How does a busy mom find the time to exercise?

Hi all, I am new here. I am currently at 225 pounds and trying to lose around 75 pounds. I am looking for suggestions from other mommies on how to find time to get my exercise in. I am a single parent of three amazing kids under the age of 9. Please help!

I love Jillian Michaels DVDs. As tough as it is, I wake up at 5am every morning to get my workout in. Now its just part of my routine. I tried working out after work but seemed to find more excuses. For me, exercising while everyone is sleeping is key.

I only have a one month old, so definitely not THREE kids! You must be super busy. Are they all old enough to work out WITH you?? Make it fun, something they would enjoy, play the wii, go for a walk/jog, do yoga with them (it would be cute!), play outside! Orrrr do what I do, and work out when the kids are napping. I put my baby down for a nap in the evening and I have a good 2 hours to work out and shower and get cooled down.

minecraft videos on youtube, my son (5) will do anything to watch more of those.

I own a richard simmons dance DVD that the kids do with me. They love how goofy he is, and the music as well.

I also go to a yoga class once a week at my local hospital. Its cheap, and It starts when my hubby get off of work.

I also walk to do my errands, I push the stroller with my kids in it, and my son rides his tricycle.

Since its summer I try to take my kids out to do active things, like walking to the park, swimming at the lake or pool, or doing a free activity locally. (last night we went to an event in town with a moon bounce). Anything to get moving, and outside.

Mostly, my weight loss sucess has come down to eating less. I exercise for other reasons.

Also, my YMCA has sliding scale membership fees and free childcare. :-)

My YMCA does this too. i am also a single mother of 2 ( 6 and 1), and they love going there. I only pay 20/mo for the 3 of us. On the days I don't go to the gym I try to go for a walk around the neighborhood. They love being outside.

If you work, try to fit it in during your breaks. I joined my local YMCA located near my office and go work out during my lunch hour and then eat lunch at my desk later in the afternoon. This also keeps me from going out to eat with co-workers for lunch, saving money and helping to keep on track with my meal planning.

Single mom and I work full time and go to school part time. I exercise in the bathroom at work every time I go. Things likes squats and lunges. I have a small bicycle under my desk that I can pedal on during the day. I do yoga/lift weight after my son goes to bed and I jog every other day and before class. Its hard to fit it in, but if you make it a priority you can do it!

I really liked this post. You have to use those windows in your day!

I'll admit I'm not as ambitious at my desk but use my breaks to power walk around the building 10mins at a time, with stretches, squats, lunges, etc., before I sit back down at my desk. By the time my day is done I've walked 50 minutes and I take the kids on a walk after supper. Helps with digestion and gets them to burn off their energy before bed.
If your kiddos are younger, have them walk with you to a park or open field. When my son was 2 I managed to lose 50 Ibs just kicking a soccer ball around the field with him before his bath time each night. Helps with their motor skill development too.

Zumba is great. I am in the Venus Factor Program . I lose 11 lbs in the program. I am a single working mom. I have one son, I gained weight when I gave birth to him last May 2003. I found the answer this year. I been searching for so long. I still have to lose more. You can watch their presentation http://bit.ly/1ocaNoB

Go to the Y. Seriously, between the childcare and the monthly kids' night out (date night, peace and quiet time, etc.), it's worth it.

Great for walking. My kids ride scooters when I run sometimes. They keep up that way. The 4 year old is fast on it, and the 8 year old runs now. We also ride bikes. I put the 4 year old in a seat on my bike and the 8 year old rides hers alongside me. I'm trying to lead by example, and that means they exercise, too. Except for the heavy lifting in the gym, they do what we do. Soon, my 8 year old will be lifting as well. We're working on lifts with her with a small weight set at home.

I am a singly mom with two kids. I do spend an hour at the gym four -five times a week. I just make sure that they understand that this is part of a healthy life. I also on days we cannot go try to turn things into a workout. We go to the park and I jog laps around while they play. While they are playing at home I do mini workouts. Make it fun for them!

