Working Moms: Fitting Workouts in Schedule

WHERE in your busy day do you fit in your workouts? I work out at night, either taking my kids to the gym daycare (once or twice a week), or after they are in bed.

WHEN do you do them? My husband's schedule changes weekly, so I try to sit down on Saturday or Sunday and plan out my workouts, to maximize the times he is available to be with the kids and minimize the times they have to go from daycare to daycare.

HOW do you making working out a priority? I just think that, although I am sacrificing an hour or so here and there with the kids and/or my DH, I am adding years to my life with them.

I generally don't work out until around 8PM. I work out at home, and don't waste a lot of time doing cardio. My workouts are usually only average 25 minutes long. I lift weights and do strength training most of the time, which takes less time and you get quicker results. Sometimes I use my elliptical for about 15-20 minutes if I just want to blast music in my ears and clear my mind.

Both my husband and I work 8-5, he usually drops our daughter (4) off at school and then I pick her up. We grab a snack for her at the house, change into our gym clothes and then head to the gym. Usually are there from about 6:30-8:30. Then head home, make dinner and put daughter to bed at about 9:30. Husband will usually make her lunch in the morning while she is getting dressed and whatnot. If we can't go to the gym for some reason than I will play some of the games I have for my Xbox Kinect, it gives me some sort of activity at least.

I work full time 8:30-4:30 each day. My husband works out of town Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs.....so its just me and the kids. So after work I pick them up and its getting dinner ready, help with homework, bath/shower time, reading, bedtime and then an hour or so for me to wind down and catch up on my reading or TV. No way I can workout in the afternoons. If I want to workout, I have to wake up at 5a every day. and I do!! With my hubby not home I usually get to bed by 10p every night. When he gets home Thursday night we often stay up later, so I'm not asleep until 11p or so. But Friday is a day I can actually get a road run in b/c he's home with the kids - so I am very much dragging myself out of bed. But I tell myself I can sleep in on Saturday. LOL

You have to schedule time to workout like you do anything else in your life. Make it happen.

I am a mother of 4 children and I work full time. I find it so hard to get up in the morning to work out. So through the week (Monday-Friday) I work out either before or after I cook dinner and Saturday & Sunday around 9a.

I completely understand your position!!! My daughter is 2 ½ years old. I pick her up from daycare (my hubby drops her off in the mornings. She has extreme food allergies so I have to cook everything from scratch for us and take care of her in the evenings because my husband doesn’t get home until much later than I do. I am lucky, though. When my husband does get home he helps clean up the kitchen while I get our daughter ready for bed and get myself ready for work the next day and then bed. We generally have about 30 minutes wind-down time at the end of the night to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

I decided when I went back to work after having her that I would have to make time for me. That time just happens to be first thing in the morning. No matter how tired I am, I just get up and do my workouts. I used to belong to a gym , which I found super simple just to roll out of bed in my workout clothes – yes I slept in them! – and grab my things I laid out the night before and head to the gym. I would just get ready at the gym (which was very close to my office) and head into work from there. It was the best thing for me! I have recently quit the gym, and will be doing my first P90X fit test on Sunday, starting P90X on Monday at home. I found that you just HAVE to make time to do the exercise, just like you HAVE to make time for chores, cooking, and time with your kids. It is just as important to be fit (if not more important) than having a clean house all the time. Making it a non-negotiable thing in your life is the only way it is going to work.

Good luck! Feel free to add me if you need motivation (I know I do every single day!).

You kind of answered your own question, then made an excuse as to why you don't do it now.
You used to workout in the mornings, but now you go to bed too late.

Try every other night going to bed earlier, take hubby with you. Get in a quick 15 minute "workout" and then sleep. You get family time, couple time and it's generally quicker than an episode of 30 Rock... I used to feel bad about turning in early bcs hubby and I didn't have much time to hang out after the kids went to bed. Now if I go to bed early he joins me. Works for us, sometimes he goes back downstairs to watch TV, sometimes he doesn't. Either way he doesn't feel neglected and I get some shut eye if I have an early workout planned.

I do my workouts in the early morning before everyone gets up, 5am. Nighttime prep is key for me. Coffeemaker, workout clothes, and work clothes are all ready to go with no fuss. Of course that's what works for me. I'm sure it's not for everyone. I like the ideas you've gotten for incorporating workouts throughout your work day. I personally just like having that part of my day checked off before I head out to work. Evenings are usually busy chauffering my super-busy-yet-too-young-to-drive teenagers around.

The other thing that's changed is I've discovered how incredibly unimportant television is. I'd much rather go to bed and get the sleep I need than watch some program on TV. Thanks to DVR and Netflix, I can watch the things I really like on the weekends and the rest is no longer as interesting as it used to be, at least not enough to keep me up past 10:00. Decent sleep powers my workouts and helps my willpower; I truly believe that when you don't sleep enough your body tries to recoup that missing "energy" by making you hungrier.

I was waiting for someone to mention this I am not saint but I rarely watch TV during the week. My TV time usually comes on teh weekends and then it's still not much. I work regular business hours with a 30-40 minute commute. I also have an hour lunch and I work in a four floor building. I'm also in school full time and doing clinical hours and I have a 7 year old.

First of all, my husband is incredibly helpful around the house. He does everything we need if I can't. No questiosn asked. He wants me to be successful an dhealthy and happy so he picks up with out me even asking. Meals, kid, etc. However, before I met him I was a completely single parent and just worked out after she went to bed, even if then I had to sacrifice a little sleep.

Second, I use my lunch break. When it's too cold or yucky or too hot I can only walk, but I will eat a protein bar and then head out for an hour walk. I also work by the mall so if it's dead of winter I will walk tot he mall and then walk around it. I also use the stairs in my building for short spurts here and there and have considered climbing them for 30-40 minutes over lunch instead of hte walk. Though I'd drive myself crazy. When it's perfect outside, I run on lunch and clean up in the bathroom. I live in WI btw.

Third, as mentioned, TV time is very limited during the week. I rarely watch it. Maybe one night a week. My husband and I talk a lot during the day and I don't feel we are missing out by not watching TV together.

Fourth, once or twice a week my daughter comes with me to the gym. She knows it's for us to be healthy.

Fifth, I wake up to work out at 5am 3 times a week and get it in before hte family goes to sleep. These nights I get in bed no later than 10pm. Usually earlier if I can.

I make great use of my weekends and take advantage of the time to catch up on homework, shows, do long workouts (a run for a few hours, etc) and family time. My daughter has NEVER complained about me needing to wokrout. When I do workouts at home she does them with me. She even picks her own workouts now on Fitness Blender for us to do together. You can do an effective 10 minute wokrout - once in the morning and once in the evening.

It's all what works for you. And if you are married, you shouldn't need to do all the meal prep, cleaning, kid stuff, etc. My husband is amazing and I know not all guys are like that, but it's so helpful!

It seems like watching TV is a bad habit. I've been thinking about limiting it to weekends or maybe just once during the week and I got some pushes in that direction What else? Oh, my husband and I split the chores --- he does the morning chores/breakfast, loads dishwasher, laundry, etc.

Thank you for hearing that in the spirit I intended and not as a judgment! I've watched PLENTY of TV in my time and I still watch some pretty crappy shows (Finding Bigfoot, anyone?). It's just not as important as it used to be, and I think I'm happier for it. Everyone has to do what works best for them, and everyone needs chillin' out down time.