Looking for MFP friends with kids who still workout

I've sort of fluctuated over the last few years, between being in pretty decent shape to getting a little flabby. Good to hear that all of you are still finding the time to exercise and take care of yourselves, etc.

Thanks everyone! Great to hear all the encouraging stories of how you all still manage to fit in time for working out, eating healthy, taking care of yourselves, etc. It's not impossible, but it's definitely a lot more challenging to stay in shape after having kids and having next to nothing in terms of free time. Great to see all of you not giving in and accepting being overweight as part of the deal with being a parent.

My routine used to be working out in the basement after work, but it just doesn't seem to work very well anymore now that the kids are a little older. Seems that working out at night once they hit the sack works well for me. I'm more of a night owl than a morning person, so I enjoy working out later at night.

I'm thinking of trying to take a jog outside at night as well, just around a few of our blocks nearby, maybe about 1 mile or so. If I could start doing that a few times a week that would help quite a bit too.

I'm also a member at a gym near my work, and I used to go there on lunch 3 times a week, but I just got burned out on that as it seemed I was always rushed. Driving there, changing, working out, then having to shower, change back, then drive back, then hurry up and eat my lunch. It's doable but just not ideal. I might try to start going again once or twice a week just to add on to whatever I do at home at night.

Very motivating to hear all of your stories, thank you!

Mother of two here. I totally understand what you're going through. I used to workout whenever I pleased and I used to work in landscaping so I was in shape whether I wanted to be or not. When I had my son it wasn't too bad because I worked out when he napped...he napped alot, about 3 1/2 hours twice a day. Now that I just had another one it's more difficult because when she naps...I still have to attend to him and she doesn't nap as well as he did. I don't have much to lose but I still find it difficult. I walk with the two of them almost everyday, I take her to the gym where I can push the stroller (actually jog) around the track, I also work out in the basement at night. I'm very concious of what I eat and what I eat...they eat. I juice veggies and fruit every morning and my baby drinks the same radish, apple and carrot juice that i drink. I prepare meals for myself ahead of time so they're ready when I have to eat and go. Usually 4 days worth of meals are ready for me at any given time. I prepare them at night when I have NO distractions.

Yep, that's how my wife and I were, we'd go together to the gym whenever we felt like it. Those days are long gone once you have kids haha!

Meal planning is the way to go. I was doing that for a while and then just got off track. I'll have to start doing that again as it helps you avoid making bad food decisions in a bind when you're hungry.

Doing stuff at night before bed is the way to go as well. I make my lunch for work at night so I can just throw it together and take it with me. Too difficult to do much else with both kids up and running around.

It's just like most things in life, where there's a will there's a way. You just have to be willing to bend your schedule quite a bit to fit stuff like that in otherwise you can always easily come up with an excuse to be lazy and overweight.

Married with 4 kids. (20,15,9,5) All of us do martial arts. My wife and I train jiu jitsu 3-4 times a week. 2 nights our 15, 9 and 5 year old also train jiu jitsu. When they are in class we hit the gym to lift for 30-40 minutes. ( our oldest also trains but he don't count as a "kid" lol) It helps that the whole family is able to train in the same place and the nutrition part comes with it pretty easy. If we don't eat well we feel it on the mat. The better our diets the better we can train and longer we can push.

That's really awesome that you all do martial arts together like that. I hope I can get our kids to do something like that with us together. My oldest daughter (3.5 yrs old) already knows when my wife drives off to the gym she's going to "exercise" and to "get some muscles" haha! She also knows that I lift "weights" down in the basement at night. Hopefully by exposing them to exercise at a young age it will just become part of their lives.