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

I suggest the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child to get naps going again, and a set bedtime. She sounds strung out from lack of sleep. Also, does she sleep in a crib or do you have a playpen you can set up, or strap her into the high chair for half an hour. She can play, colour, have a snack, or sit and whine for that time, but she will be confined to watching you without jumping on top of you. Better yet, quiet time in the afternoon, whether she sleeps or not. You can put her in the crib with some music on and a few board books. A half an hour quiet time is not unreasonable.

Best advice in this thread. Parents should be controlling their children, not the other way around. I'm astounded at the people in this thread who think it's perfectly acceptable for a child to not be able to occupy himself for a half hour.

Read the book referenced here, you'll be able to work out and also have the benefit of not having your kids turn out to be codependent brats.

I had a home daycare when my daughter was little. I would get up at 5:30, work out, get a shower (often with her or with her playing in the bathroom where i could see her) and be ready for my two other little by 7:00. May I suggest yoga? It's fun for them to copy moves, and, when you get strong enough, it is just an extra workout to have them climb on you. You haven't lived until you've seen a 2 year old's version of crain.

bumping

1. The more you work out, the less sleepy you'll feel. I get up before my 3 year old for the first half of my work out. I REALLY hated getting up that early for about the first week. After that it was easy, and I noticed how much more energetic I felt throughout the day.
2. My daughter helps me count my calisthenics. She thinks it's exciting, and for many of the exercises, she tries to do them along side me. So I do "boring" cardio before she gets up and calisthenics with her in the afternoon.
3. I work out on my lunch break at work. (I work full time.) I only get a 45 minute lunch, so that's 20 minutes to get in some reasonable cardio and 20 minutes to shower. ALONE. (I feel your pain.) Sometimes my SOLE motivation for going to the gym on my lunch is to hit the shower afterward without having to chase a naked toddler.
4. On the rare occasion that my child wakes up during my cardio session, she has gotten used to playing by herself while I finish up. She knows she can talk to me, but she cannot climb on me for that time. It took PRACTICE. But now after a month of steady morning cardio, she knows the drill.
5. It is perfectly acceptable for you to gate her into her room or some place where you can keep an eye on her but she can't climb on you for "you" time. My mom had to do this for me when I was little because I was a no-napper as well. Your child will learn how to entertain herself for a while if you keep her on a steady routine. It is a LEARNED SKILL, but one that will benefit her in the long run.
6. Start calling yourself on excuses. We all have them. We just need to stop caving to them.

Good luck!

Running around playing with/chasing my boys was enough exercise for me back in the day. we were at the park, outside, climbing trees, going for walks, riding scooters, all spring, summer fall....

I suppose I'm lucky that all my kids are school ages now as it gives me more time - but I still find I keep my schedule of getting up at 5 to do my walking/jogging and have it done for the day unless I take the kids with me on an evening walk after dinner.

I work out three ways having an 18 month old and a fulltime job. My options are

5:30 AM while everyone is asleep. This is hard for me. I hate mornings. But it has gotten much easier and I feel awesome all day.
4 PM if I go to work early, then I can leave early and workout before picking my kid up.
Anytime with my kid - I pop her in a running stroller and away we go. It is a much harder run and my god the hills kill me.

This has helped me work out more than I did before I had a kid. When you gotta find the time, you will!

Is she old enough to ride a bike, tricylce, etc? Take her to the park and have her ride while you walk or jog. Excersize for her too!

I have 3 children 4, 7 & 9 and work full time.

The only time I can exercise is at 6am whilst everyone is still asleep. I hit the shower at 6.50am, their alarms go off at 7am and the rest you know.

Prior to working full time I invested in a bike with a toddler seat on the back. I'd cycle the older 2 on their bikes to school with the toddler on board and back again. Cycle to the shops, cycle to toddler groups, cycle to friends etc.

Toddler loved it, I loved the inch and weight loss, older children whinged a bit but they'd whoop and cheer all the way lol.

I get up very early (4 a.m.) to workout, shower and get myself ready before my daughter even wakes up at around 6:15 a.m.. While it does suck to have to get up that early, I am more of a morning person and would rather get up and just get my workout done...so that schedule works for me.