Any working Mommas trying to find time to exercise?

lauren3382

I have a 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son and work full-time in a pretty high stress, intense job in a typical corporate setting. I work from my office two days a week and work from home 3 days a week. I work out during my lunch breaks and on weekends. It's so hard to motivate myself to work out during lunch, but it's really my only option since it's important to me that I keep my nights open to spend time with my husband and kids. It surely is a challenge to balance all the responsibilities of being a mom, wife, homemaker, and employee.

Vercell

I am 37 as well and have 3 kids, 2 boys 12 and 15 and 1 daughter that is 5. I work full time Monday to Friday from 8:30-4:30 and my kids are involved in all kinds of activities.

My husband works shift work but he is very understanding of my workout time. He now knows that I am a much better person if I get exercise....which makes it much better for everyone around me! hahaha

I work out on my lunch hour usually. I am very lucky and am allowed to eat at my desk, so I eat a snack around 11 and then head to the gym down the street at noon and work out for 40 minutes and then head back to the office. I am usually sweaty but I reapply my deodorant and a little body spray and I don't really care what my hair is doing by then.

When my kids are doing their sports in the evenings I will walk around the streets while I wait for them. In the evening I will take my dog for a quick run/walk for 20-30 minutes. When we are at home I have some hand weights and I will stand and do a few set of bicep curls. I do sit ups and push ups during commercials. I take my kids swimming and will do squats around the pool and it just looks like I"m jumping around! lol

Feel free to add me for added support, I am always open to more friends in the same situation!
Cheers

Vercell

Wow I love your post on how you get your workout in great ideas, add me please.

Dupier

I too work a fulltime job and have commitments outside my home preventing me from getting time to exercise. I have a sister in a longterm nursing facility. I try to go 4 nights a week to spend time with her. Recently, I discovered I could take the time talking with her and push her outside in her wheelchair. I burn approx. 300 calories pushing her for approx. 30 minutes. She loves getting to spend time outside and I find she is willing to talk more openly with me. For those with young children, pushing them in a stroller would be alternative or better yet, volunteer at a facility.

orishp

I have a 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son and work full-time in a pretty high stress, intense job in a typical corporate setting. I work from my office two days a week and work from home 3 days a week. I work out during my lunch breaks and on weekends. It's so hard to motivate myself to work out during lunch, but it's really my only option since it's important to me that I keep my nights open to spend time with my husband and kids. It surely is a challenge to balance all the responsibilities of being a mom, wife, homemaker, and employee.

I do this as well, is the only ME time I have. I am a mom of a 4 yr old girl and a 15 month old boy. I work out 40-45 min during lunch time, take a quick shower and then eat at my desk. Also on the weekends, DH and I sort of take turns to go workout.

I have always been a lazy person, but somehow, I am not sure exactly how, this time it clicked and I am finding myself working out 5-6 days/week, I am hoping it stays like that, I am really loving it!.

RobynMWilson

I'm not a biological momma but I was a stepmom for many years with joint custody, a job as an Operations Manager at Commerce Bank working minimally 50hrs per week plus a clean freak whose kitchen floor you could eat off of at any time so when I decided to lose weight I had gained during a failed pregnancy back in 1996, I started getting up at 4:30a to be working out by 5a because I knew if I left it for nighttime, it would never happen and I wanted it THAT BADLY! I work out at home which saves A LOT of time and is convenient at 5am. I've been working out ever since!!

Josie_lifting_cats

I am a mom to a two and three (almost four!) year old. I am self-employed as a "contracting" employee, and work all day every day. Literally. I struggle to find the time to work out a lot! I can totally relate!

Jennimoon215

When my children were younger it was difficult to find time to exercise, I totally understand what you all are saying. I was too exhausted to get up at 5 am to exercise. I am finally back into a routine now that they are older. When they were younger, I felt that I needed to get in a " full routine" in order to feel like I exercised. For now, do what you can and do not beat yourself up. I now have a jump rope and I skip a few minutes here and there when I can not get to the gym. I also do jumping jacks. Make do with what you have for now and doing a little is better than none. Get some resistance bands, they are inexpensive and you can do something at home with those. I may not get a full out "workout" while I am at home. But by busting out a few jumping jacks or jumping rope , I can get my heart rate up, break a sweat and feel a little better. Good luck to you all.

julslea

I am a mom to a 3 year old girl. I work full time from 7:30-4:30 with a half hour commute each way. My husband works 4-midnight so we never see each other during the week. When I get home from work I change into my workout clothes and then go pick up my daughter from daycare and then go straight to the Y...I do that Monday-Thursday and on Friday I try to do a workout DVD at home. It is not always easy to fine the time/energy but once I got into the routine of going to the gym I can't stand if I have to miss a day.

pallen84

Hey ladies!

I'm on a very similar boat. I work full time at a desk job, have a 2 year old, and I'm also a wife - where's ME time?!

I have actually found great joy in indoor cycling (spinning). I recently got my certification and began teaching classes - I now teach 5 times a week on top of my regular job!

I will say, that by having that commitment there of teaching those classes or signing up for the classes has held me accountable. Every cycling class I teach I burn around 500 calories. If you commit to those 3x a week, you'll be burning 1500 calories a week - which is awesome!

