day shred or shredded in 30... it really is 30 minutes including warm up and cool down. I know that it is impossible to fit in working out sometimes, but I saw MAJOR results doing that 4 times a week. What if you tried walking with your kids 2x a week after dinner (it might be too cold to do that now) and then getting in 2 good work outs on Saturday and Sunday? That is another option. With the tapes, you never even have to leave your house. And like someone else mentioned, once you get a good work out routine you will sleep better/need less sleep AND you will look forward to those work outs .

BerryH

I hate working out in the morning. I believe the best exercise is the one you stick to, so make time when you feel happy to do it! If you bring a packed lunch, how about keeping trainers in your desk drawer and going for a half-hour power walk? And when you run the kids to their activities, rather than dashing home, why not stay and walk or jog round where they're doing their stuff?

Housework only really needs to be done once or twice a week! With the meals, make double quantities and freeze the leftovers to have the following week, or get a slow cooker where you can throw everything in and leave it.

stubbysticks

You won't find the time because it's not there. So you have to make it, & when it becomes important enough to you, you will. I've had a busy schedule like that before too...last fall when my son would have football practice, I'd take him then head out for a 5k run around the neighborhood & be back before he was done. When I was working on my last degree I'd take the bus to my office, work 8 hrs, then hike 2.5 miles to campus for class. If I got to class early, I'd go up & down the stairs until class started. My husband would pick me up afterward, but I'd make him pick me up across the river so I'd have to walk another mile or so after class.

Point is, if you're dedicated to it, you'll make it happen.

laneybird

With your schedule it sounds like the best time is early morning, but I am not a morning person myself. I have to be up by 5:15 and I work 7am-7pm. Gym has a daycare during some hours and I utilize them a lot. As hard as it may sound, you can make time. I didn't think it was possible, then I caught myself sitting down bored...flipping thorough channels on the tv... and realized I could be up and doing something, Make some "you" time too, to recoop from the day. Best of luck! You can do this!!

lkelly1123

I have almost the exact same schedule as you and am looking for the same advice. My girls are still so small, ages 3 and 5, so there isn't the opportunity to just drop them off at something and use that time for myself.

I found that, last spring, I was able to get up a little earlier and with some planning was able to exercise first thing in the morning. I'm going to try this again to see if i can stick with it, but here is what I did - the night before, I would plan my workout (at that time it was Exercise TV on Demand, but that's no longer available, now it's a DVD), and I would lay out my workout clothes in an easily accessible place. I'd put out any equipment within easy reach and then in the morning all I would need to do was get my butt out of bed. Once you do this, then you can shower and get ready for your day without having to worry about it all later.

I think that you if plan it out ahead of time it might help. Good luck!

Legally_Natural

It seems like the perfect time to exercise is when your children are in practice. If they are at a recreation center, you can go to the gym there. If not, try just walking around the outside of the building until the end of their practice.

Candy42adore

I have 4 kids and in order to get my excercise in I have to wake up at 4-430. It took a few weeks to get used to it but now I cant live without it. When I do go without I have NO energy. BEST WISHES TO YOU!

Elizabeth_C34

I do my workouts at home at night before bed after my dinner has settled down. I just stay up a little later. I'm not a morning person so getting up that early is a challenge for me.

zenthebird

You could try cutting down on your kids' activities. We didn't have all of that stuff when we were little and we turned out ok. You could do work out DVDs at home with them around. Not a jab towards you--- I'm talking to myself as well-- it seems that so much of life is spent running around and taxiing kids everywhere. Whew! I think we need a break.

TidoWyla

I get up in the morning before work and excercise too. I have 2 kids, so it's hard to find time after work. I do some fitness classes at night, but it's hard to squeeze them in sometimes, so mornings work best for me.

billsica

light house work

Make it heavy house work

Browny43

Our schedules are very similar, I'm a mother of two boys 9 and 3. My alarm goes off at 3:55am, I get up, brush my teeth, get dressed and I'm there by 4:15am. I stay there for an hour. As a mother I think its definately harder to find time to workout once the kids are out of school or asleep.

sing4me4you

When my kids were young, I decided that the only time that could not be taken by their needs was early AM. So I get up at 4:45 AM, get the Y by 5:30 and return home by 6:30 to get ready for work. The schedule has fit me for over a dozen years. Just gotta do it....

lauristewart

My alarm is set for 4:50 am....get up and JUST DO IT!!! It is finsihed and you can go throughout your day feeling like you have accomplished something and be proud of yourself!! I workout from 5 am to about 6:20.....good luck!

BanjoKd

As brutal as it sounds i suggest getting up at 4:30ish. You are busy busy busy, but you gotta take time for you.

dsjohndrow

You'll fit it in when it becomes a priority. For me I had to have a heart attack and then things weren't so important. I suggest using your lunch break, and then have a snack or lunch during your breaks. Even if you only get 30 minutes, that is enough for a workout 3 times a week. Or you could do Tuesday and Thursday and fit one in on the Saturday or Sunday. You might even do 2 15's.

Good luck!

danascot

I'm a working mom as well and I exercise in the mornings before everyone else wakes up (5:30-6:30) or at night after my daughter is in bed. Pick a time of day you feel you will most likely stick with. You could also exercise while they are in practices. for example, run or walk around the parking lot, field, etc.

You will have to make yourself a priority and make the time to do it - your whole family will thank you for it!

Good luck~

mommyJto3

i tried working out in the morning, and realized it wasnt for me. So I would workout in the evenings, after my youngest went to bed (around 8:30).

Now i switched my work schedule around. I work 7:30-3:30, and go to the gym from 4:30 to 5:30. It helps to go straight to the gym from work. I have no excuses.

RAFValentina

Make the time... getting up a bit earlier, say 0530 during the week 3 times a week to get in a hard cardio session isn't exactly harsh or demanding. just go to bed an hour earlier the night before. Sometimes this is what shift workers have to do. And in the military we do. It's not like you'd have to do it every single day necessarily and it is ONLY 1 hour earlier.

If you want to do it, you'll find the time. I'm a very busy air traffic controller in training. I find time to do 2 workouts a day. I just eat a small lunch on the go and have dinner later.

When I'm at home home, I get up at 0530-0630 to get out and do a run for an hour and a bit, get back, have brekkie and then do other stuff like go fell walking with the dog or shopping / meeting people... PLUS cooking for seven people. No word of a lie.

Noone said it would be easy, especially at first, but once you get into a routine, it ain't so bad. x