i need help please

no1belongs
no1belongs Posts: 156
in Motivation and Support
ok well i was going to start this week but i dont seem to have time for it. my problem is that I get up at 5:15 am sometimes earlier and i get lunches and breakfasts made for me and my daughter i get dressed and then i get her dressed while she is sleeping mind you. i then carry her to the living room half awake half asleep and put her shoes and jacket on. carry her downstairs (did i mention i live on the second floor of some cheap apartments) and make her stand while i unlock my car put her in the car. now normally by the time i get her to daycare its 6:15 or so. she is awake enough to run to the door, i take her lunch to the fridge she get her coat etc. off i bring her in her classroom hugs and kisses and im off to work. takes about 45 mins to an hour depending on traffic to get to work. I then have about a half hour i eat my breakfast get coffee get my systems pulled up so by 8 i am ready to start my job. which is a desk job for 8 hrs i get 2 10 min breaks and a half hour lunch i have to dress business casual to work and the building i work in is not exactly one where you can just take a walk lots of secure floors etc. so im done byt 4:30 typically (this week though im making up hours so im done at 6:30) I then drive all the way home (normally back by 5:30) pick my daughter up go home make her dinner and heat up mine. sit down for a bit of down time then its get the baby ready for and in bed clean up dishes by hand and at that point it is 8:00 sometimes 9. so im so im not sure i should be jumping around since my downstairs neighbor complains if my daughter who is 40 pounds runs around "too late" at night. i cant imagine how quick they will complain about me excercising since im 203 pounds

if anyone has suggestions i am open to them. im think i might be able to work my workout in while making dinner or right after i make dinner so my daighter can eat and i can work out but idk. help please

Replies

  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Do whatever you can, whenever you can. That's the short answer.

    Try doing body-weight squats and/or lunges while on break at work, or while preparing dinner or breakfast. At least if you're basically waiting for something to heat up before you flip it.

    Another thing you can do is do wall push-ups at break or really anytime. Basically, you put your arms out, against a wall, and push yourself away, let yourself back toward the wall, then back away, etc...

    You can also march in place. It may not be the same as walking, but it's close enough if you can't get out and walk.

    Another little thing I used to like to do was - while sitting at my desk - push myself up off the seat via the armrests. I don't know how much it really did, but I'd think it was better than nothing.

    Just a few ideas.
  • Blackadd3r
    Blackadd3r Posts: 11
    Hi no1belongs. I read your post with both amazement and admiration that your life is so hard.
    Others may disagree with me but the practical reality is that during the week, you have no time and no possibilities to do intentional execise.
    You don't mention the weekend but if you are not working, then some sort of exercise could be factored in.
    The fact is then, that you will have to manage your weight loss by diet alone. (more or less)
    I used to play squash almost everynight years ago and it has wrecked my knees, so much so that I have had operations to remove shredded cartilage from them and will eventually need a total knee replacement.
    The only exercise I can do is walking. As a rule I do 3 'intentional' walks of 30 mins per week. If I do more, then my knees let me know (like today!) So i have accepted that the only way I will lose weight is to eat in accordance with this and it has worked.
    I had only 14 lbs to lose and I have lost 8lbs over 2 months, which is about 1lb per week.
    Please add me as a friend if you would like to check out my diary etc.
    Your life sounds hectic enough without the added pressure of conjuring up time to exercise!
  • BernadetteChurch
    BernadetteChurch Posts: 2,210 Member
    While your life is way more involved than mine, I'm in a similar situation in that I leave home at 6.20am, have a 2 hour commute each way and the earliest possible time I can get home is 7pm but that always never happens and it's usually closer to 8pm. By that time I'm cold, tired and hungry and have no energy for anything other than dinner, TV and bed. My only saving grace is my 15 minute walk to and from the train station and, if the weather's fine, I sometimes walk to work from the station. But I'm planning, probably not till the new year now, on starting an exercise plan which will involve push-ups, dips, leg raises, and anything else I can find to work my body without any equipment. A lot of these type of exercises don't need any equipment and you won't make any noise at all to disturb your neighbours or your daughter.

    Have a look on YouTube for these type of exercises and watch someone else do them so you can learn the correct technique.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    I think you're doing AWESOME!!! I constantly tell my sister she's "super mom" for doing exactly the same sort of thing's you're doing!

    LIke another post said, do what you can when you can.

    There's a site that's mainly geared for stay-at-home mom's organization, but there have been a lot of things I've been able to apply to my situation working full-time. Flylady.net

    There are exercises that you can do that don't require you to jump around - all you need is a kitchen/dining room chair. I've seen a lot of them in magazines like Good Housekeeping or Family Circle - like the "stand-up-sit-downs", doing "reverse pushups" where you have your back facing the chair and your hands on the seat, lunges, "push-ups" against the wall - using cans of vegetable as weights...

    For what it's worth - and good luck!
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    I, too, live in a place where active, daily exercise is difficult. Bad part of town (walking around the block or even to the apartment gym would be a huge risk in assault), no money for a gym membership or even workout DVD's, and on a second-floor apartment. My boyfriend also works the night shift and we live in a studio apartment - so I have to be quiet during the day when he sleeps - there is no door to close when I want to work out.

