Finding the TIME to Exercise??
howdeelightful
Posts: 385
Ok, question for everyone. What are your suggestions for great, fast, effective workouts? I am an extremely busy wife and mother who works both a full-time and a part-time job. Finding it really hard to find the time and energy to exercise. HELP!!!
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Replies
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You don't find time, you make time.
What are your goals? Simple weight loss? Body composition? ???0 -
I like the Jillian Michaels DVD's "30-Day Shred" and "Ripped In 30". Each includes several workout routines starting at a beginner level and working up in intensity. The "30-Day Shred" workouts take about 25 minutes each (including warm-up & stretches). The "Ripped In 30" workouts are closer to 35 minutes. Both give great total-body workouts in a short amount of time. Those might work well for you since you have little ones around the house and probably need to be there with them. You could also take a short run around your neighborhood. You'll find that you can get good results from a short workout as long as you really push yourself during the time you have. You don't have to exercise for hours to get results.
It sounds blunt, but you really do have to make the time as opposed to finding it. It's tough. For my schedule, the only time that works is before work every morning. I sacrifice some pillow time to get my workout in, and even though 4:30 seems to come around really quickly every day I have NEVER regretted a single day of my workout!
Good luck!0 -
I walk (fast) around the parking lot during my breaks at work. It may not be much but it's better than nothing. I started out walking for 3 minutes at a time because it's been a long time since I got any kind of exercise so I had to start out slow. I just got back in from my break and I walked 10 minutes this time. Yay!! Anything to get your heart rate up. Hang in there. A friend of mine tells me to take 1 hour a day for myself. We are worth it!0
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Jillian's 30 Day Shred is my favorite for a quick workout and it's only 25 minutes of your time. Since you are a mother, you can also take your child out for a walk as well. My daughter is 4 and one thing we do is the Kinects Just Dance because we both love to dance.0
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I don't find it, I make it.
Simple.0 -
I wake up at 4:45am to run/spin/whatever class my gym offers. I feel energized for the rest of the day!0
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Plenty of moms doing this. Read their stories.
ALL SUCCESSFUL ladies ---> http://www.venusindex.com/transformation-contest/
Many are young moms. This is an excellent women's workout, all body, designed to make you look good and be strong, its different every day. Just 1 hour for 3 days a week. Some break it up. Check out what it did for those ladies and you can even listen to their interviews and see how they fit it in.0 -
Find the book "Convict Conditioning" don't be put off by the name, read it, do it. Starting off is a simple 2 day/week workout that literally takes minutes. It eventually builds up to be longer, but if you can't find 15-30 minutes of time, 2 days a week, you need to change your priorities.0
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At lot members here wake up 30-60 min early to fit in a workout. If you can get up easily, I'd suggest that.0
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bodyrock.tv
It is working for me. ~ 15 minutes a day.0 -
There's a program called 10-Minute Trainer by Tony Horton (the guy who created P90X). It's an at home Total Body workout that u can complete in 10-12 minutes. I can answer questions if u have any.
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It sounds blunt, but you really do have to make the time as opposed to finding it. It's tough. For my schedule, the only time that works is before work every morning. I sacrifice some pillow time to get my workout in, and even though 4:30 seems to come around really quickly every day I have NEVER regretted a single day of my workout!
Good luck!
^^This^^0 -
I am in the same boat as you as far as finding time to exercise. Everyone says "make time", but that can be VERY difficult to do. Especially with small children and working two jobs. I walk during my lunch hour. I put my iPod on and go. There have been a lot of days where I've just had to walk out on phones ringing, etc., but it's worth it. It only takes me a few minutes to actually eat, and the rest of the time I spend walking.
Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you, your family, and your schedule. If you're like me, your children are your FIRST priority. That's just part of being a mom. If you can take them out and get them active with you, play a family game of kickball or something. Have a walking "race" around the park, your block, or the local high school football field.
(((HUGS)))0 -
we are all given the same finite amount of time. use it how you will.
you have to make time, by buckling down and seeing what you can eliminate or consolidate. i've made more time by bulk cooking meals one day a week. i'll make 4lbs of chicken breast, pasta and meatballs, beans, rice, even a big pot of oatmeal. makes preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner much easier during the week. it frees up time for things like working out.0 -
Thanks to everyone so far! I am really looking for weight loss. I am about 50 pounds overweight right now, and would like to get healthier.
