Question for all you working parents out there

kimdoes

Take your kids for a walk after dinner. They need exercise too. A family walk to the park or bike ride? Take them for a swim. The dishes can darn well wait. What can't wait is for you to get healthy to enjoy your kids and live a long and healthy life to see them grow up. Set a good example for them by making your health a priority. ' k lecture over.

I say this because I've just gotten around to it in the past couple of years. My kids are 15 and 12 and, yes it's so much easier now, but they have been wanting my husband and I to play soccer with them for years. To go on bike rides. To play road hockey. We lost a lot of time with them because we were too tired or too sedentary to take advantage of that special time. Thankfully they still like to be around us and are thrilled when Dad comes out to play hockey with the neighbourhood kids. They are cheering me on to reach my goal so that I can join a soccer team and they can come out to my games for a change.

I would take advantage to move your body during your lunch hours/breaks. Even if it's just finding some stairs to go up and down. Just get that body moving. The more you exercise, the better you'll sleep (even with 2 year old) and the less exhausted you'll be.

Best of luck.

I agree completely. My kids are now 13 and 10, so it is SO much easier. But you have to get out and get active with them at an early age. The more active you are with them, the more you'll start feeling better. You'll sleep so much better. Yes, you will be stiff after the first few times, but make it a habit to do something active, even something small, every evening for at least 30 minutes. Get your blood flowing. Since I started exercising, I really don't have as much time as I used to. Instead of staying up late watching movies, reading, or playing silly games on my phone, I've started getting in bed earlier. (Which getting an adequate amount of sleep not only helps fight lethargy, but does wonders for weight loss and health.) Good luck to you!

crodrigu73

What works for me it doing as much as I can at work and being creative. I have two ten minute breaks so I walk as fast as I can for at least 8 of those minutes and then on my hour lunch I can walk 45 minutes and still have time to eat. As for at home, I have turned my house cleaning into exercise. I clean as hard and as fast as I can. When I fold laundry I will do lunges, I will walk in place. I have twins who are 3, a full time job, no family around for help, and a husband who works two jobs, so I have no help and no time. It's like anything else if you want it bad enough you will figure out how to work it in. I need to do more and work harder, but I am down 40 pounds and I feel better than I have in years.

crystal_loga

Maybe if you can squeeze it in, take the baby for a stroller ride and get a 20-30 min walk in. Then when you get back, the husband can give the baby her bath while you take care of finishing up homework, dishes, etc.

Its super hard, but you've got to make some time for yourself. On the days my husband works late, I take my 6 year old to the track when I go walk and bring his scooter or his hand held game, and he either sits in the grass and plays his game, or he rides his scooter around the track while I walk.

I've had to start putting myself as a priority. Its hard, but If I plan on being around for him when he gets older, it has to be done.

SunshineT83

I started spreading out the chores in the house. My 8 yr old was fully capable (once I showed her how) of cleaning her own bathroom, making her own bed, and even washing small loads of benign dishes (cups and utensils) My husband and I split up many of the other chores. If need be I will allow a sink full of dishes to sit there until tomorrow if I only have the energy to choose between working out or cleaning the kitchen that night. I think you were on to something with putting a plan into place with your husband to give yourself just 3 days to take care of you. You are just as important as everyone else in the house and MORE important than the dishes, treat yourself as such and everything will fall into place. Finding a system that works for your household is the key.

AttyMomOf3

I highly recommend the FitBit. It is such a cool little gadget and I think especially helpful for a working parent's schedule. Even if you can't fit in a proper workout, you can fit in little bursts of extra steps and this device let's you see graphically how that leads to extra calorie burn. It really adds up. It helps to have the motivation to take the stairs (because it is counting them for you!) or jog in place while you are loading the dishwasher, or dance with your kids for a few minutes (my kids love silly dancing). It really adds up and lets you compare a regular day without the extra effort to a day on the same schedule/routine, but with little bursts of steps whenever possible.

There is no easy answer though. It is just plain hard. However, seeing other working parents doing it gives me a little glimmer of hope that I can do it too. You will find lots of us going through your same struggle. Good luck on your journey! I hope you find a suggestion on here that will work for you!! You can do it!!!

