How to fit exercise in....
tinytotnot
Posts: 67 Member
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I am struggling with fititng in regular exercise. I have 2 small children and limited free time, I work part time and am really stuggling. I have tried exercise DVD's at home, which they find highly amusing, and think I am a human climbing frame. By the time they are in bed I am exhausted, and still have to fit in having my evening meal. Anyone else have the same struggles and how do you get around it 0
Replies
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I get up at 4:15 every morning. Gym by 4:30, home by 6am. Get myself ready for work, kids ready for school/day care, out of the door by 7.0
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Early morning for me, too. To the gym and back before the family is awake or at least before it is full get-ready-for-school mode. My wife sometimes does yoga or cycling videos during that same time.0
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As a father of 7 you just gotta do it. I go on walks around my neighborhood after the little ones are in bed. I park in the farthest parking spot whenever possible. I take the stairs instead of the elevator. It is just about making small changes you don't have to workout 1 hour straight. It can be great to get in 10-15 minutes as you can 4-5 times a day.
Good Luck
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I either workout before everyone is up in the morning or I am fortunate enough to be able to fit it in during my lunch break.0
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Walking/running everywhere. My kids' school is nearly 3 miles away. Whenever possible I drive them there, leave the car, walk/run home, and do the same in reverse in the afternoon.
When they were younger I used to dash out the door for a run as soon as my husband or anyone who could look after them for half an hour stepped into the house!0 -
My response is the same as those who posted already: I go to the gym around 5:00 or 5:30 AM (while my partner and kids are still sleeping). I'm home by 7 to get the kids up and ready for school and myself ready for work. I end up needing to go to sleep earlier in the evening because I get up so early, but it's not a big deal. Also, depending on the ages of your kids, you can put them in a double stroller and go for a walk any time the weather is nice and you are all free. You have to be motivated but you can do it!0
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Thanks everyone, felling a lot deflated at the moment, so hopefully I will get motivation from you all. I came close to considering a VLCD, but sensibly talked myself out of it. Think I have miserable weather blues
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Are you a single parent or do you have a co-parent in the house with you? When my kids were small I would just do what I could to keep them entertained while I did the dvds or try to incorporate them into my workouts. I also used to take them on very long walks in a double stroller. Now they are old enough to be home by themselves long enough for me to go to the gym in the morning before coming home and getting everything ready for the day. If you are lucky enough to have someone else there to help with the kids, utilize them.0
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I get up at 5AM to work out and I don't have any children. It's definitely doable. You just have to figure out how bad you want it and then just DO IT.0
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schedule it into your day. You wouldn't dream of not showing up to work when scheduled (I hope), do the same for working out. Even if it means waking up 2 hours before everyone else.
I have no children, but I used to make excuses, I never had time, but now that I've started to make time for it, I can easily get some in for the week. I'm not a morning person, but I wake up super early to work out, but my desire to work out is stronger than my desire to sleep in, make it a priority!0 -
Finding time to exercise is not the real issue.
We all have time. You make the time. It's just that simple.
You need to make your health and fitness a priority for a hour of blocked time and do whatever you need to do to get moving.
My wife was at home with 5 kids - 3 in diapers! She'd crank up her music and just dance.
If kids did not behave, they were sent to their room. She weighed 125 when we married at age 18, and after 5 kids, she weighs today between 125 and 130 on any given day.
Make the time.
Good Luck!0 -
I am a a work-from-home mom to a very active 14 month old. Like you I also have a very busy schedule with a full-time job, a baby, a dog and a husband. I too used to feel exhausted by the end of the day.
But I have come to believe that the key is to eat well and exercise. When I eat well (less processed foods, less carbs, more protien, more 'healthy' fats) I find my energy levels are much better so that I can exercise. Exercising also provides benefits such as de-stressing, losing weight, strengthening, and more energy!
It is tough to get started, but once you do it will be easy to follow.
