Where do you put your children so you can workout?

I happened to find a gym that figured a Kids Club into the monthly price. Well worth. Have you tried running while pushing a stroller? Zumba with the kids? Getting up before they do? Working out as soon as the last ones sleep? Working out while they eat? There are so many options I had to try before I found what works for me.

Occasionally my 1yo will nap but it's getting rare. My boys are friggin' farmers. Awake and asleep with the sun.

We do go for walks but we live in a very rural area so we don't have nice maintained sidewalks, just the road to walk along side of. I sometimes drive to town (20 minutes away) to go for walks there at the parks and trails etc. It's a nice change but I find ineffective as a weight loss activity. It takes an hour to walk 3/4km thanks to my dawdling, inspect every living and non living thing, toddler.

We spend a lot of time outside, so I try to do like 2-5 minute sets of exercises in between bug hunting and building sand castles but it's not enough.

I read all about the benefits of exercise but I'm fairly sure it's only applicable if you can do it without a kid hanging off of you.

Exercise with a kid hanging off of you is just added weights. Added weight generally makes for a more strenuous workout.

On the note that kept me reading... how is the world do your kids survive with so little sleep? My 6 year old still has to nap or she completely losses her self control by dinner time. /baffled

I dont know if you have ever been on pintrest, but there are some great 20min workout suggestion that i love. I know what it is like with young kids as a stay at home mom and dad working alot. Mine are 9 and 7 now. I also get that when they nap you are torn btwn working out and getting house stuff done. When you do intense shorter workouts it can work. Good Luck!!!

*only read title*

I crate them... similar to this:



That way I can make sure they don't get hurt while I'm away.

Yup. Or Sesame Street, or in their crib, it was never hard for me to figure out what to do with them. I even hired a college student--who was actually observing them for an internship she was doing once.

Even though we eat mostly healthy, and we are on the go constantly, I'm not losing any weight (in fact I've gained weight since being home and I semi blame stress among other things)....

Can anyone help me? Suggestions? Ideas? Point me in a direction? I really need some advice.

Stop blaming other things for your problems. If you're gaining weight you're probably overeating. That's the root of the problem. You can still be fat even if you exercise twice a day if you don't control your food intake.

Give them a box. Kids love boxes. Hell, I love boxes.

usually im a huge proponent of "make the time to exercise", which, quite frankly, you could do.
(get up at 4, or stay up til 11)

however, after reading your OP, i'm going to go against my usual advice and say that perhaps you need to focus less on exercise and more on getting the rest you need and getting your kids on a better sleeping schedule.

7hrs of sleep is nowhere NEAR enough for children of that age.

the fact that you are putting them in timeout because they are coming to you when youre on the floor trying to exercise is a bit....unsettling.

i like bubbles idea of quiet time.
this would allow you to have your time, and gives them some more structured 'downtime'.

good luck.

Truth... Children that age should be getting anywhere from 10-13 hours of sleep...

But in all seriousness... if they won't take a nap, then implementing a quiet time is key. My three year old takes a nap most days, but the days that she does not, she will play quietly in her room for an hour or two.

My kids are the same ages. I put them in childcare a the YMCA where we belong (very affordable) def check one out if there's one nearby. I also jog with my double BOB (which I got used on Craigslist). I also do Zumba with them at home, they love it. There are lots of solutions. Even at the playground, you can do HIIT and bodyweight exercises.

Sorry to say it, but you need to retrain your kids to follow a sleep schedule. I'm a single, working mom and believe you me, when my son was younger, he had a bed time and that was it. Bed at 8:00, you don't have to sleep, but you stay in that room and don't come out. He got it because it was always that way. You will have to train them. The one yr old is likely in a crib, right? That is one problem solved, put him in there and don't get him, no matter what kind of ruckus he raises. For the older one, a gate across the door so he can't get out. Let him call, cry, carry on, you just keep exercising and ignore it. They will eventually get it. You need time for you and they need to get proper sleep. You are the boss. If exercising and getting fit is important to you, you will find a way.

Even though we eat mostly healthy, and we are on the go constantly, I'm not losing any weight (in fact I've gained weight since being home and I semi blame stress among other things)....

Can anyone help me? Suggestions? Ideas? Point me in a direction? I really need some advice.

Stop blaming other things for your problems. If you're gaining weight you're probably overeating. That's the root of the problem. You can still be fat even if you exercise twice a day if you don't control your food intake.

.
This. About 8 years ago, I used to run 15-20 miles a week and lift. I never lost weight (hovered around 150). You have to eat LESS than you burn, no matter how much you burn.

And to answer your question: Put the 1 year old in a playpen near you and the 3 year old is old enough to have enough discipline to "stay off of Mommy while she's working out". At least my 3 year old was.

I have a 2 year old and I do workout videos at home: so i completely understand what you are going through. Here are my suggestions:
1. Do it either before the wake up or after they go to sleep; wake up at 4:30am or 4:40am and do a 20-30min workout it counts!
2. Start setting them a nap schedule: honestly this was hard for me too, but i made her take a nap at around 1-2pm and her daycare helped with that too. So, now she will go take a nap around that time almost everyday. it may take a while, but it works. so then when they nap you can workout
3. You can even do small workouts like 5-10mins long while they are eating

Want me to watch them for you, dear? I have a bit of experience.

Where did you put them while you wrote your really long post, OP?

Want me to watch them for you, dear? I have a bit of experience.

Will you come to my house? I'm tired of parenting...

Get blackout shades for their rooms and put your kids to bed earlier. My kids would sleep with the sun too, but in summer that is not enough sleep and is not good for their growing bodies.