single mom can't find time & motivation to work out

JulieDive

I am a full-time single mother to a toddler. My daily ritual is wake up about 5:30 get both of us ready for school and work, work a full day, pick up the little one @ school, go home make dinner, prepare for next day and go to bed. I previously had the flexibility to go to the gym at 5am before my daughter started pre-school 5 days a week. I absoloutely loved going to the gym to work out, but that no longer has a place in my busy schedule. I am a infomercial queen and I have bought several fitness routine DVDs over the years, some are still wrapped in their original packing. The only option that I really have is to get up earlier in the morning and do some kind of fitness routine in 45 minutes or less. I just can not get the motivation to get my butt out of bed to do it. I try to be as active as possible every other weekend when my daughter is with her father, but that tends to be catch up time for me to do the chores that are put to the way side.
My fitness goals are to lose 25-30 lbs, drop 3-4 sizes and tone especially abs, butt and arms.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

DanaDark

Then don't exercise.

Being a mother, and working, you probably are spending a few extra calories than purely sedentary people would anyway.

I would suggest getting the extra sleep (Will make you feel more energized throughout the day, making you probably spend a few extra calories every hour).

Create your weight loss goal through a caloric deficit.

You will need to add weight training to firm things up, but if you already have trouble with time, that may be an issue.

Sharon_73

I am a single mom of two teenagers. I havve been on my own since they were 3 and 5 (no weekend breaks for me). It is hard but you have to make yourself a priority as well. After you put her to bed make a commitment of even 30 minutes for yourself. I know you are tired and just want to go to bed yourself but make the commitment and you will get into the swing of things.

You can also include her in some exercise time. Go swimming, run around at the park with her. Try to have as much energy as your toddler does! :happy:

You can make it happen!

janalayn

I was a single mom with two kids .. you can't find the time you have to MAKE it. Don't cook every night. I cooked on the weekends and froze the meals to be reheated during the week. Or cooked a casserole that could last a few days. Involve your child in your exercise. Go for walks pushing the stroller. Get her to dance with you while you do workout videos. Set a good example and she will be less like to have weight issues.

LittleMissDover

I'm a single mum of 3 (9yrs, 7yrs and 2yrs).

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Even if I'm tired I tell myself it's only 20 mins after they go to bed and if I want to get in shape I need to do it.

If you want to find time you will.

cherrytulips

Then don't exercise.

Being a mother, and working, you probably are spending a few extra calories than purely sedentary people would anyway.

I would suggest getting the extra sleep (Will make you feel more energized throughout the day, making you probably spend a few extra calories every hour).

Create your weight loss goal through a caloric deficit.

You will need to add weight training to firm things up, but if you already have trouble with time, that may be an issue.

I agree with the post above me.

Make aspects of your daily life a workout. Do bicep curls with the milk gallon while in the kitchen. do lunges on the way from the front door to your bedroom when you get home. do calf raises while holding your daughter. do 150 jumping jacks when you wake up, and 150 before bed. do 3 sets of 25 crunches when you wake up and right before bed.

since you don't have time for a full-fledged gym regimen, make your LIFE an opportunity to be creative with fitness. eventually you may find that you have a little more motivation to quickly pop on those running shoes and take a 10 minute jog around the block a couple times a week. even play games with your daughter outside! every little bit helps!

jennifermaffei17

You need to schedule it in though...even if its walks on your lunch breaks.

rmkramer003

I have heard that you don't have to do it all in one shot. If you can do some of those 10 minute work outs (I was using Netflix to do them in the mornings until they took them off). Also I get up and do Yoga at my desk during the day to wake me up. So several 5-10 minute sessions throughout the day should help. As your kid gets older it gets easier to add more time in for yourself.

skyry2

Why don't you try and work out when watching TV. Every time the ad's are on walk in place for the entire time they are on. You will be suprised how much you can do!

MTBrob

I have 5 kids from 12 to 2 .. If you really want this you will make time and stop making excuses... I know its hard... But when you are healthy.. You can live MORE life in a 24 hour time frame with your child than without..

I get up at 4:30am Mon- Sat. while every one is asleep and work out..... Instead of watching TV in the evenings.. WOrk out instead DVR that crap....


After little johnny or susie goes to bed is a good time as well.. ... Get a jogging stroller second hand and go for a run ...