Good luck!0 -
Why don't you eat dinner with your kids? That would free up some evening time after bed. I know some people are adamant about early morning exercise, but it just doesn't work for me. I am too sleepy in the mornings. I either exercise after work (my gym has daycare, or my husband watches them) or after they are in bed.0
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Nap time?
Find something low impact & you can workout while they are sleeping. Leslie Sansone Just Walk or Walk at Home DVDs are low impact and just require a small space. No choreography so you can substitute (the occasional) high impact moves with your own.
After a time I think your kids would lose interest. But perhaps start with something they might like....Just Dance for Kids (Disney) is a Wii game. Tae Bo Kicks is a Billy Blanks DVD for kids. Leslie Sansone also has a family video and a kids (only) video. See if your local library has any of these.0 -
I'm a single mom, and I deal with this challenge all the time. I basically do what I got to do to get something in, and what that looks like changes often based on whatever is going on for us. I love working out, and I have learned to make time for me somehow so I'm not doing for everyone else all the time. You're right - it does take some balancing to juggle everything on our plates these days, kids or no kids.
I've done a bunch of things over the years: work out during lunch; go to the gym after work or get up early and hit the gym or run outside while my kids are still sleep. Like you, I'm usually tired after they go to bed, so I just work around that and make other adjustments.
I have a community-wide membership to the Y and take my youngest with me a lot of times. She loves going to the gym now as much as I do. Currently, I am doing a mix of 5am workouts a couple days a week (I prep lunch, gym bag, breakfast, etc. ahead of time and go to bed early); short workouts in the evening after homework; longer workouts on weekends. On heavy homework nights when I can't go to the gym, we do extra homework in advance when we can, and I go ahead and cook two easy dinners so that the next evening can be a day to go to the gym. Also prep food on the weekends so I'm not doing this during the week (I get my kids to help.) My daughter and I also take long walks when I can't hit the gym, and we often skip, run, hop, etc. along the way. I also have recently started walking more places. I have a car but have been taking the bus to work. I recently changed the bus that I catch to one where there's more walking as a way to get movement in. We live near grocery stores and shopping, and we often just walk and get activity in that way.
Good luck to you. I hope you find what works best for you!0 -
I was going to start a thread like this, too. Hope it's okay to consolidate our questions.
I am in the same boat having trouble finding time to get "exercise" in. And I don't even have kids.
Early morning stuff for me fails because it goes against my natural rhythms; forcing myself to get up that early is an uphill battle. Exercising in the evening hasn't worked very well either because I am drained and hungry at the end of the day after work, and by time I get home and eat it's 8pm (commuting time to work for me is about a half hour each way, or sometimes 2 hours depending on where I'm needed). When I exercise that late I can't get to sleep (already have trouble with insomnia), and then I'm tired the next day, rinse repeat. On top of that, I have trouble preparing adequate meals and when I exercise I need to eat even more, so then I spend even more time trying to figure out food. So, my life must be really out of order if I can't do this very well and I don't even have children to worry about! It must be 10X harder for parents.
Does anyone also have advice for balancing meal prep and exercise around your other obligations? I don't know what's wrong with me where I find it so difficult.
I think what I'm going to try, and maybe what might help you as well, is to join a fitness class. Yoga or pilates or something that will force me into a schedule. Being held accountable has been a good motivator in the past.0 -
I go out with my workout clothes on, or with a gym bag and wherever I am, when I'm done working and running errands I find the nearest park and get in my miles.0
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On top of that, I have trouble preparing adequate meals and when I exercise I need to eat even more, so then I spend even more time trying to figure out food...Does anyone also have advice for balancing meal prep and exercise around your other obligations?