    I have decided to Youtube pilates. I can do it in my own home, it's quiet, it's free and will be amazing for toning. I'm going to look for those videos here in just a few minutes, even!
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
    I am losing weight ( even as I write this ). I have lost seven pounds from eating less and my exercise is one short run a week or less. In the past I have used a pedometer. It encourages walking on the spot. The goal doesn't have to be to do as many steps as someone else does. Just see what you do for a week and make the goal to do one thousand more steps a day than normal. (I have a friend who walks on the spot one hundred steps every time she goes to the washroom)
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
    I used to live in an apartment as well. Unfortunately hearing your neighbours is part of apartment living. When you get home have your daughter sit down with a snack while you do a quick exercise video. One like 30 day shred is great and is only 20 minutes long. Do it in a room that has carpet on the floor or put down a yoga mat to try and lessen the amount of noise. If you step lightly you will be fine. People in apartments can't expect it to be quite all the time. As long as it isn't too early or too late exercise is fine to do.

    If you really don't want to do that can you join a gym? Pack snacks for you and your daughter and join a gym that has child care. Most gyms now do so you can get there after work, drop off your daughter and get some exercise in. Little bits are better than nothing. Than when you get home have dinner and continue with your night.

    What might help to free up time is either making use of a crockpot to put dinner in it in the morning and it's ready when you get home or do a bunch of prep on one of your days off. Cut things up, cook some meals to freeze for during the week. That way you can just throw something in the microave or the oven and you are good to go.
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
    A really tough workout: take your daughter to a park and do everything your daughter does for half an hour( bet you can't make it). You'll end up doi g squats, pull-ups, climbing, crawling, dipping, ( and hopefully swinging for your reward)
  • Curvatures
    Curvatures Posts: 27
    First of all, you are awesome. That is a long day, every day. <3

    You have a long drive to work, it sounds like - so do I! I am lucky to have a fairly low-key drive, a good portion of it on the highway. I've been working on utilizing that time to do something good for my body. There's no way this will substitute for a cardio workout, but you can still use your muscles! There's a range of things you can do behind the wheel that don't require much attention, and don't interfere with driving. Here are a few I do:

    Yoga-style deep breathing, pushing all the air out of your lungs, and pulling your belly in as much as you can - this works some of your abdominal muscles. If your abs are sore from something else, you should feel them when you do this :)

    Pulsing ab clenches - this is similar to the first one, but faster, and I try to ever so slightly contract all my abs.

    Bum clenches - tense your butt muscles, and feel yourself rise by an inch or so. Try pulsing, or tensing and holding. You can also add your thigh muscles to the equation.

    Chest bump - this is a belly dance inspired move, where you breathe out, and raise your chest sharply, using your your upper abs and diaphragm. (warning - might not be good in heavy traffic, as it tends to distract other drivers... )

    Now, I want to caution that I in no way encourage people to endanger themselves or others on the road, and I have no way of knowing how much traffic you encounter on your way to work, so please, use your own judgement if you try anything like this! Be safe first of all!
  • Curvatures
    Curvatures Posts: 27
    Oh, oh, one more suggestion - look into Tabata. 4 minutes. Your neighbors will survive 4 minutes of noise. :)
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    Why "I dont have time" Is a big fat lie.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/07/26/priorities/
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    Sounds like cooking things in advance for quick meals would be super helpful. You may want to become besties with your crockpot, cook large amounts of soup/chili/chicken on the weekends and then divide it up through the week. Tuna salad is good to make with cottage cheese, diced egg, diced onion/celery/peppers (quite a bit, to bulk it), a little hot sauce, s&p, garlic/onion powder, anything else you want to add to it. Make a lot and it will keep in the fridge for a few days.

    Cut out some of the cooking/prep time by doing a lot at once. Cooking one meal at a time is tedious - plus, it saves on dishes if you make more :)
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    A lot of times I throw in some squats, lunges, jumping jacks and pushups while I cook, while I clean or while I do other things. I'm a master of brushing my teeth and getting in some squats....

    Read the link Yoovie posted, read the responses about cooking in bulk and make your time work for you. Best of luck to you girl!
  • felice03
    felice03 Posts: 2,644 Member
    What are you doing on the weekends? Fit more active things in then...try yoga or pilates at home in the evening during the week if you are worried about noise.
  • no1belongs
    no1belongs Posts: 156
    thank you all for the help i am not using my schedule as an excuse anymore just seeing if someone who knows it can suggest something i can do that i am not seeing within my schedule. im looking into a jogging stroller so i can pack some snacks and do that after i get my daughter before dinner just looking for other suggestions as well.

    weekends are a great idea i tend to slow down since i dont have to get up so early i will do my own meals in advance but i need to start doing my daughters in advance as well. she is only 4 and im trying to make sure she gets enough to fuel her body and my portions and food or cal intake is not enough to fuel a 4 year.

    yoga and pilates i never thought of that is a great idea!
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    i totally gave you a suggestion that would change your life - sorry that changing your world in exchange for a little effort and 6 minutes of reading is too high of a price :flowerforyou:
  • no1belongs
    no1belongs Posts: 156
    yoovie: i am not excluding your suggestion i havent had a chance to read it just yet so i didnt want to comment til i did. just figured i would explain what i was doin further so there wasnt any misunderstandings ^_^
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    Just some more ideas - there are lots of DVDs or workouts on youtube that are less than a half hour. Anyone who says they can't make time for a couple of those a week is lying :)

    But also, any sort of active play with the daughter is awesome for both of you

    And finally, if your schedule just simply does not permit exercise right now, just put extra focus on eating right. You'll be fine :)
  • wildechild74
    wildechild74 Posts: 64 Member
    you are doing an amazing job with everything. been there, done that. honestly, i would just try tweaking your meals to begin with, perhaps something on weekends? but if you are like me, weekends are spent with the little one who i rarely saw during the week. for me, time with my child was more important, bu that's just me. hang in there!!

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