Dilema.. how will I keep up with my workouts..

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courtneysmith3212
courtneysmith3212 Posts: 97
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I have to get a job.. I am a stay at home with 3 children at home... I currently work out every day.. then get ready.. get my kids ready, take my 5 year old to school come home get some laundry and dishes done, while my 2 boys take naps.. pick my little girl up at school come home, start dinner, or finish dishes and or laundry... But now with getting a job I am going to work at night from 10:00 pm to 2:30 am.. My youngest is ONLY 4 1/2 months old.. so sometimes I will have to get up with him when I get home from work.. he ususally stays asleep most of the night but sometimes he wakes up.. my boys wake up about 6 or 6:30am.. so that would be like 3 to 3 1/2 hours of sleep.. where am I going to get the energy to workout every day.. I WANT to keep up with working out every day..but is it possible?? any suggestions?

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  • AsaThorsWoman
    AsaThorsWoman Posts: 2,303 Member
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    Girl, I'm a single mom who works 40 hours a week and 1 48 hr weekend shift per month. If I can do it, anyone can. Make time for it. I used to cook around 6:30 when I got home. Now I work out and cook at 7:30. Make it a priority like showering or washing the children. Good luck!
  • Joscelle
    Joscelle Posts: 93
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    Wow! That's quite an incredible schedule. From my own personal experience (3 kids from infant to 10 years old, full time employment, volunteering, etc.) - 3.5 hours of sleep will not work. You AND the kids will pay the price.

    Do you have a support system, family, friends, etc.? One thing I've learned is I need to ask for help and take it from anyone willing to help.

    Also, write down all the things that need to be done and prioritize them (for example, dishes MUST be done everyday, but not the laundry, etc.)

    I've also learned to accept that some days, I will not be able to do everything the same time I want to - sometimes I exercise at 5:00 AM, sometimes at midnight.

    Lastly, plan, plan, plan. Lunches, gym bag, and backpacks prepped the night before, keys are always in the same place, little things like this are key to preserving sanity and gives you extra minutes to work out.

    Good luck.
  • rockinmomto3
    rockinmomto3 Posts: 97 Member
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    Why don't you work out at night after they go to bed, but before you go to work? That way you're getting enough sleep, and you have the extra energy you need for work.
  • Dremelius
    Dremelius Posts: 23
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    Okay, so the first thing you need to come to grips with is that you can not do it all. As a woman who has been there and done it, you need to be able to relinquish some of the responsibility you normally would have taken on because you were a stay at home mom. Now, however, that you have a job, you need to ask your husband to share in some of the responsibilities that may have fallen under the "mommy umbrella." Also, if your taking on a job means that you wont be able to keep on top of all of the laundy, or the dishes, or cook dinner every night...so be it. This is a good opportunity for you husband to learn some of these skills. Whatever you do. DO NOT forsake yourself. You are an important member of the household and you need your own time and space, even if it can only be for half an hour, to take care of you. So, critically look at your time and use whatever opportunity you have to workout--between naps, or during times you would be doing the laundrey/dishes, after the husband comes home from work--whatever. A happy, healthy mom makes for a happy, healthy family. GOOD LUCK!
  • smilingslatka
    smilingslatka Posts: 26
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    I don't think it's a good idea to work out EVERY day with such schedule. You have to get more sleep for a start, if your body is tired it will hold on to calories as a source of energy. In my experience, rest is the most important thing, if you want to stay in shape. After I gave birth, I needed to loose ONLY 5 pounds to get to my pre-pregnancy weight, but because of lack of sleep and exhaustion, I've gained another 45 pounds on the tops of them. Only now, when I can have my 6 hours of sleep every night, I've started to loose weight. I would suggest to do no more then 3 workouts a week and make them short 30-40 min. Other days just rest, rest and rest! Give your body a break, it's going through hell of a lot at the moment (you are breast feeding, right?).
  • Joeysgirl
    Joeysgirl Posts: 99
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    Looks like a lot of people have great ideas to help you! And I agree! Get any help you can, don't beat yourself up if you don't get a workout in EVERY day, you NEED more than 3.5 hours of sleep :) Make sure you are drinking lots of water so you don't get dehydrated with this schedule.

    Another piece of advice. Look into High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).... they are short burts of working out (1 min) at 110% and then a recovery period (1 min) and repeat. I have done many HIIT training.. and you get a LOT of working out into a SHORT time.. perfect for me. Also a mother of 2 toddlers, working full time, who always likes to give herself TOO much to do :) I do a HIIT program called TurboFire which has workouts that are as short as 15 minutes that really burn major calories.. plus give you the afterburn affect (higher calorie burn all day!). You don't want to do this sort of workout every day.. your body needs to recover. anyway, now I am rambling, but I will add you as a friend and see if I can't come up with some other ideas to help you out! Good luck Superwoman :)
  • mytmom
    mytmom Posts: 29
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    What type of exercise do you normally do and for how long? have you seen the 10 minute solutions workout videos? I am a huge fan of them. They have 5, 10 minutes workouts on them. you can do one all or mix and match. I usually pick three, you put in your choices at the beginning and it just goes from one to the next. Perhaps trying those and even if you just fit in one 10 minute section, you are still moving and not getting out of the habit. Good luck!

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