Full time parents - how do you exercise?!?!

My kids are older now, but I can remember those days. I used to put the kids in my double stroller and go for a long walk. I'd give them a snack and drink and a couple of little toys to keep them occupied. If they were good, we'd stop by the playground afterwards. They loved getting outside.

I feel you, I have two little girls ages 5 & 6 and it took awhile for me to finally find the time. (I think I may have also used it as an excuse not to workout)

I live 3 hours away from all my friends & family, so I dont have help and I also work a 8-5pm full time job. What helped me initially was working out during my lunch breaks. I have a full hour, but you can do it in 30 minutes as well. I would walk / jog / or bring in a video and sit in one of the empty offices.

This year I found a gym that provides child care, so now after work I just bring the girls to the gym with me. Which has made life alot easier. lol

Hey! It is tough, but you have to make time! Get up a 1/2 hour to an hour earlier (that's what I do). Go for walks...push her in the stroller....stay up later. Lunch break? Babysitter? Gym with daycare?

Good luck!

Have you tried putting her in a pushchair and going for a run/walk?

As far as the shower goes, my 4yr old still wants a shower/bath whenever I or my OH has one. If I'm having a shower I make my 4 yr old undress and let him get in with me (this also means I have time to dry and dress myself while he is entertained)

You need to get your daughter on a schedule. I know you can't help when she wakes up but she should have a set bedtime. You then could workout when she goes to bed or I don't know how old she is but I have kids 2, 5 and 7 and if they are up and around when I'm wokring out they just play near me or join in with me. It's a good thing for them to see you working out you are setting a good example for her.

Me personally I work full time and have 3 kids. I get up about 5:30 am and workout while they are still sleeping. On the weekends I usually sleep a little later so they are around when I'm working out no big deal.

When they were little, I'd wear them in a backpack and walk, walk, walk to the park. Pushing on swings is better than weights. And yes, you can do it in the winter (though I don't like rain).

They got older and it was frisbee and catch and still a LOT of walking. Gardening is excellent exercise.

This is a fantastic workout at home:

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

And free!

I found it a lot easier to exercise when I was home full time with my kids than I do now at work with them older. I am NOT a gym person.

Do you have a spouse or support person/partner that lives with you? My husband works full time, needing to leave the house by 7:30. So. . I make sure my tail is in bed by 11 so i can get up at 4:30 to get to the gym and get my work out in. The kids are still asleep and he's home in case they need him. Yes, I want to hit snooze and roll over sometimes, but at this point my body is on automatic pilot.
Also, if you have a YMCA near by, they usually have childcare early and late. It's a lifesaver on the days when I wake up too late to go to my local gym.

I wake up before my almost 3 year old daughter and do exercise videos (30DS). On weekends when I sleep in a little, I involve my daughter by giving her pencils for weights and we exercise together. I figure we are teaching her healthy habits so it is good for her to be a part of my exercise. If she doesn't want to be involved, I put the tv on for her and do my exercise video on our iPad so she has something to do and doesn't feel neglected while mommy has her exercise time.

Maybe join a gym that has a daycare/kid zone? If that's not an option maybe you could put her up in one of those play pins while you work out? Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred dvd offers 20 minute videos so you could squeeze in a good workout really quickly.

being serious here... use her as a free weight.. pick her up , put her down , repeat reps of 10 or whatever... then maybe do a slow jog but push her or carry her like a Yoda weight type exercise.. that'll helpp burn some cals..just watch your back... for showers, have her "read" you a book or tell you a story or sing to you (something ) to "help" momma out.

My 40 minute workouts usually take an hour courtesy of my 3 year old. Just laugh it off and do your best to keep them entertained. It's not easy but in hindsight I'm sure they'd rather think of you as active and fun - not everytime Mom gets sweaty she starts yelling at us.

Plus a good rule of thumb with 2 year olds is 10 minutes for each half hour must be undivided attention. Try maybe a 20 minute burst, 10 minutes with the LO, then go in for another twenty. Life with little people ain't easy, but it sure teaches you how to be resilient and keep a smile on your face. Good luck!

I bought a used treadmill off Craig's list - still works perfectly. My son can me in one room doing homework and I'm in the spare bedroom on the treadmill. I also try to fit in exercices I can do at home like jumping jacks, squats, crunches, etc. I have a gym membership but having the treadmill at home gives me a lot more flexibility. I have friends that really like the Leslie Sansome walking tapes and they do those at home without any equipment.

My daughter takes a nap (she'll be 2 in May), I so I exercise then (just started, exercise video). I plan to start running and obviously will have to do that some time when my husband is home.

I haven't tried it, but I read about it on another website. The woman would put her child in their room with some toys if they didn't take naps and put up a baby gate. She told them they had to have quiet time and could play or whatever in there rooms for a set amount of time (half an hour or so). She did that where she could do chores, but I think the same concept could work for you. If/when my daughter doesn't nap, I will probably try this. If it is feasible, you could put the baby gate up between where you work out and the next room, where you and she can still see each other.

You could try doing a set bedtime (particularly if you can get her dad to do the same at his house). It would be hard at first, but eventually it will make it a lot easier for you. My daughter used to regularly go to bed at 830 (time change and staying up later a time or two screwed that up, so I'm trying to get her back to that time).

If you are talking about running or going to the gym, then maybe a friend or family member would be willing to help you out or a gym that offers child care.

How about getting some kid workout videos? The exercises are fast paced enough to keep kids entertained and simple enough for them to follow. If she thinks she is the one working out and you are just following along it might work. I also used to put my kids in a launder basket and slide them along the floor. Great arm workout and you never heard louder giggling.

My husband is deployed so I am a 24hr/day mommy and totally know what you are dealing with. I love to run or walk with my daughter in the stroller, and I have an elliptical and so I use that sometimes, but she is clingy right now and tries to climb on it so that can be difficult to manage.

My most effective workout is probably using a Gymboss interval timer (~$25 on Amazon). I set it for 30s intervals with 10s break and I do 45min-1hr of mostly bodyweight exercises. You can do cardio segments, too, if you like (jumping jacks, high knees, jogging in place), but you don't need to because your heart rate will probably get up without it because the 10s is really only enough time to switch to the next exercise. My daughter LOVES this routine. We put on music and I let her climb on my back while I'm doing push ups or she will lay next to me and lift up her legs while I'm doing crunches, haha. It's fun and the interval timer allows me to workout without having to watch a clock or pay attention to reps or keep my eyes on a video (or try to keep up with a video) which then allows me to smile at, talk to, and focus on my kid. I do use a 15lb kettle bell for several exercises, and will probably increase that weight soon, but it has been effective for many months and lots of different exercises in this format and I am of average strength for a female with a 20lb 13 month old.

I pair sets, so as an example I'll do 30s of squats and 30s of tricep dips 4 times for a total of 2m (not including breaks) doing each exercise. Anyway, it keeps me on the floor with my daughter, and she's pretty sure we are playing. It works.

She does the same thing with the shower, haha, but I just strip her down naked and let her deal with the water splashing her face if she is going to get all up in my business like that. A friend of mine puts a baby gate up in the doorway to the bathroom and leaves the shower curtain pulled back so that her 2 yr old can see her but cannot get into the room. She said he cried a little bit the first few times, but is fine now. I would do this if our bathroom floorplan allowed. You could try buying an adjustable shower rod (~$7) and putting that up in the shower at a height that prevents your daughter from being able to climb into the tub. Maybe you could hang toys off of it or something? Just an idea.

Hope this helps! Good luck!