I'm not sure what kind of food you like to eat but my best suggestion is to keep it simple and create general meal templates if you want to be able to get your food together quickly. My breakfast each morning is coffee with one cup of milk, either a cup of yogurt or a cup of cottage cheese or two eggs, and then one to two servings of fruit/veggies (raw.) Lunch is a packet of tuna plus boiled egg or cottage cheese or yogurt plus raw veggies/salad with dressing and a Kashi bar. Supper is grilled/roasted meat plus veggies/fruit (mostly raw) and a serving of potatoes or rice or bread. I don't 100% follow all of that but it's my general template, which makes it easy to follow. I don't make casseroles or get into involved sauces, etc. Simple and fast.
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Hey! I'm in the same boat as you. 2 year old, work full time, run a national ministry, school, hubby, church, etc etc etc.
I found that I just had to add exercise everywhere I could with a calorie burning goal per day of 400. I walk part of the way to work now, then walk the stairs in the office. Walk the stairs at lunch and walk part of the way home from work. I can't do a DVD either without my daughter climbing on me, so I now do squats and burpees throughout the day (when she's brushing her teeth, I do squats). My daughter now does them too and it's so cute and funny.
Getting up super early and/or working out after the toddler is in bed wasn't working and I constantly felt defeated. Adding these little things throughout the day has overcome my ten month plateau (maintenance) and I feel fabulous. You will overcome!0 -
most people who complain about not having time to exercise spend at least a couple(usually more) hours a week watching TV or doing some other hobby. so put exercise above every non essential activity. nobody is buys 100% of the week on essential matters.0
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wake up at 4:450
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i am in the same boat. once the kids are down, i normally want to pass out. i usually mix coffee crystals in with my protein shake, which give me the boost to get to the gym. once im at the gym, all motivations are there to be there.0
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I just do it. I go for a run at lunch if there is time (people really like lunch meetings here and it drives me crazy) and then after the kids are in bed I do my lifting, then eat my evening snack while I finish up my home work (I take a full course load too).
Meal prep wise I just get as much done while I make supper as I can. Last night we had ham, potatoes and carrots so I roasted some sweet potatoes and zucchini for lunch today and tomorrow since the oven was on. I make double batches of pretty much everything and freeze it into serving sizes for quick grab and go meals (spaghetti sauce goes well on pasta or beans or spaghetti squash when I don't have a lot of spare calories).0 -
I was going to start a thread like this, too. Hope it's okay to consolidate our questions.
I am in the same boat having trouble finding time to get "exercise" in. And I don't even have kids. Early morning stuff for me fails because it goes against my natural rhythms; forcing myself to get up that early is an uphill battle. Exercising in the evening hasn't worked very well either because I am drained and hungry at the end of the day after work, and by time I get home and eat it's 8pm (commuting time to work for me is about a half hour each way, or sometimes 2 hours depending on where I'm needed). When I exercise that late I can't get to sleep (already have trouble with insomnia), and then I'm tired the next day, rinse repeat. On top of that, I have trouble preparing adequate meals and when I exercise I need to eat even more, so then I spend even more time trying to figure out food. So, my life must be really out of order if I can't do this very well and I don't even have children to worry about! It must be 10X harder for parents.
Does anyone also have advice for balancing meal prep and exercise around your other obligations? I don't know what's wrong with me where I find it so difficult.
I think what I'm going to try, and maybe what might help you as well, is to join a fitness class. Yoga or pilates or something that will force me into a schedule. Being held accountable has been a good motivator in the past.
With all due respect, this just sounds like a lot of excuses. Getting up in the morning is an uphill battle for anyone until they get into the habit. If you want it, you will do it. I LOVE to sleep, but I get up at 5am because I want to be successful. But, if you can't do the morning, do it at night. But then, you have an excuse for that, too.
Eventually, if you want it, you are going to have bite the bullet, pick a course of action and stick to it until your body gets used to the schedule.
How is it harder to figure out food with exercise? Just eat a bigger portion of whatever you would normally make.
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On top of that, I have trouble preparing adequate meals and when I exercise I need to eat even more, so then I spend even more time trying to figure out food...Does anyone also have advice for balancing meal prep and exercise around your other obligations?
