People with kids-when do you exercise and for how long?

2

Replies

  • oX_Vanessa_Xo
    oX_Vanessa_Xo Posts: 478
    I have 4 kids, ages 8, 6, 4 and 21 months. My husband works from 7 am until 4 pm. I usually wait until he gets home then I take the baby for a walk for an hour. Some nights he will stay upstairs with the kids while I go to the basement on the treadmill or do a 20 min workout. But I get most of my exercise from going for long walks.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    I'm at the gym by 4:30am and out around 6. Home in time to get myself and 2 kids out the door by 7.
  • turboturtlepower
    turboturtlepower Posts: 79
    Can you run during your lunch hour? I used to walk during mine and worked up to doing Insanity in the mornings before work + my walk during lunch time.
  • RebeccaHite
    RebeccaHite Posts: 187 Member
    Sounds Kinda selfish your missing out on 10.5 hrs of your toddlers life everyday and you are concerned on when you can workout
  • lizzybethclaire
    lizzybethclaire Posts: 849 Member
    It is so hard when kids are young. My kids are in HS now (my oldest graduates next Friday!), but it can still be difficult to get motivated to go when you have to get them up in the morning, make dinner, etc... During the school year, I go after work. I absolutely hate it, but my kids sleep through their alarm clocks. During the summer or when the kids have off, I go at 5:30 in the morning. I love it because it energizes me for the day and I get to go home right after work. best of luck to you!
  • louisegibbs85
    louisegibbs85 Posts: 304 Member
    I have a six year old and 8 month old, I usually take my eldest school then go for a 30-60min walk whilst abt sleeps in the pram, then I do 30mi exercise DVD once I have got my eldest from school
  • meredith1123
    meredith1123 Posts: 843 Member
    Mom of two kids here: boy who is 4, girl who is 12 (going into 8th grade). Luckily sometimes i can go for a quick jog for 30 min around our long block (the full block is a half a mile so i just run around it for 30 minutes) while the kids are locked up in the house but i dont always do that. In fact, maybe twice a month.
    work mon-fri (gone out of house from 7am to 6pm).
    Rush home - feed the kids, turn around go back to gym (but only do this twice a week).
    then on other days i rush home after work, feed the kids and then do an at home work out (I.E. - Shaun T hip hop abs video) or i'll do my own calisthenics routine for about 30 minutes. Yes i dont get done until 9 or 10pm but this is life.
    If i only squeeze in 2-3 work out routines during week days, i'll make sure i am at the gym Saturday morning.
    I also find the time for at minimum two jogging sessions each week....
    My boyfriend works late evenings so i'm always with the kids every afternoon after work.

    its manageable.....
    it sucks......
    but its definitely manageable..
  • Dawnmw13
    Dawnmw13 Posts: 1 Member
    I work full-time. I walk for 30 mins at work everyday. I work at a Continuing Care Retirement Community in Catonsville, MD. A co-worker & I walk around the community up to 4 days a week. It's approximately a mile & a half. It's a great workout. The other night my son & I walked a mile & a half around where we live in Glen Burnie, MD. He rode his bike actually & I walked. I am going to do a 5K in the fall.
  • movu101779
    movu101779 Posts: 27
    I have a VERY busy 3 year old. What him and I do is spurts of running around the house. I run in place in a room where he can't see me for a bit. Then I come out to where he is and once he sees me he runs (or chases) me. He has fun & I get to get a workout in. Also, get a fun CD for you and the kid(s) to listen to and dance to. Another way they have fun and you get to get a workout in.. Best of all you are spending time with you kid(s).
  • die2fat4love
    die2fat4love Posts: 149 Member
    I have a two year old, four year old, nine year old, and a 16 year old. I work out with them...we play soccer, basketball, jump rope, hula hoop. I find ways to get my heart rate up and get a good workout in while we are playing. I also do 6am hot yoga twice a week and am home before the oldest heads off to school. Once a week I get to go to a real gym while the kids have grandma time. I find the best workouts are the ones that I can do with my kids...funny as all get out to watch my 2 year old do yoga :-)

    I work 50+ hours a week as well and this is how I can make it work right now.
  • Weeblessings
    Weeblessings Posts: 38 Member
    I'm a SAHM of 4 kids, my husband is gone from Sunday to friday evenings. So what I do is I go for walks or my bike rides with kids. I put on music and we all dance. Hec my 3yr old expects me to hold him while I dance. Also I do strength training excerises without weights. My youngest loves to lay on the floor and I'll do push ups above him, as I come down I give kisses, or tickles he loves it. I started doing squats while hold him as well. He's 30+ pounds by the way. Plus I'll lift him straight up and down. It's a good work out. If you google exceriseing with kids...I'm sure there are excerises out there, where you can include your kids...or hec depending on the age...use them as weights. ;-) lol.
  • Jdiaz72
    Jdiaz72 Posts: 29 Member
    I work full time and have two kids - 8 yrs old and 5 yrs old.

    1. During the week: I joined a full service gym near work and aim to go to the gym 3x a work week. Sometimes I can go more, sometimes one time only. The gym has towels, shampoo, etc etc. so i dont have to bring anything but gym clothes and new under garment. :)

    2. I also work out at least 1x - maybe both days on the weekend prefer in the morning when I have coverage - husband or someone else.

