single mom can't find time & motivation to work out
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Do you work like 80 hours a week? If you want to tone, you won't get there without making time for yourself... Not trying to be rude or mean with my comments, just truthful. You need to make the time, you said yourself, if you get up earlier, you can do it, so if that's the way to do it, why not?0
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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. I am a mother of a 3,2, and 9 month old. Two days per week I babysit another 3 year old and a 7 week old. I say Kudos to single moms!!!! My friend lost tons of weight on here just following the calorie deficit (she has 6 kids and her opportunities to exercise were minimal). Having said this you may be a person who needs that outlet and will feel better. As a single mom there aren't as many outlets for whatever gets pent up. I walk as many days per week as I can with my kiddos. I wear the 9 month or 2 year old and the other go in a jogging stroller. Perhaps you could try that a couple days per week after dinner. Best wishes. Hope it works out!!! and GOD BLESS!!! Your task of parenting is a very tiresome one but worth it when your children "Arise and Call you Blessed!!!"0 -
i find it really hard to believe you dont have 15 or 20 minutes 3 times a week to squeeze in a workout. If something is important to you you will make time. I hope you find the time and meet your goals. Maybe do as the others suggest and just do it through diet alone.
best of luck to you0 -
I dont know what Im talking about. Im just a dumb guy but maybe fit in a 20 minute workout during that little window of time when you get home but before dinner. Make it something with weights. Go buy weights, heavier ones, not light ones, you havent much time.
get that Abs Diet for Women book, i think the program is based around 20-30 minute workouts. Dont drop the weights on your toddler. 0 -
I know what it's like to be a single working mother to a toddler! My youngest just started Kindergarten, but being a full-time college student and single mom isn't much easier except for I will get a couple extra hours during the day to do homework while the kids are at school. What you have to do sweetie is MAKE time for yourself! I say this to my best friend all the time: "You have to take care of your child's mother FIRST!" As mothers, we are always so busy taking care of everyone else that we often forget to take care of ourselves. But is your child going to be proud of you when your health starts failing because you didn't take care of yourself? How is she going to feel when college rolls around and she wants to go hang out with her friends and have fun, but instead she has to go take care of her mother because her mother did not take care of herself when she had the chance? How is she going to view herself as she grows up and starts developing her own body image? Are you going to teach her that taking care of herself is not important, and that being overweight and/or unhealthy is an acceptable way to live her life? Or are you going to teach her that her self-esteem will soar if she takes only 30 minutes a day to herself to exercise and make good food choices? It is YOUR decision what you model for her; we are our children's most important role model, and it is our responsibility as parents to teach our children how to live happy and productive lives! Good luck to you dear, and I hope you make the RIGHT choice!
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Maybe give us a little more detail about your timings... it seems that you get off of work at 4-5pm, go home and have supper, could be out on the road with the stroller by 6:30pm, bath for toddler and shower for you at 7:30, bed at 8pm.... ???
What time do you work until, what time do you go to bed? What time does toddler go to bed ?0 -
Dumbells.0
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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.
Sounds to me that there's really nothing you can do, and that diet and exercise just isn't in the cards for you. But, at least you gave it all you had. Oh wellz.....0 -
Most of this thread is focused on "make time" or "carve out 20 minutes a day". However, weight loss is not about working out. If it was, everyone in the gym would be fit. Weight loss is 99% what you are eating, and 1% exercise. You can achieve your goals without working out by eating clean and watching your calories.
Of course, if you can add exercise that's even better, but it's not mandatory.