I think I will look into the 30 day shred! Thanks for the suggestion. I'm normally out of bed at 6:30 to start getting myself and my son ready for the day. I get home about 7-ish, make dinner, play with him for a little bit, then at 9:30 we start our bedtime routine. That is normally over by 10:30 by the time he gets a bath, changed into pj's, tucked in, and read to. Then it is my turn for a shower, and my hubby and I are normally in bed by 11. The next day starts all over again. :-)
Looks like I will have to either get up at 6 or stay up until 11:30 to push in some kind of exercise. Any other options I can do at home other than the 30 day shred?0 -
The first reply said it all. You simply need to make time. I am an employed Father of two little ones, and the only time I could make my workouts happen is in the morning when everyone was asleep, including our two dogs! I get up at 5:30 am and do my P90X workouts. I have actually found I have more energy throughout the day now versus when I slept in until 6:45 or 7! (Of course I go to bed about an hour after my kids at 9:30 pm!) That's it, no magic involved. Just make a plan and stick to it. The first two weeks were the hardest, and it is now my routine. I find getting up everyday (as P90X demands) is much easier then trying to get up early only three days a week and sleeping in the rest. Too much change for me. I set it, and forget it! Ha ha... Good luck! Oh, I can tell you that your kids will take notice of what you are doing for yourself! My kids love seeing me all sweaty and breathing hard when they wake up. Sets a great foundation to a healthier life for them as well! THAT is your motivation!0
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I have 2 young kids (4 and 10 months) and my husband works away tues morning to thurs evening each week. I also work 3 days a week. I used to say I had no time to exercise but I was just making excuses cos I was too tired or felt I had too much else to do. I made time. Firstly I hired a cleaner so I didn't spend a few hours at weekends and during the week cleaning my house or moaning that I should clean my house or half heartedly wasting time cleaning bits of my house. £20 a week and that's one less thing for me to do and money well spent - instead of a gym membership that I wouldn't have found time to use. Secondly I signed up for a 10k run and believe me when I say I couldn't run the length of myself. Now I am up to running 10k twice a week and another run or two in between. A lot of us are doing the run for charity so twice a week I can usually find someone to run with which makes it easier. As soon as hubby gets home on a thurs evening I am away out the door running. I used to think I couldn't exercise then cos I was tired and only saw him from 7-9pm before going to bed. The run energises me so I stay up til 10 and he has the kids in bed while I have an hour or so pounding the streets free from hassle - bonus! I also run Mon evening when he is home. Those are my two definite times each week and I do at least 2 other sessions. I tried the 30 day shred and other dvds but only did them half hearetdly in the evenings so felt there was no point.0
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I get up an hour early on workout days.
I think the problem is when you are new to this is thinking you need to workout every day.
Really you only need 3 hours a week.
So monday, weds and friday?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/23/batman-bodyweight-workout/
I know it sounds corny and all but these are really great body weight exercises you can do on only 2 days a week!
You must have 2 hours to yourself right?!
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I am a working mom too. I have two in college and two at home (ages 13 and 8). I work full-time, go to school part-time, and have kids in dance 4 nights a week and on Sundays. My 13 year old takes 5 different dance classes plus has solos and a duet that she is taking to competitions this winter and my 8 year old has 2 classes per week. We spend approximately 17-1/2 hours a week at dance <sigh>....And to top that off, my husband is deployed in Kuwait right now so things are pretty hectic at my house. I felt, as you do, that there just isn't any time to exercise when I am running 50 different directions every day. I have found as one of the other posters mentioned, that working out in the morning before everyone gets up to be my only option if I want to get fit again. I get up at 5am and workout for an hour and then start waking up the kids and getting my day started. I have to be at work at 7:30 in the morning and work until 4:30, then our first dance class starts at 5pm. I guess it just boils down to making a choice of losing an extra hour of sleep or not. It sure isn't easy, but I am hoping that the sacrifice will be worth it in the end when I am back to feeling good about myself :-D Good luck to you!!0
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Thanks to everyone so far! I am really looking for weight loss.
That's great then. Weight loss happens when you sustain a healthy caloric deficit. And that doesn't require any exercise, just good eating. So you don't have to find time for anything... you just have to eat right.0 -
I've got a few suggestions:
A.) Get a Fitbit. It's a pedometer that tracks your steps throughout the day. Just having that information will empower you to walk more. You can also link it up with MyFitnessPal and see your calories burned vs. your calorie intake right there at your fingertips. In it's pure basic form, calories going in vs. calories going out is what you want to be mindful of. You don't need a gym to monitor that, and make subtle (but huge over time) changes with the data you've collected with the Fitbit and MyFitnessPal.
B.) If you want to find more time... systematically look at where you're spending your time and determine if what you're doing adds value to the crux of your day. Most people spend 80+% of their day doing things that don't matter for the big picture. So many people that have no time can have lengthy conversations about the many many TV shows they watch. In hindsight, do you care what was on TV sitcoms 5-years ago? Nope. Do you wish you have been going to the gym for 5-years now. Yes. Now, I'm just using TV as an example, maybe you don't watch TV, but you get my point.