MrsSorenson

I have the same issue. I haven't found an all the time solution. When I have the time, I take the kids and the dog for a walk. Now with the kids starting baseball I have 2 days at night a week to clean. The rest I'm out too late doing that. So my new plan is to walk at their practice around the field. Fit it in when you can. Everyones situation is different.

sambustem

You sound like me!!! And the thought of getting up at 4:30am, quite honestly, turns my stomach!!! I work 7am - 4pm, have a 9 and 8 year old and a 19 mth old. The toddler is in daycare, so he stays there til about 5:30pm, we have found he does much better that way. He doesn't like to leave when his "friends" are all there - go figure! My daughters are both in gymnastics, 3 days a week from 4 - 6:30pm, then its home, speed eat, homework, showers, etc and bed (with any luck) by 8:45pm. I'm also in school full time, so then its time for my homework. I have done this.

From 4:30 - 5:15pm (give or take a few min) is MY time to exercise. I do this usually Mon - Thurs. Fri, Sat and Sun is all family time. We usually go for a family walk Sat. morning, so that's a little help. My husband and I used to do Insanity after the lil one went to bed and the girls either did it with us or found something else to do. I have a stressful job, so on days I can't work out, I'm in a horrible mood, so for the sanity of all of us, we work together in this.

And for the record, cleaning takes the back seat to everything. Our house is "lived in", its not a show house, but not a disaster either. I don't cook every night, and ya know what, that's the way it goes! We can't do EVERYTHING!!!

Good Luck to you

Laura

dlyeates

I do a lot of meal planning, making meals on the weekends so I only have to reheat and use my crockpot like crazy (dinner is cooking as we speak in the crockpot). That way when I get home we have homemade nutritious meals and all I have to do is microwave it.

I also workout before I get home sometimes. Yes it means I get the kids a little later but I needed to figure out how to make me a priority. I also started with a trainer and daddy is on the job when I go see my trainer. On Tuesdays I go from 6:30-7:30 and get home in just enough time to get my 2 year old nursed and to bed. My hubby puts our son to bed. On Thursdays I nurse the girl and put her down and then daddy has to deal with keeping her down because I go to the gym at 8 pm. I'm exhausted by the end of the workout by 9 pm but I need to do it.

If that means that your husband has to make dinner during the week or heat stuff up then have him do it. If that means you workout after bedtime (as hard as that is) do it. You have to realize that you are worth taking time for and making a sacrifice for!!!

Good luck. I'm still trying to figure it out too but I've finally realized that I'm worth it and need to do it!!!

corrinnebrown

I just bought body revolution. 30 mins a day as opposed to 60-70 minutes a day. It works, its intense and I feel good. For me, I just want it. I took my "before picture" and I was disgusted. I no longer want to be fat! I have to try something to better my life. I feel so much better, I sleep better, I feel more energized (even when my 2 year old decides to wake up in the middle of the night). And really once you get in the routine, you WANT to do it. Best of luck to you

pinkpolkadot1

i have felt the very same way! my kids are now 11 and 13, when they were 2 and 4, i lost 100 lbs. 50lbs has slowly found its way back on, now i am fighting to find the time again to work out. i get up an hour early, 530 to go run. i just made the decision that this is what i have to do and i need to quit making excuses and just do it. my kids see what i am doing and they are proud of me and i am setting a great example. my kids are very active and fit and they understand the importance of staying active. whenmy kids were younger i would either put them in the play pen and they would laugh as i did my richard simmons or taebo. sometimes they were cranky and not laugh so much and sometimes i just had to stop. sometimes i would put them in the stroller and go for a short walk and then we started running with the stroller. sometimes they fell asleep:) you have to change the way you think about exercise. include the family, go for a bike ride, before or after dinner. have the older kids help with the dishes once everyone gets back to the house and someone gives the little one a bath. work as a unit. thats how my house is ran:) we eat, play and do chores together:) everything gets done in a fraction of the time and we exercise. i hope this helps a little bit. good luck and know we are all trying to make it work:) balalnce is hard to find, but teamwork is great!!

shirin8

Five years ago, I was an avid gym goer (2 hour workouts 4-5x/week). Now, I have 3 kids under 3 (one of whom is 7 months old and still getting up 2-3x/night) and work (and travel) full time as does my husband. I agree with what a lot of others have said: 1) Only spot cleaning during the week, 2) Try to prep/plan meals on the weekend. It doesn't always happen as planned but my husband and I try to cook a couple of dishes on Sunday and re-heat through the week, 3) Keep a routine. My husband and I made a commitment to complete Insanity (a 60 day program, 6 days a week). We work out every night after the kids go to bed (around 8 or 830) and sometimes do double work outs on the weekend to make up for any missed days. Unfortunately, we end up eating around 930pm but at least it keeps us from getting up at 430 to work out! 4) Forget about the gym. You can do so many little things throughout the day as others have said (the stairs, a quick set of jumping jacks, a quick set of push ups)--it all adds up!