So let's put your focus where it should be, and that is on your log. Everyone has a couple minutes a day to keep a log. It usually takes me 2 minutes to do mine. Later, you can work in exercise if you like. But it's not about exercise at this point. You can negate your exercise by one bad meal or cheesecake for dessert!0 -
I'm a full time SINGLE mom with TWO children. If I can find time, you can too.0
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Excuses. Everyone has time for excerise, you just have to make it. I have 2 toddlers, 2 & 3 years old. I work 4 days a week and I don't have every other weekend to myself. Buy a stroller, take her for a run with you. Pop in a work out DVD while she colors. Put her in her highchair with an activity. My kids are super active so the hairchair didn't work with them, I close the door to my office and we all play around in there while I do my excerises. They do some moves with me, play trains, barbies, whatever they desires during that time. Get up earlier to squeeze in a 20 minute session or stay up a little later. I go to the gym every lunch break also. Portion your meals, cut the processed foods out. Don't eat sugars and excess fats...70% diet 30% physical. Start making it a habit, it'll become a routine. You DO have time - find it.
Good luck 0 -
Take a minute and ask yourself- Why are you doing this? Why do you want to work out? What is your goal and why is it important? Now write it down. Place that wherever you find yourself spending time instead of working out. It doesn't matter if it's cleaning the kitchen, resting on the couch, or the morning alarm clock. Put it there. Or put a copy on all three. Whatever you need. YOU are important here. How are you going to be the best mother you can be if you aren't taking care of yourself? Write down a daily affirmation that includes WHY this matters to you. Say it every morning when you get up and every night before bed.
Now schedule it. You say you get up at 5:30. What time do you take your child in? I take mine at 7:30, but I know some open at 6. Prep as much as you can the night before to save time, then get up earlier if you think mornings are your only time. It will be HARD the first week. But after that you'll find yourself going to bed earlier and then it'll get easier. But schedule it. When you find yourself about to do something else, remember why you want to do this.
VMgals has a good point too. Walking at work is a definite good start. If you just cannot find another way to put it on your schedule, do it at work. Take your lunch break and go walking. I lost my first 30 lbs doing nothing more than eating right and walking 30 minutes a day. Take sneakers and some shower wipes if it's hot out. No biggie.
The key is to remember WHY you want to do it and then you'll find that motivation you need.
HTH0 -
Do you want to make excuses or do you want to lose weight? Sorry, but you need to want to do this. I work full-time, own a house and a single mom to 2 girls ages 4 & 7. Yes, my life is insanely busy....but I burn at least 400 cals a day and some days as many as 1000. Get a bike with a bike trailer, go to a gym with child care, videos at home at nap or bed time. If you absolutely can't get up before the little one in the morning, do it after you put the little one to bed. Bottom line, make room for this in your daily routine or accept how you are, it's a choice.0
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I am a single mom of an almost 10 month old. And when I say single, I mean nobody is helping me at all. My schedule is a lot like yours. Up at 5:30 to get the baby ready for daycare and me for work. I have implemented walking during my breaks at work and I get a total of 40 minutes of walking before I even get home. I also bring my resistance band to work and I do a few reps of arm, back, and leg exercises at my desk so that I can also tone up. The 30 day shred is something I like to do as well because it only takes 25 minutes of your time, also Billy Blanks has a Taebo dvd where he has 10 minute workouts. Sometimes I don't have energy to workout but guess what I make myself do it anyway. You may not be motivated and might not have the energy but I say just do it anyway because the motivation will come once you start seeing changes! Good Luck0
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I am a single mother of 2 girls 2 and 4. I also work full time and wake up at 5am. I found what works for me is doing a video as soon as I get home before I make dinner and before sitting down. I like P90x but after 2 and a half months I lost motivation. Now im doing Turbofire and I really love it. I think the main thing that works for me with these videos is that there is a monthly schedule so it tells you what to do on each day. If try to just pick what Im going to do each day I wont do it. Also with TurboFire they have HIIT videos that range from 15 min to 25. The time is there you just have to make it. I know how you feel. 0
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I try to do exercises while I am doing chores. It probably looks funny, but when I'm doing dishes I will get some squats in or do leg exercises. When I watch tv at night, I do a couple exercises at the commericals, jumping jacks, push ups, crunches.....etc. Good luck!0
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I'm a full time SINGLE mom with TWO children. If I can find time, you can too.
yes yes yes
I am a mom to 7 kids I work out daily. I make no excuses for not working out for myself I also dont allow myself to use my kids as excuses..0 -
I'm a full time SINGLE mom with TWO children. If I can find time, you can too.
yes yes yes
I am a mom to 7 kids I work out daily. I make no excuses for not working out for myself I also dont allow myself to use my kids as excuses..