Plenty ways to get around this... The only road block I see is you .....

smokinjackd

No blame here, because we all do it. But do you watch any TV? Read? Text your friends? Use a computer? These are all things that can be done while exercising, get a spin bike and put it in your living room, and when you are watching "friends" on TV there is your half hour cardio. I used to make the same excuse whith my young children but thats what it was, an excuse, hell, who am I kidding, I still use that excuse, but now I kick myself in the head and begrudgingly get my butt on the elliptical, not everyday, but enough to maintain.

themommie

I agree you have to try to make it a priority and fit it in, it is hard but you can do it. Make a picnic dinner a few nights a week and walk to the park then push her on the swings, do push ups on the bars and walk around the playground while she plays, maybe swing with her too. At home after dinner put on some music and just dance around with her, put on an exercise tape 1-2 xs a week and do it while she is playing, try to do squats and lunges while you make dinner. For awhile every time I went to the bathroom I would do 15 squats , doesnt sound like much but by the end of the day it adds up, good luck and remember losing weight is 85% what you eat

dawn_eichert

This is a very difficult struggle that I understand alot first hand. I find I can't work out early in the morning so I started doing my workout DVD's in the evening after the kids went to bed. This worked really well for me personally as I was able to shower and go to bed shortly afterwards and I slept better. After a little while I found I had more energy and was able to not have as much sleep as well.

Plan walks around the block after dinner with your daughter. Push a stroller or have her ride a bike if she can.

Biggest thing is to work the food in with the activity you are able to do. If you can't get that workout in, make sure you don't go over the calories.

Good Luck

lporter229

Then don't exercise.

Being a mother, and working, you probably are spending a few extra calories than purely sedentary people would anyway.

I would suggest getting the extra sleep (Will make you feel more energized throughout the day, making you probably spend a few extra calories every hour).

Create your weight loss goal through a caloric deficit.

You will need to add weight training to firm things up, but if you already have trouble with time, that may be an issue.

I agree with this. There is no point in stressing over exercise, it's counter productive. Just try to be as physical as you can during your daily routine (take stairs vs. elevator, walk during lunch, etc.). When your schedule is that busy, it's usually the diet that becomes the problem. Focus your energy on eating right. You are probably "exercising" more than you realize.

charitas32

I have 2 under 5 and finding time is hard, so I do stuff when I can. 2 year old asked if I was being a chicken the other day though, you can do some toning when they are in the bath , if your bathroom is big enough

MinMin97

I am a full-time single mother to a toddler. My daily ritual is wake up about 5:30 get both of us ready for school and work, work a full day, pick up the little one @ school, go home make dinner, prepare for next day and go to bed. I previously had the flexibility to go to the gym at 5am before my daughter started pre-school 5 days a week. I absoloutely loved going to the gym to work out, but that no longer has a place in my busy schedule. I am a infomercial queen and I have bought several fitness routine DVDs over the years, some are still wrapped in their original packing. The only option that I really have is to get up earlier in the morning and do some kind of fitness routine in 45 minutes or less. I just can not get the motivation to get my butt out of bed to do it. I try to be as active as possible every other weekend when my daughter is with her father, but that tends to be catch up time for me to do the chores that are put to the way side.
My fitness goals are to lose 25-30 lbs, drop 3-4 sizes and tone especially abs, butt and arms.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Amazing schedule.
There is a certain demand placed on a mother with a toddler!
So fear not, it changes as she gets older.
A year from now, she will be different, a little easier in some ways
I have five children ages 14,10,8,6, and my toddler is 4.

I have some suggestions, see if any of these help:

1. Your schedule is tight during the week, but see if you can begin to train yourself to the earliest bedtime possible.
This way you won't mind getting up a little earlier to do 30min of a DVD. You could do this 2 days during the week.
On Saturday morning you may also have time for a workout, before you get started on chores.

2. Use every other weekend to do your special chores, but try to keep them to a minimum....what's really going to be important a year from now? Get in a nice long bikeride, run, etc...perhaps even a good weights workout. Do you have a weight set you could use during the week? That would be a nice benefit, along with a jump rope.

3. Make sure your settings reflect your lifestyle, as i believe your great diet habits will benefit you right now.

You are doing a really great job, and a year from now you will be so glad for the efforts you are making!
You will make progress with what you are doing/

verptwerp

Hi, there !

I lost the bulk of my weight by changing my eating habits & taking a SHORT walk each day ....... you can do the same thing ...... 10 minutes here & there will make a HUGE difference.

Since you said you were the "infomercial queen", start walking in place and/or lift some light handweights while you're watching TV ..... you don't even have to insert a DVD .....

Baby steps work just as well as giant leaps ..... best of luck to you :drinker:

weird_me2

One thing that jumped out at me is don't make dinner every night. Do batch cooking and crock pot cooking so that you can eat dinner as soon as you get home. Some nights we even eat grapes and apples or carrots, cheese and Triscuits for dinner. There's protein, fat, good carbs and they love it. This will give you some free time to at least get a little bit of exercise in.