Good luck and thanks for posting this thread. I've gotten a lot of good ideas out of it already.

lauleipop

My exercise is first on my priorities. Before work, school, husband, kid, house...I run. Running keeps me sane; it improves my sleep; it lowers my stress level; I am a better person when I run, I am a better parent when I run, I am a better wife when I run, I'm a better student when I run, I'm a better employee when I run.

Yes, that means sometimes dinner is out of a box. Or that I haven't dusted in a month. Or that my daughter can't wear the exact jeans she wanted because they are in the dirty clothes.

If you want to do something, you have to prioritize it first. Like the people getting up at 4 or 5am. Or working out instead of a chilled out lunch. What's the sacrifice you're willing to make to fit this into your schedule?

rachelmorgan77

First of all, it's hard. I hear you. I have three kids age 7 and under and both my husband and I work full time. First, I would work very hard to get your husband on board. Believe me, the benefits will be well worth it to him in the long run!

Just a few ideas (and everyone is different, so it's finding what works for YOU). Can your husband load the dishwasher or help out around the house? I know - I just heard wives everywhere crack up. But seriously, is there one thing he could help do that would lessen your load? How old are the kids? Can the oldest help out? I taught my 7 year old how to unload the dishwasher - it's one less thing I have to do.

Seriously consider the early morning workouts. Yeah, it's early, but then you're done for the rest of the day. I do a 5:30 am bootcamp, and it's awesome. I don't really have to interact (because early mornings are difficult for me), but by the end of the workout I'm good. I get to do new exercises all the time, someone else is planning them out for me, and they will call me if I'm not there. It's great accountability.

Find someone that you can workout with for the accountability. A running buddy/zumba partner...whatever. Having that accountability is going to be a great asset to you. Consider signing up for a class/race/etc. You'll want to work hard to meet that deadline, and will give you extra motivation. Otherwise, it's very easy to put things on the back burner.

You might already do this, but I firmly believe in crock pots and freezer meals. God bless them.

And honestly, do what you can. Don't beat yourself up over what you didn't do - focus on the postives. Of course, the harder you work the more/faster results you'll see...but that is up to you.

twogirlsmama

I rarely make a morning workout. Mornings are ugly in our house! I take my kids along with me whenever possible. My oldest is 7 and my youngest is 2. We put the 2 year old on the baby bike seat and we race on our bikes. We ride to the park and play tag on the play equipment. I take the oldest to Zumba with me. The youngest likes to count while I do reps of strength exercises.

I find that breaking the workout into pieces depending on the mood of my kids works for me. I'm not always alone with them, but my husband does work some long hours. So if it's a crabby kind of day then I have to squeeze it in wherever I can. The best part about it is it's teaching my girls to be active and set a goal to reach.

Maris165

I feel your pain. I have found that I truely love working out in the mornings, it is the only time that I can guarantee myself. Some mornings it is only a 30 minute Wii Zumba, other mornings it is Zombie gym (20 minute elliptical trainer and 20-40 minutes on the BowFlex). I have a soon to be 2 year old, 13 year old and 16 year old. My husband does the majority of the cooking (I lucked out there!) and I make the teenagers do some chores (let's them pay for their cell phones and sports). We have the big kids sports in the evening so evening time workouts would never work for me. I have done the lunch time workouts too.
Maybe starting to incorporate some light working out into your morning and then working up to where you want to be. don't forget to stretch! I find my day goes better and my stress level stays pretty low on the days that i wake up to working out.
Hope your lil one starts to sleep through the night soon. I know mine wakes up on occasion and it can change a whole sleeping night!
Good luck girl!!! If you have to mix it up a little to get some time in, so be it.

bunsen_honeydew

Don't you have a husband/partner to do half the house/child work?

zombilishious

I will walk at lunch for at least 30 minutes a few times a week, walk my dogs for a couple miles on weekends (I have 2 big dogs and walk them separately!). What has really saved me and kept me motivated is the gym I found. Our family membership includes for my kids: (1) rock climbing (2) karate (3) gymnastics and (4) childcare room. My 6 year old takes karate twice a week. Once a week, my kids do rock climbing, and once at least every other weekend I take advantage of the childcare room.