    Its hard - but planning and motivation have kept it going for me. Cost a little more for the gym that is easy but worth it. Mind and Body!
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    My husband gets up at 4 am. He is out the door to the gym by 4:45. I get up at 4:30. I am in the basement working out by 5, typically. My two kids, 4 & 12, are still sleeping, although occasionally Little gets up, and we work around that. I'm generally done with my workout, with it logged before 6. I lift weights 3 days a week (I have a bench, adjustable rack, barbell, plate loadable dumbbells and plates) and I run two mornings a week on the treadmill. I also fit in an outside run on either Saturday or Sunday. My husband gets home from the gym around 6:45, and we head out the door with Little by 7. We get home around 5:15 most nights, and I make dinner and shuttle Big and Little to gymnastics one night a week, and whatever other practices Big has, depending on the season. It's just so much easier for me to be consistent doing it in the mornings like that. life has less of a chance to get in the way!
  • arains89
    arains89 Posts: 442 Member
    Sounds Kinda selfish your missing out on 10.5 hrs of your toddlers life everyday and you are concerned on when you can workout

    And it is people like you that make it hard for a working mother to feel good about doing something for herself to stay healthy. It is not selfish at all to be a healthy mom. It is hard enough to go to work everyday and say good bye to your babies but a lot of us don't have a choice and need to make money to support them. In my eyes it is also not a choice to be healthy. It is a must. I want to be around to meet my babies' babies.
  • abbylg1983
    abbylg1983 Posts: 177 Member
    Sounds Kinda selfish your missing out on 10.5 hrs of your toddlers life everyday and you are concerned on when you can workout

    Yeah, I wish I could have those 10.5 hours back every day. Unfortunately, my daughter is super demanding and expects to be fed and clothed every day and live somewhere with a roof over her head so I have to work. Thanks for the extra kick to the gut though. I guess you can find sanctimonious people bashing working mothers on every kind of forum.
  • katiej080810
    katiej080810 Posts: 42
    I would really suggest focusing more on the eating at this stage of your journey...the eating is something that you can control. The time is not. This is a season of your life where your child is young and you are trying to do right for her by spending time with her in the evenings. This is a good thing to be doing right now. I would suggest trying to do a 20 minute fitness dvd a few times a week after she goes to bed and maybe taking a walk on your lunch break. Life won't always be this way for you but right now this is where you are at. I was there too when my kids were little and I didn't have time for much more than a quick fitness dvd a few times a week. Now I can exercise a lot more (when I choose to) because they are 5 and 10. Give it time, be patient with yourself, and remember that there is absolutely NOTHING more important right now than taking care of your child in the limited amount of time you get to spend with them. Enjoy the toddler years! If you eat right, you should still be able to lose a little bit of weight each week. :-)
  • musycnlyrics
    musycnlyrics Posts: 323 Member
    I work full time and I have 3 kids: 9, 7 and 2.
    My husband works weird hours and a lot of overtime and he is usually out of the house at 430am and doesnt come home until well after 7pm (at which point he passes out for a few hours after eating dinner)

    What I have done, which has been a true Godsend: make exercise a family event!

    I come home from work and my 2 yr old runs to me and says "Mommy! EXERCISE!" and my older two are already in their tennis shoes, waiting to see if we are going to Walk Away the Pounds, Race outside or do our Zumba DVD

    Zumba is definitely our favorite (my kids love music and love to dance) and even my 2 yr old can do most of the steps...

    After an hour of this, we are all sweaty and happy and ready for bath time, after workout snack (ice cream, frozen yogurt or cold fruit for the kids, fruit/shake/nuts/sandwich for me) and bed.

    And because it has become somewhat of a routine for us, they ask me "is it zumba time yet?" before I even mention it! Keeps me accountable because if I dont feel like it, they are like "come on, Mommy, lets exercise! Well, since youre too tired, can we do it without you?" and I dont like to watch them do it alone...(tried it once, it sucked because I felt so lazy!)
  • katiej080810
    katiej080810 Posts: 42
    I agree that was totally out of line. People don't understand the way working mothers feel. If we had a choice to stay home with our child most of us would do it. It's not fair to criticise someone for working and getting healthy will only give you more energy for her. Keep it up!
  • katiej080810
    katiej080810 Posts: 42
    I'm a SAHM of 4 kids, my husband is gone from Sunday to friday evenings. So what I do is I go for walks or my bike rides with kids. I put on music and we all dance. Hec my 3yr old expects me to hold him while I dance. Also I do strength training excerises without weights. My youngest loves to lay on the floor and I'll do push ups above him, as I come down I give kisses, or tickles he loves it. I started doing squats while hold him as well. He's 30+ pounds by the way. Plus I'll lift him straight up and down. It's a good work out. If you google exceriseing with kids...I'm sure there are excerises out there, where you can include your kids...or hec depending on the age...use them as weights. ;-) lol.