At work, go for a quick walk on your break/lunch break, even if it's only 10 minutes. Two 10 minute walks gets you 20 minutes of exercise and hopefully at least a mile. Then, if you can add another 20 in some evenings after dinner walking with your child, then you have 40 minutes and 2+ miles. If you have any stairs at work that aren't too "public", so walk/run up the stairs when you can. We have 4 flights of stairs that I can go up while I'm at work. I've been known to take a quick few minutes and go walk up/down them enough times to get 10 flights in quickly. If you can work in 5 or 10 minutes of stair climbing a few days of the week, it all adds up.

WhatDoesLisa

Is there anyway that you could swing a cleaning lady twice a month when your child is with her father? You would be freed up to concentrate on you.

usmcmp

No excuses. I'm a single mom of two boys (ages 3 and 4) with a full time job and full time school. I use my lunch hour or after the boys go to bed to workout. I cook my lunches and dinners for the week on Sunday. The boys and I are very active on weekends. www.bodyrock.tv

ETA: My ex (their dad) lives on the other side of the country. I have the boys 51 weeks out of the year.

MemphisGirl75

I agree with a walk at lunch. If you get an hour break, devote 30 minutes of that to walking in the parking lot, side streets, etc. I work at an office with a warehouse, and every day you see several of us either walking in the warehouse and/or the perimeter of the building.

And definitely use a crockpot, if you don't already. Even cooking a soup or stew, you would only need to make a sandwich or warm up some rolls to eat as a side.

Anthonydaman

I would normally say there is always time to exercise, but you my dear have a full plate. Maybe a daily walk in the evening with your little one?

trina433

oh sweetheart. i am with you. i understand its hard. i am a single mom of two kids 3 and 6 i work and got to school. i find short 30 min workouts to be the best to fit into my schedule. jillian micheals 30 day shred is my current workout. IT WORKS!!! TRUST ME. good luck and feel free to add me :)

JolieJemmaMomma

i also have a tight schedule with my 2 girls..... I have to get up at 4am if i want to exercise. It sounds aweful but you get used to it and it really helps wake me up and my energy level stays elevated throughout the day.

AmyFett

I have two little girls, 2 and 3, and I'm a full-time college student, and taking additional classes apart from that, no I don't have a 'job' but I'm BUSY keeping up with everything else. In my honest opinion, if you want it bad enough, you do what you have to to make it work.

ghimm

If you're looking for home exercises to try to squish into your schedule somewhere, check out the beginner body weight exercises on nerdfitness.com. Its a pretty good site for exercising anywhere, anytime. Good luck!

fuhrmeister

I'm a single mum of 3 (9yrs, 7yrs and 2yrs).

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Even if I'm tired I tell myself it's only 20 mins after they go to bed and if I want to get in shape I need to do it.

If you want to find time you will.

I'm not a single mom but I second the Jilliam Michaled 30 day shred. 20min and done. in the am or righ tbefore bed. it combines cardio and weights. Also taking a nice 20 min wak with your little one before or afterdiner 2 or 3 nights a week might be fun.

Lots of luck!

HypersonicFitNess

Do you get a lunch break? Even if it's 30 minutes, can you take sneakers to work (and if you're afraid of sweating, a t-shirt and whatever else you might need to feel fresh after). Go for a lunch time walk, you'll be amazed at what a lift a lunch time walk will do for you, physically and mentally. Even if it has to be a 15-20 minute walk, you're getting out there.

Don't think of exercise as a must do all at once.

Think of this....

If you can get up and do 15 minutes of something before work
Do 15-20 minutes at lunch
Maybe a 15 minute walk with your toddler before starting dinner at night (it really clears the head); it'll go a long way

You'll be surprise what a walk will do and in the morning you can always do a short dance video or just dance around to some music, do some jumping jacks, pretend jump rope (any type of calisthenics, you can do a 15 minute ab routine a couple times a week)

Losing weight is 99% what you eat....but you can still fit exercise into an active single mom life.

cheekydeeky

i'm a single mom and i work full time. i MADE time. it's my health and my family. good luck to you!

weird_me2

If you're looking for home exercises to try to squish into your schedule somewhere, check out the beginner body weight exercises on nerdfitness.com. Its a pretty good site for exercising anywhere, anytime. Good luck!

I recommend the body weight exercises from nerdfitness, too! I took his beginner plan and adapted it to fit my needs, and now I have a plan I can do in about 15 minutes WHILE watching my favorite shows. It's not my only or even my main exercise, but I was looking for a way to do some strength work without a gym, and I like it. I hope to progress to more difficult exercises and the advanced workout over time.

JulieDive

Why don't you try and work out when watching TV. Every time the ad's are on walk in place for the entire time they are on. You will be suprised how much you can do!

I wish I had time to even watch TV thanks for the suggestion