When my oldest was about 1 1/2, I tried to do Taebo at home (yeah, remember that?!), he thought I was dancing and somehow managed to climb out of his playpen and run towards me to join in just as I was doing a side kick - hitting him and flying him clear across the room - I vowed I would never exercise at home again!

Blessedmommy_2x

I have this same situation as well... My time is VERY limited working full time, juggling 2 toddlers, spending time with the hubs and keeping the home spotless, meals on the table, fridge stocked, clothes clean etc. It is tough. But I manage to MAKE TIME to workout. My kids go outdoors to play I tend to run laps around the yard, or I take my exercise mat out there and do them outdoors. I "used to" have the hubby watch them for 30 and I do it then, but recently he works out around the same time as I do... so we tend to just do it our workouts outdoors together as a family. Take a walk with your two year old or when they are on the couch watching a movie or playing or something do a few jumping jacks. behind the couch. My toddlers if they see me doing it they will actually try to workout with me, so we tend to make a game of it.

I don't have "free time" I make it... because its important to me. Spending time with my family is even more important so I have been known to piece together my exercises just to get in 30 minutes. Maybe 10 minutes of jogging around the living room, a circuit of exercises while the kids are playing outdoors, sneaking a short workout at work, or before work.You do what you have to do. Not everyone has HOURS to spend working out, I don't and I don't even have a gym membership... I just do a little here a little there and go from there.

Good Luck to you... It takes a little time to add the new lifestyle into a already busy schedule. But I can tell you -its worth it!!!

kennethmgreen

I love this thread. Pages of solid advice. No coddling. People are saying "yeah, it's hard. Here's what I do." To me, this is a shining example of motivation and support.

OP, you just gotta make the time. You fit it in. You make it work. What do you do when your kid is sick? You figure it out. I'm not necessarily arguing that your exercise is more urgent than a sick child, but my point is that we figure out a way to make things work when something is important. (and I could argue why your exercise and self-care should be #1, but that's a different conversation)

With kids, it's easy. Of course they are a priority. But what about the other stuff? You have to evaluate your priorities and sometimes make some tough choices. You say you aren't going for a walk when there are dishes to be done, dinner to make and children to love and care for. Why not? Can you remove one of those things and still get a walk in? What about doing the dishes later and walking now?

You say you are too stiff when you first wake up to exercise. OK, what about exercising in the evening and saving some of your other responsibilities for the morning? As others have suggested, get the kids involved. Take the 2yo with you on a walk. That can be a great outing for the kid and good exercise for you. Stick to the 3 days/week commitments. Fit it in. Make it work.

My wife and I both work. We have two girls, 10 and 7. I am the president of the PTO at the girls school, my wife serves on the board. We volunteer. I carpool mornings, she carpools afternoons. We spend time with our kids. We are exhausted much of the time. But we make time to exercise. We feel like we have to - that exercise is part of our happiness. We make it a priority.

We can't afford a full-time maid, but we do have someone come clean the house every other week. That helped a lot. Budget things like that if you can. It might mean giving something else up. It's worth it to us to pay for that service to give us more time to do other things.

You're not alone. And you're not without choices.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I have a 2yo. I pick my son up on Mondays and take him to the club with me while I work out for an hour, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings I go in at 530 AM and workout while my family is peacefully sleeping at home. Fridays rest, Saturdays I usually put in 2 hours, Sunday rest. I work full time and I'm a bear if I don't get my workouts in, I figure a happy healthy momma is much better than the b!tchy withdrawn other option.

kd_mazur

Instead of taking a lunch hour, I work out during lunch and eat lunch at my desk!