All of my workouts are at home now. In the summer I have the dvd set in the player the night before and I get up before they get out of bed and throw my gear on and off I go. Right now, it's freezing and I find it hard to drag my butt out of bed - but I just literally sat down to add my exercise to my profile when I saw this. So at 10.30pm on a Friday night, I did an Insanity workout! Insane right? lol! But that way I get to focus on me 'and' its good me time!

I have 5 under age 9, and I know it's NOT always an excuse! My youngest are 4, and even though I no longer have babies, I still have days where I try all day to go on a walk or do my yoga DVDs, and really cannot fit it in. It once took me 2 hours to get through a 15 minute yoga session because of interruptions. So I feel ya!

This summer has been great, because I found it's easier to get exercise in when we're doing it together. Swimming burns a ton of calories... so while the other moms sit by the pool and gossip, I'm in the pool playing with the kids, burning calories and actually having fun -- totally a win-win! What do your kids like to do outside? Mine love kickball -- we got a $6 kickball at Target -- and you can join the kids in a game. Even just take them on a walk around your neighborhood, or if you don't have a great place to walk by your house, drive to a nice park or trail. Ride bikes together if you can (if you need a bike, try Craigslist or a local FB garage sale group).

For indoor stuff, I highly recommend getting a *beginner* yoga DVD (I personally love Rodney Yee's DVDs the best -- try A.M./P.M. Yoga or his Yoga for Beginners, and take your time to learn the poses so you don't hurt yourself), and a kids' yoga DVD (look up Next Generation yoga for kids by Jodi Komitor -- if you have Xfinity On Demand, she has videos there, too). I sometimes do the kids' yoga with them for a few minutes, and then put mine on another tv while they do the rest of theirs. Even my tough-guy 8 year old son loves doing Jodi's yoga because they're so creative and fun.

It's also good for your kids to see you being active -- it sets a good example, and increases their chances of having healthier habits as adults. When my kids asked me why I was suddenly doing yoga and playing with them more, I just told them that I decided I needed to be healthier. I don't ever, ever talk about losing weight -- just "being healthy". (And I have a lot of weight to lose!)

Also, we just joined a fitness center with an indoor pool. We had a chilly day a few days ago, so we used the indoor pool for 2 hours -- an awesome calorie burn, and easy on your body! And it wears the kids out nicely.

Swimming and yoga are my favorites because they're low-impact on your joints, you don't have to be super fit to do them well, and they both work your whole body. I've known a lot of very dedicated, but chubby, runners/walkers, but you don't often see dedicated swimmers and yogis who aren't ripped! Also, both can be done with or without your kids, and in any season if you have access to an indoor pool.

Good luck, and please feel free to message me if you want to chat more.

I haven't read through all the posts and my kids are since grown and moved out, but I used to get up before the family like 4ish and get a WO in, which I still do now before work to get it over with in a.m.
Another think I used to do is run/walk around the soccer field when my daughter was at practice. I used to do the same thing when my other daughter was in singing lessons, strap the running shoes on and run around a nearby neighborhood. I also used to put them on their bikes and I would run, and we'd make it a family thing.

Pinterest had an amazing collection of body weight exercises you can do for under 30 minutes... You should definitely check those out!!

Take them to the park - You can google 'playground workouts" and get ideas too - I walk the perimeter of the lot while they play - do step ups on the curb or steps - pull ups on the equipment - etc.

Sign up for these sites (especially in the summer) Kidsskatefree.com and kidsbowlfree.com - both give you free admission for kids under 12 to a bowling alley or skating rink near you - you still have to pay for shoes/skates - (and any adults) but it's still a cheap way to go. In the winter we go skating every Sunday afternoon.

Do workouts when kids are asleep (night or morning)

That's all I have - good luck!

I am a mommy of 4 all under the age of 5. I also work fulltime. I have my mother who watches them for me but I have been getting up 2 hours earlier everyday so I can go to the gym and workout for at least an hour. I guess I'm lucky I have her but if not I think I would find someone to help come over and watch them or take them with me since my gym offer child care. It can be done just takes some extra effort. Also with meals it's been hard but I I prep and make my own dinners and lunches aswell as make a separate dinner for my husband and kids. All this keeps be very busy I won't lie but its been worth it. Wishing you the best of luck and keep logging it makes you accountable.