:drinker: I also work full time.0 -
Also you don't need to cook dinner every night. Maybe cook 2 or 3 times a week and make enough to last for 2 or 3 days. I am just saying this because the time you spend cooking could be for exercise. I know pp are saying you don't need exercise but I know that exercise is not just for weight loss and it makes you feel better to do it because you are doing something strictly for you. It also relieves stress, and as a single mom sometimes we do feel overwhelmed.0
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Maybe give us a little more detail about your timings... it seems that you get off of work at 4-5pm, go home and have supper, could be out on the road with the stroller by 6:30pm, bath for toddler and shower for you at 7:30, bed at 8pm.... ???
What time do you work until, what time do you go to bed? What time does toddler go to bed ?
5:30 wake-up
7am leave the house
730 drop off at pre-school
8:15 arrive at work
30 minutes for lunch
5pm leave work
5;45 pick up child
6;30 home to cook dinner
7pm dinner
715 prepare stuff for the next day
8pm bedtime ritual starts
I Pass out as soon as I am sure she is sleeping (9 o'clock-ish)
Forgot to mention currently on semester break but I will be doing my on-line education again starting in October.0 -
Single Mom here too and up until April I had no real motivation to get back in shape either. But something finally clicked and I realized that I needed to make it a priority. I started out by changing my eating habits-you can do that with no extra time involved. As soon as I put my little one to bed I would do a 20 min. workout and now it's an hour long. I get that all you want to do after your little one is in bed is probably just flop on the couch or bed, but trust me 20 minutes goes by fast. And before long it CAN and WILL become a habit, but you have to want it enough. I didn't until recently. Again, if you're not at the point of adjusting your schedule, then focus on your eating habits until you're ready. Feel free to add me-no judgement here, just an encouraging voice...0
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Maybe give us a little more detail about your timings... it seems that you get off of work at 4-5pm, go home and have supper, could be out on the road with the stroller by 6:30pm, bath for toddler and shower for you at 7:30, bed at 8pm.... ???
What time do you work until, what time do you go to bed? What time does toddler go to bed ?
5:30 wake-up
7am leave the house
730 drop off at pre-school
8:15 arrive at work
30 minutes for lunch
5pm leave work
5;45 pick up child
6;30 home to cook dinner
7pm dinner
715 prepare stuff for the next day
8pm bedtime ritual starts
I Pass out as soon as I am sure she is sleeping (9 o'clock-ish)
Forgot to mention currently on semester break but I will be doing my on-line education again starting in October.
Wake up at 4:45 or 5:00...and get a little in.0 -
I consider 3 kids under 4 working sorry.. And I have 4 other kids in school drivinf a good three hours out of my day. cooking laundry for my large family. If anyone has an excuse not to be drive it would be those like myself with so much on their plate.
Just working and one child doesnt sound to busy to me unless theres other stuff shes not disclosing?0 -
I am also a single mom. 3 kids ages 20,19, and 16. When they were toddlers I used to say the same thing... I don't have time...before I knew it 20 years had gone by and the lbs packed on even more. Now I have a grandchild who is 2 and I can't run around with her.
