Losing weight and exercising with small children in the house

I have six kids and it's REALLY hard to get the time I need to take care of myself. I have weeks that I get exercise in 5 or 6 days a week, then other weeks where I get NONE. It sucks and it's really hard. Having kid-friendly foods in the house isn't easy either! I usually try to get my older kids off to school in the morning and then while my younger ones are having breakfast, I'll jump on the elliptical for a bit or do some circuit training or a quick yoga session. Then if we're at soccer practice or the park, I'll walk around the field over and over, even though I'm excluding myself from all the other moms sitting around and chatting. I'm hopeful that as they all get older, they'll be more independent for longer periods of time and I can make sure to get my daily work outs in then, haha.

bramble345 wrote: »

There's nothing like trying to hold a plank while a three year old crawls underneath the 'bridge'. Gets trickier when she tries to climb across it...

Shes also amenable to being used as a weight for squats..............

Hahaa. Totally the truth!
Its certainly not easy with kids, but not impossible either. I work full time, get home, have to (jointly) handle dinner, baths, homework, etc. In the nicer weather, playtime becomes exercise. Walks in the stroller, races around the house, cartwheels, soccer, anything to keep moving. When forced inside, dance parties and wii games help. We have the Nickelodeon kids fit game which is cute, and the kids tolerate my zumba for wii fairly well.

Diet is the best place to look though. Keep meals light and balanced, and resist temptations to finish the kids' unfinished pb&j or french fries.

It's hard! My kids are at school/daycare all day (I have a six and a four year old), so the time I get to spend with them is limited and I hate taking some of that time away from them for myself. I feel selfish, you know? BUT, like someone else said, it's good for them to see me workout and either I take a half hour a day to ride my stationary bike or do some Zumba on youtube, or have obesity shorten my life. I turn on cartoons for them to watch while I workout. It's only half an hour and I can still talk to the kids and be there in the room with them, so it's not really taking that much from them. If I am doing Zumba, they will sometimes even try to do it with me! Do you have a gaming system (Wii, Xbox, etc)? They have a Zumba Kids and a Just Dance Kids game for those. They are a good workout and the kids can do them with you since they are designed for kids.