Me too!

vim_n_vigor

My youngest just turned 4 and my oldest is almost 6. I work full time. My youngest sleeps through the night some nights. Other nights, I can be up putting him back into his bed 3-4 times in one night. I am exhausted most days. I now get up at 5, workout in my livingroom, don't take a lunch at work and walk the whole time. This is my time. It is the only time of the day I have to myself, and it is the only chance I have to workout. It has to be my priority, because it is no one else's. You have to decide what you are going to do. Most of us don't have an easy choice when it comes to getting a workout in. We have to make the time and keep it as the priority. Only you can decide when and how much it means to you.

jessieknh

4 days a week I take my son to a local bike trail and he rides his bike while I run along side him. Nice way for us to get our exercise in and spend time together.

shalinimunjal

It's not easy!! However, you already know that

I am mom to a 2 yr old and a 7 yr old and work outside the house. I've started using the gym at work during my lunch hour to get my weights workout. For cardio, I run on saturdays and try to get another run after work during the week. Doesn't always happen now that weather has warmed up considerably.

Before starting gym, I was doing Jillian Michaels DVD workout at home - 30Day Shred. It is a 30 minute long video and gives you a really good workout. I did this right after reaching home and before starting anything else. Once this was out of the way I was free to start the cooking etc. I also do cloth diapers so that adds up to my todo pile.

The biggest thing is to not make the workout 'optional'. It HAS to be done just like anything else you might consider important like homework, bath, etc. Once you get into the rythm it gets easier and easier to find the time. You don't think about it, just do it.

MissTattoo

It is difficult, but you have to first make yourself a priority. Your health is more important. My doctor told me that taking 30 minutes out of my morning/night to focus on me was not selfish. I bet a lot of mothers feel guilty for taking time away from their children, but you have to find a way. If you aren't healthy in the long run, who is it hurting more? I'm sure your kids don't want to have a dead mother before they are in middle school because you didn't take care of yourself. That's how I look at it so I don't feel bad about working out after I get off.

I joined the YMCA so there are programs for my little one while I work out. No other gym in this area offered any sort of child care/child activity so I went with them. Right now I'm on a late shift so don't get off until 6. We eat dinner around 7:30 and the crock pot saves time. Seriously, put that stuff together in the morning and it's ready to go for dinner.

Also on non gym days, we go for walks on the trail or at the local high school track. So I'm teaching her to be active and eat right while taking care of myself.

amoffatt

At night! I tried in the AM but too tired so I exercise at night.

Mom23djd

My Suzy Homemaker skills have been sadly lacking since I started working out for an hour 5 days a week. It’s amazing how much stuff I apparently used to get done in that hour. I have gotten to the point where I have to just straighten up during the week and actually clean on the weekends. I realized that things don't have to be perfect all of the time.

Ditto

HeidiDarlene

I work full time and am a single mom of 2. I found that making a schedule and sticking to it are so important. I do not allow myself to negotiate on my scheduled workout days. 3 days a week I leave work and go directly to the gym. My kids actually love it because they get to spend more time with their friends in their after school programs. The other 4 days I am busy juggling gymnastics and tee ball and any other activities they want to do. It might not be an ideal solution with leaving the kids in daycare longer but its what works for us.

diben

Basically, I squeeze in a workout whenever I can. Some nights, I'm up until 11pm doing weights or running. If I happen to go to bed by 10pm then I'm up at 5ish for a run. I actually have the best workouts first thing in the morning and it really wakes me up. A "workout" can mean different things for different people at different points in their lives. You can just wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual and go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. One thing that keeps me going is that no matter what I do, I REQUIRE myself to workout 3 times a week. Some weeks, that means that I run on Thursday and Friday then do weights on Saturday because I've slacked off the beginning of the week. But that's fine, just give yourself a minimum number of sessions per week and you'll stick to it.

I do agree with some other folks that other things have slipped since I've started working out routinely. We might have laundry sitting for a week or dishes don't get washed every night but that's life. My health is more important, I choose to prioritize me. Nothing bad will happen if my kids don't have a pair of socks one day or all the dishes are in the sink.

BTW - my kids are 6 and 4, many nights at least one of them ends up in my bed. I don't think that sleeping through the night will go away soon, although hopefully by the time they're teenagers.

miranda_mom

I take Zumba classes three times per week. I find that since they are scheduled, I can't procrastinate. Once you find something that you love, you will look forward to it and make every effort to go. I also convinced several work friends to go with me to classes which makes it even more fun. If i were looking at it as a chore, I would probably put it off forever.

On those nights, I either pick something up for dinner or make something that is quick. And my husband watches my daughter (I only have one, which is easier) while I am gone. We call it daddy-daughter day.