I'm not making excuses but I need help!

Mother of 5 here, and hubby is a paramedic, so i don't get much help either...i feel your pain. my gym happens to have a great kid center and reasonable hours, so that is my solution, but i have a couple of ideas for you. 1)HIIT if you can manage a gym or a jog 2-3x a week for 20-30mins, and 2)TABATA workokuts! youtube is a great source for these (i like Brad Gouthro Fitness and Bexlife) they are 4 minute workouts, work up to 3 rounds...you can fit this in when you're dropping off/picking up kids (this might be a good time for a few laps around the park or gym too?). my biggest piece of advice though would be to BE SUPER PREPARED! i always keep a loaded gym bag in my car just in case i happen to get 30 minutes i didnt know i had ) good luck!

Wow!! Most explosive thread I've seen so far!!! People really getting worked up about this!!

You said it yourself. You need help.

One man said it right: "if you don't take care of yourself, nobody else will."

Do your kids a favor and give them some responsibilities. They need to be helping you--for their sake.

Also, you do not need a heavy exercise program. Start with 10 minutes worth of stretching before bed and 5 min. when you get up.

Don't be so hard on yourself. That's what other people are for.

I'm amazed at all you do trying to raise 3 kids without help.

Someone mentioned having your daughter only have one activity but seeing she is in gymnastics and cheer it would appear she needs one to succeed in the other. I was curious though as to when your daughter gets her homework done since she doesn't get home until 9 pm.

Not sure if this is doable for you but one of my co-workers walks laps in the office during her lunch hour. We have a big office and the way the cubicles are set up, it's easy to walk her laps for 15 minutes before she eats her lunch. We also have a very relaxed dress code (most people wear jeans and khakis to work every day and in the summer time - shorts. So getting a little sweaty isn't a big deal for her.)

Since it appears you are a single mom, I agree with the others that suggest your children should be helping you out. You don't want to make them slaves but it is certainly reasonable to assign them chores like loading and unloading the dishwasher and keeping the common areas, as well as their rooms, picked up. They should be able to get you at least 10 - 15 minutes (which usually turns into 30) to do a quick exercise DVD 3 days a week. They are old enough to understand you need help and why.

Finally, I also agree with some who said your rest is as important as fitting in exercise. If you wear yourself out and get sick, what will you do then? Of course exercise is important and healthy and all that but getting rest and eating right are just as important.

Good luck.

It's probably already on here, but I didn't take the time to read all replies.
You need to do some prep work to free up time!
Take a weekend day or Friday evening and make meals ahead of time that can be frozen, that would free up about 20-30 min. at dinner time to get in a quick workout at home - you could do Jillica's workout twice!
Also, prep the kid's lunches, uniforms, etc. the night before - boom! probably 20 minutes freed up.

why are your older kids not packing their own lunches and getting their own stuff together for sports? having them pack their own lunches at night would save you time that you can do you stuff in the morning. even if you werent pressed for time, honestly that's the type of stuff they should be doing for themselves anyway.

I don't have kids, but I was raised by a single mom and the four of us were making our own lunches and bathing was monitered by the older ones when we were younger. I wonder if you could combine a couple areas like bring your 6 year old to the soccer practice and maybe walk while he works on homework then head home. 3 times a week doing 20 min of cardio will be a great benefit. Maybe do some jillian on the weekends and once a week or so. Her 20 minute daily shred will work up quite a sweat. Good luck and I hope you find a solution and I applaud your dedication to your kids. I still don't really comprehend how my mom did it, but you should be proud that you are making the effort with your hands so full.

I am not a single mom but as an Army wife, I spend a lot of time alone in areas with no support.

What about the 8-9pm? My kids shower in like 5 min. He goes to bed and then you have.. 45 min?? What about Saturday or Sunday? Family walks/hikes?

And unless there are reasons for so much homework and the time spent on it, 45 min of hw can't be daily. Fridays you should have off there (I work in a school) but during week, have him do it next to you while you do free weights. I do a video while kids do homework and will jog in place while I stand next to them and help.

Maybe delegate some stuff to the older kids when they're home.

Have you thought of making up a batch of premade lunches for week on a weekend? You could stash some in the fridge and the freezer and pull when needed. That may add an extra 30 minutes to your mornings for workout.
Perhaps you could make up some chicken and cut and portion it out, make up some sandwiches like peanut butter and jelly for the kids and some salads or chili for you. You could also make up a batch lasagna and portion that out for grab and go during the week as well.
I didn't have kids but I used to buy a whole loaf of bread and make the whole loaf into peanut butter sandwiches to grab for work. It was totally cheap and convenient.

Much of your day is centered around your kids. This means you're a mom who cares, which is good. However, I think your kids could take on more responsiblities to help you out. You children can definitely pack thier own lunches. Even the 6 year old. Or they can choose to buy a lunch. This would give you time to work out in the mornings. And other than the 6 year old, you do not need to wake your children up, they can do this on their own. Also a walking lunch sounds like an excellent destressor for your busy day. While the kids are at practice you can also be exercising while you wait. I know my parents were very into the self-reliance and early responsibility, and it made me no worse for wear and I became a much more responsbile child/teenage/adult because of it. Ex: I did my own laundry in kindergarten. I had my own footstool to get to the washer. (I was supervised until they knew i could do it safely) Yes I washed my colors with my whites. But as a six year old I knew how to work a washing machine and dryer, fold my clothes, and put them away. It also gave my a huge sense of pride. By the second grade I could cook family meals. (Supervised until safe, probably age 10?) It gave me a huge sense of pride and it helped my both my parents who worked more than full time spend more quality time with me because I was self- reliant and helped with family duties. My younger brother was raised much the same way.