I'm not sure what kind of food you like to eat but my best suggestion is to keep it simple and create general meal templates if you want to be able to get your food together quickly. My breakfast each morning is coffee with one cup of milk, either a cup of yogurt or a cup of cottage cheese or two eggs, and then one to two servings of fruit/veggies (raw.) Lunch is a packet of tuna plus boiled egg or cottage cheese or yogurt plus raw veggies/salad with dressing and a Kashi bar. Supper is grilled/roasted meat plus veggies/fruit (mostly raw) and a serving of potatoes or rice or bread. I don't 100% follow all of that but it's my general template, which makes it easy to follow. I don't make casseroles or get into involved sauces, etc. Simple and fast.
Thanks for the advice! This is how I try to eat, too. I don't need too much fancy stuff. Breakfast I have down pretty well (usually yogurt mixed with protein powder, fresh fruit and nuts, sometimes granola or oatmeal, and tea), it's lunch and dinner that still get me. I fail at logistics so far is all. Sometimes I get can it together but making it a routine has been a struggle.most people who complain about not having time to exercise spend at least a couple(usually more) hours a week watching TV or doing some other hobby. so put exercise above every non essential activity. nobody is buys 100% of the week on essential matters.
This is true! However, I usually only watch TV when I'm tired and don't want to move anymore, and it helps clear my head so I can fall asleep. Sometimes down time is needed too if it's a stressful day, and it's never in my life been a habit to use exercise to relieve stress.
It's something that must be learned and again formed into a habit.Meal prep wise I just get as much done while I make supper as I can. Last night we had ham, potatoes and carrots so I roasted some sweet potatoes and zucchini for lunch today and tomorrow since the oven was on. I make double batches of pretty much everything and freeze it into serving sizes for quick grab and go meals (spaghetti sauce goes well on pasta or beans or spaghetti squash when I don't have a lot of spare calories).
Thanks for sharing your method. My supper prep time is usually spent cleaning the house/kitchen or logging meals while stuff is roasting/simmering and such.
There is a long hallway at my work that I have to go back and forth in all day because we have a genius setup where my lab is on the opposite side of the building as my office/entrance, and I'm the only one that mans both. I usually run when I do because it's faster and more fun. I guess that counts? lol0 -
You don't have to work out to lose weight. If you can't fit in an hour every day...then get in what you can when you can. Make sure you have more calories going out than going in. I'd be willing to bet looking after two small children and running a house and working a part-time job you get a pretty decent amount of activity per day. I have twins and I remember when they were small I would be dead tired at the end of the day. Remember CI vs CO!!0
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Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions.
I have an iPad at home, and have downloaded a couple of the apps linked to MFP, a bootcamp one and fitstar, I am sure I can entertain the kids for 20 minutes with Mickey Mouse whilst I get moving in the other room. I do walk a lot with them, but they are getting to an age where they are not so keen on being in the buggy/stroller, but we do mange sometimes.
I have a whole host of DVD's at home, so plan to start, at least every other morning getting up and doing one of those, and once I have a better level of fitness I will get outside and run. I am going to put together a schedule for myself and hopefully that will make me feel more accountable. I may even start a blog on here, just for me, but in the hope that it keeps me motivated. Not a fan of taking pictures of myself - due to weight etc. but again that may help with motivation.
As much as I'd love to go to the gym, I especially used to love spinning classes; I don't have the disposable income (due to being part-time), once I can I will go back to the gym.
Again thanks to everyone for your suggestions and I hope I can post my success story one day soon 0 -
Tornadoes_R_Fun wrote: »most people who complain about not having time to exercise spend at least a couple(usually more) hours a week watching TV or doing some other hobby. so put exercise above every non essential activity. nobody is buys 100% of the week on essential matters.
I'm with you here. Set a goal to not watch tv until you exercise or unless you are exercising.0 -
On another note, the Y and their kids programming (child watch and fitness) is probably one of my best investments ever.0
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