The time I do have is spent moving however I can. LOTS of walking/jogging in place as fast as I can. If you have 3 one hour tv shows that you like throughout the week just give it your all in front of the TV. Jogging, jumping jacks, wall pushups, etc. I personally do the entire show, but I know people who just do it on the commercials. Or if you child has a show he/she watches spend the 1/2 hour or so that it is on doing the same. Doing this has made a huge difference. It is the only real exercise I have done this month and along with a cut in calories I have dropped 10 lbs and feel like I have a ton more energy.0 -
**crickets**0
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If you really want to do this you will find time for yourself. I am a single mother of a 2 year old daughter with no breaks on the weekends and I find time every weekday to go to the gym after work and she goes with me for an hour and a half and plays in kid care. We go home, eat dinner, bath, and bed. On the weekends (which you have free so you can do whatever you want) I do something active with her or she goes to see my mom while I have some me time. It can be done, also don't forget that cleaning, house chores, and general stuff like that can be exercise, do squats while dusting, lunges while vacuuming, etc, etc. Fit in a workout wherever you can.
You can also fit in one of those workout DVDs you have purchased after she goes to bed, you would be shocked how much better you feel after a workout before bed.0 -
Maybe give us a little more detail about your timings... it seems that you get off of work at 4-5pm, go home and have supper, could be out on the road with the stroller by 6:30pm, bath for toddler and shower for you at 7:30, bed at 8pm.... ???
What time do you work until, what time do you go to bed? What time does toddler go to bed ?
5:30 wake-up
7am leave the house
730 drop off at pre-school
8:15 arrive at work
30 minutes for lunch
5pm leave work
5;45 pick up child
6;30 home to cook dinner
7pm dinner
715 prepare stuff for the next day
8pm bedtime ritual starts
I Pass out as soon as I am sure she is sleeping (9 o'clock-ish)
Forgot to mention currently on semester break but I will be doing my on-line education again starting in October.
What first jumped out at me is the 5:30 wake up / 7:00 leave time. What are you doing in the mornings to make it take so much time? Look for ways to make your morning go smoother (and take less time) and you could probably fit in a quick workout video or something before getting your daughter up in the morning. Also, if you take the suggestion to not cook nightly, then you would have 1/2 hour to take your daughter for a walk or something. Also, I'm not sure what you are "preparing" for the next day or what your bed time ritual is, but look for ways to save time there, too.
It will take an adjustment, but if you start looking for ways to make it work, usually they will present themselves to you.0 -
i may be totally wrong here but we all posted advice regarding her not having time but forgot to look at the other half of the OP's post....(well maybe it was just me)
she said she lacks motivation. that's the problem. IF YOU ARE MOTIVATED YOU WILL MAKE TIME...
...i'm just saying......0 -
I am a single mom of a 2 year old. I totally get where you are coming from. I am up at 4:30 everyday to get us ready for our day. It used to be I would leave work pick her up go home make supper do housework play a little put her to bed then more house and yard work then crash. Not to mention all the barn work and horses to be ridden. When I started out I just started making everything I did an exercise to get in a little bit at least. Now I have started going to the gym at work for 30 min after work everyday. Sometimes I feel bad because its 30min less that I get to spend with my daughter or on keeping up with house chores but it is helping me a lot. Since the gym is at work that helps too because I am already there so no excuses. I just schedule it in as part of my work day and do it. I feel much better now that I do. When I can't make it to the gym or on weekends I do wii fit or at home workouts I have found online. Usually after she is in bed or during her naps (I have sole custody so no free weekends here). I also try to take her swimming or on walks. She loves to ride in her bike trailer so i try to go on bike rides as much as possible as well. Any little thing you can fit in will make a difference. Good Luck! You can do it!0
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Do you want to make excuses or do you want to lose weight? Sorry, but you need to want to do this. I work full-time, own a house and a single mom to 2 girls ages 4 & 7. Yes, my life is insanely busy....but I burn at least 400 cals a day and some days as many as 1000. Get a bike with a bike trailer, go to a gym with child care, videos at home at nap or bed time. If you absolutely can't get up before the little one in the morning, do it after you put the little one to bed. Bottom line, make room for this in your daily routine or accept how you are, it's a choice.
yeah!!0
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