    So cute! I love this!
  • arains89
    arains89 Posts: 442 Member
    Sounds Kinda selfish your missing out on 10.5 hrs of your toddlers life everyday and you are concerned on when you can workout

    Yeah, I wish I could have those 10.5 hours back every day. Unfortunately, my daughter is super demanding and expects to be fed and clothed every day and live somewhere with a roof over her head so I have to work. Thanks for the extra kick to the gut though. I guess you can find sanctimonious people bashing working mothers on every kind of forum.
    I wouldn't even sweat her. Her profile talks about how she needs to get back in shape for her kids because she partied and drank too much. If I have to lose time with my kid I would rather it be for work or exercise rather than something truly selfish like getting wasted and partying all the time. Nice to meet you glass house.
  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
    I'm a single full time working mom of a 3 year old. I run 4 days a week (short runs mon-fri of about 30-40 min, 1.5 to 2 hr long run on the weekend) and I do body weight strength exercises 3 days a week for an hour. Saturday is mostly a rest day, but my daughter and I were doing a parent participation ballet class in the morning.

    To fit it in, I do my runs on my lunch. Since I use the You Are Your Own Gym ap, I can do the workouts anywhere including my office on an off running day. When that doesn't work, I do my strength after the girl's bedtime and chores, sometimes as late as 10pm. My daughter and I are out of the house a long time too, 7:30 to 7:00. And if I want to do a longer run during the week or sporting events are interfering with my commute by train, I run to work with my daughter in the jogger. It takes less time than the subway and is more pleasant for her. I live 5 miles from the office.
  • Netteyc
    Netteyc Posts: 18 Member
    Sounds Kinda selfish your missing out on 10.5 hrs of your toddlers life everyday and you are concerned on when you can workout

    Are you for real? Do you think that the O.P enjoys being away from her child for this amount of time? Yes, it's so selfish that she provides for her daughter and that she has to work to feed, clothe and give her baby a nice living environment!! Us working mothers are all so very selfish .... what a heartless woman you are.
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
    10-11 am when the babies are sleeping for 1 hour (I have 6 kids)
  • hharvey9
    hharvey9 Posts: 36 Member
    I work FT & have two kids age 9 & 11. I also do a fair amount of volunteer work. Prior to a foot injury I would do a brisk 1-2mile walk during my lunch hour. During regular work hours every time I go to the restroom (TMI) I do a set of squats. After work the first thing I would do is the C25K routine on my treadmill.

    This is my 2nd week that I have not been able to walk or run so during lunch I have been spinning, if I don’t have time to spin then I go for a quick 2mile bike ride w/the kids, if I’m too lazy to go for the bike ride then I do a video & my daughter joins me. If I am really pressed for time I do some step-ups. Step-ups are a very fast way to burn calories and work your lower half. One of my friends here on MFP once said that she tries to do some form of exercise daily & that is the motto I go by. Instead of driving to your destination walk. It all adds up.

    I do that too!! (Squats and lunges in the handicapped stall). That's funny someone else does that.


    YES! We have a locker room connected to our bathroom - every bathroom trip = dips on a bench, squats and lunges!

    Also, I have an 9 yo and 15 month old... I am up at 5 am to shower and get kids ready and am out the door for the day at 550 am, home around 4 in summer and 445 during the school year. Youngest is in bed at 630-7pm. I am attempting to start turbofire before work starting in the next week or so. I go to the gym three days a week in the evening after the baby is down (dad is home with him) and my daughter comes with me. I work for a police dept and go to a really nice gym at one of our stations so she is able to come along and play her ds or read right next to the treadmill.
  • SlimJanette
    SlimJanette Posts: 597 Member
    Sounds Kinda selfish your missing out on 10.5 hrs of your toddlers life everyday and you are concerned on when you can workout

    :huh: Enough said
  • brownjasr
    brownjasr Posts: 1
    I understand what your going through. I work full-time and have three children whom all play sports in the evening. My husband works a lot of OT so I have been walking outside, or using the gym at my job on my lunch breaks. Not sure how long your lunch break is but mine is an hour. I usually get 2 miles in a day walking outside for about 35 minutes and still have time to eat afterwards. Or I use the treadmill or elliptical and strengthening machines. That is the only option I have! Hope that helps!!
  • betsij
    betsij Posts: 299 Member
    Mommy of 3 with Full Time Job
    5am
    on lunch
    late at night

    Dont sweat the rude one!
    Do yo thang!
  • Elisirmon
    Elisirmon Posts: 273 Member
    I work and have four kids 6,7,10,12 and I homeschool them so my time is always press. I plan the week ahead and hit the gym either late at night or early morning. Sometimes my mom will watch them so I can exercise or my husband forgoes being with me so I can workout.
  • Grlnxtdr0721
    Grlnxtdr0721 Posts: 597 Member
    Whenever possible. Sometimes at lunch, sometimes after work. Sometimes, rarely, in the mornings. I am a single mom to a 4 year old...I work full time and he is in day care. However, it is opened until 6, and I know that there are days when I am a MUCH better parent when I've had a workout.
  • sunshyncatra
    sunshyncatra Posts: 598 Member
    I work and have a three year old who is in bed between 7-7:30. I get on the exercise bike for 15-30 minutes right after I put him to bed.

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