Since we're constantly on the go, I highly recommend some sort of protein shake or meal replacement. It's easy, nutritious, and you'll see great results on top of your workouts - this is how I lost most of the 48lbs I gained throughout pregnancy. I got so into it I actually became a coach for BeachBody (the makers of P90X). If you need nutritional guidance, or any kind of motivation, feel free to hit me up! I love this part of my life because not only does it keep me healthy, it keeps me sane! Beachbody also has a ton of good workouts you can do at home if at home works better for you. There are many options, so feel free to ask any questions about any of the programs - some require almost nothing except yourself!

If you have any questions regarding nutrition or the workout programs, I'd love to help you out!! It's really tough, but you can find the time to do it, even if you only have 25mins a day that you can dedicate to it!

c501

I have just read about T-Tapp. It is a quick non jarring exercise that is good for total fitness. Good luck. I bought my cd on amazon. I heard about it on Nebraska Public Television

c501

Hi, thank you for posting such a nice picture of you and your family. I listened to a program on Public Television on a non jarring quick exercise called T-Tapp. It looks like a great way to get into shape without killing yourself. I am a mother of 6 and working full time

NCShar

Hello all the working Moms out there! I work full-time, mother of an 8 and 4 year old, and do a lot of volunteer work so we keep busy. I fell off the MFP wagon for a few months and regained all the weight I lost, so here I am again, starting over. I lost about a pound a week as long as i was sticking to MFP and logging my food and exercise so hopefully it will work again this time

It is so hard to find time to exercise and so easy to sneak in extra empty calories while packing kids' lunches, serving them food, running them to activities, etc! I find that I snack more when I am not exercising. here are some ways I try to fit exercise into my day:
Eat lunch at my desk, and then walk for 30 mins around the office block and neigborhood or take two 15-min brisk walks. If you can find a walking buddy at work it will make it easier for you to stick to it.
I like Walk Away the Pounds too, with some light weights.
When my kid is at an activity (dance class, t-ball), I wear my tennis shoes and go for a 30 - 45 min walk.
Always park at the furthest parking spot (if safe) and take the stairs. My office is on the 5th floor.
Find a gym with childcare so you can work out - my gym has childcare for $5/month unlimited.
Ask the hubby/ partner to watch the kids on the weekends so you can go to an exercise class or do strength training
if your kids are old enough, they can ride their bikes/ trikes in the evenings after dinner and you can walk.

good luck! Now I need to get back to practice what I preach :-) thanks for all the support.

thenicksters

I set the portable dvd player up and some snacks for the kids as soon as I walk in from work. I do Jillians 30 day shred because its a nice quick hard workout, then go on about my evening. I know other moms that workout in the mornings. I don't think I could! I say try the best you can and if you dont have time just focus on your calorie intake and you can still lose weight.

TozzatheHatcher

Hi there!! I know how you girls feel. It's so hard isn't it? No lack of desire (well, sometimes) but just many pulls of time be that two lively small boys, shift work, family, husband....need to conjure up more hours.

One little thing that might interest...maybe it's silly but it has been a recent lightbulb for me - i try to make any travelling about part of my exercise plan i.e walk/cycle on the school run whatever the weather, cycle to work - 10miles (I'm proud!) or jog to Zumba. If I can 'travel exercise' this has got to help doesn't it? I know there is no weights or ab crunches but I find it almost impossible to the gym consistently.

Any ideas gratefully received for exercise tips AND tips on what to do when you've exercised and feel hungry! I think the advice is don't stuff your face just because you've been for a half hour jog.

And lastly, I do night shifts - I know it is crazy but I'm stuck with them for now - so at 3am how do I keep away from the tuck shop with its 'healthy' (full of sugar cereal bars), naughty chocolate and 'getting through the shift' crisps.

All advice, support and stories welcome....and will be returned!
T

mamabear0222

Me!!! I recently decided it's morning time or no time sadly.
My husband and I work opposites so we dont have to worry about child care costs ... but we have a set of twins.

I work days, he works nights ... there's no break or downtime.
Even when they are in bed for the night, they are potty trained and up at least 4 times between the two of them before they settle for the night ... so workouts are broken and it's annoying.

So now I'm getting up early in the morning .. we shall see how this goes

tiger12gal

Hi. I am a 27 yr old mother of four children(7yr, 5yr, 3 yr, and 8 month). I work full time and then come home to a loud hectic house! Its hard to find time to do anything for myself but I am making time for it even if it is only a few times a week. Feel free to add me if you like!

n_rockey

I feel your pain. Up until very recently I had 2 full time jobs, and a 6 year old. My husband has worked mostly an opposite shift from me for the last 7+ years, so time for myself was virtually unheard of. While I'm thrilled my husband's job changed, and the 2nd job went with it about a month ago, before that I found it nearly impossible to find the time to work out. I have 3 main solutions 1) be extremely careful of what I eat so that I didn't have to exercise and I still lost weights and 2) work out as much as I can during my lunch hour (usually a long walk down by the river if the weather permits), or 3) using my Wii Fit after my daughter goes to bed. I find I can really get my heart rate up when I super hula hoop for a half hour or so, and it makes exercising a little more fun, so I'm more likely to do it.