C.) The power of making it a routine. I've seen a few comments where people say they don't find time, they make time. What they are really saying is, they have made going to the gym a routine in their lives. Do you find time to watch TV? No, it's a routine... oops, I'm back on TV again. Let's think about a different routine that everyone does in the morning. Most people spend 45-minutes to an hour getting ready in the morning. Getting ready = shower, brushing teeth, combing hair, doing makeup, getting dressed (I'm sure most women try on like 4 different outfits in the morning). Taking a shower, brushing our teeth, getting dressed are things we've been doing our entire lives, so we don't think of these things as tedious because they are engrained in our routine. We don't think twice about spending an hour every single morning doing this. That's the power of a routine. Make the gym a daily or weekly routine and you're not finding time for it, you just do it.0 -
Plenty of moms doing this. Read their stories.
ALL SUCCESSFUL ladies ---> http://www.venusindex.com/transformation-contest/
Many are young moms. This is an excellent women's workout, all body, designed to make you look good and be strong, its different every day. Just 1 hour for 3 days a week. Some break it up. Check out what it did for those ladies and you can even listen to their interviews and see how they fit it in.
How much is that program? I went to the website and it looks good. I'm just wondering how much it costs. I'm a single mom and would love a program that works like that.
But to address your question, I workout after my girls go to bed. I find it harder to get up in the morning than to do them at the end of the day. The whole point is that you have to find what works for you0 -
That's great then. Weight loss happens when you sustain a healthy caloric deficit. And that doesn't require any exercise, just good eating. So you don't have to find time for anything... you just have to eat right.
That's great!! I'm working on that as well! That makes me feel a little better. I'm still going to try to get in some exercise, but I won't feel as bad if that is the case if I can't do it as much as I would like to.0 -
I don't have kids but I have a husband who is extra needy in the attention department so I count him when considering responses to posts like this... my suggestion? Find a way to be active WITH your family. If there is time you'd normally watch TV, try taking turns doing Wii Boxing instead (if you have a Wii). If you would normally order a pizza and watch a movie with the kids on Saturday night, take them bowling instead (this is by far my favorite workout). Plan some window shopping with a friend if you get an hour to yourself. Take your (hypothetical) dog for a walk at the park before it gets dark and before dinner to help the whole family build an appetite. Or tell your hubby that certain days you need him to make dinner/pick up the kids/or whatever so that you can have time to do a workout DVD and then freshen up afterward.0
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C.) The power of making it a routine. I've seen a few comments where people say they don't find time, they make time. What they are really saying is, they have made going to the gym a routine in their lives. Do you find time to watch TV? No, it's a routine... oops, I'm back on TV again. Let's think about a different routine that everyone does in the morning. Most people spend 45-minutes to an hour getting ready in the morning. Getting ready = shower, brushing teeth, combing hair, doing makeup, getting dressed (I'm sure most women try on like 4 different outfits in the morning). Taking a shower, brushing our teeth, getting dressed are things we've been doing our entire lives, so we don't think of these things as tedious because they are engrained in our routine. We don't think twice about spending an hour every single morning doing this. That's the power of a routine. Make the gym a daily or weekly routine and you're not finding time for it, you just do it.
I love the thought process behind actually making it a routine! Then you don't really think about it, you just do it!0 -
I walk (fast) around the parking lot during my breaks at work. It may not be much but it's better than nothing. I started out walking for 3 minutes at a time because it's been a long time since I got any kind of exercise so I had to start out slow. I just got back in from my break and I walked 10 minutes this time.
I do this too! My work days are 11.5 hours plus nearly 1 hr commute one way. I try to utilize my breaks and lunch at work to walk the block or parking lot each day I am there. Some days I can get over 3 miles in!!0 -
You don't find time, you make time.
I am stealing this quote...Best answer to the OP question even without reading any further.0 -
Ok, question for everyone. What are your suggestions for great, fast, effective workouts? I am an extremely busy wife and mother who works both a full-time and a part-time job. Finding it really hard to find the time and energy to exercise. HELP!!!
I'm a single mother, also with two jobs......you simply have to make exercising a priority. I get up at 5am and run and if I don't get up at 5, then I make myself go run at night after everything is done.
"If it's important you'll find a way, if it's not you'll find an excuse." 0 -
I have been in your shoes! When I joined MFP I was working full time, drove an hour each way to work, volunteered 3 nights a week, plus had a 4 year old and husband to deal with I started slow (and it proved to be enough) working out 2 to 3 days a week for 30-45 minutes. If you ever sit and watch a half hour show on TV, the you have a half hour to exercise. Not that I never watch TV now (honestly I watch it a lot more b/c I am sidelined from exercise due to health issues AND not working right now), but I find that there is nothing that I feel like I HAVE to watch, I just want to do things that are beneficial to me and my family now! 0
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There's a program called 10-Minute Trainer by Tony Horton (the guy who created P90X). It's an at home Total Body workout that u can complete in 10-12 minutes. I can answer questions if u have any.
I have heard about this! Is it really effective in just 10 minutes a day? What other workout would you add to this to round out your daily exercise? Do you have to follow a special diet to make it work?
Sorry for jumping in and asking questions but I have really thought about starting this.0
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