Exercise schedule with special needs kids

dawnw30
dawnw30 Posts: 270
edited September 26 in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone! I have 2 special needs kids...my daughter is autistic and my son has ADHD. I also have 3 other kids. Do you find it a challenge to fit in workouts with your kid(s). What do you do to ensure you get to do your routine? :smile:

Also, anyone with similar problems, kids etc if you'd like to add me feel free! We need all the help we an get on this journey.

Replies

  • HartJames
    HartJames Posts: 789 Member
    Have to find either a gym w/child are or exercise while they sleep.
  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
    A friend of mine from church also has a school aged child, so we run while they are in school. We schedule the run depending on when it will rain that day and when it's going to be the best temperature. I also work midnights out of town as an RN and will run right after work if it's warm enough or just before I go to work if I have to wait for the day to get nicer.

    Make sure however you have to do it that you schedule time for yourself. Put it on the calendar in permanent ink. No one will argue that the mother (especially of special needs kids) is the heart of the family. Did you know that your actual hear takes care of itself before it delivers a drop of blood to anywhere else in the body?! It's an important lesson. The body cannot function without the heart, and the heart must nourish itself to properly take care of the body and keep up with its demands. You must set aside time for YOU every day. It will make you a better, stronger, more efficient mom. You don't have to make excuses. You don't have to rationalize it. It is simply the very best thing you can do for your family, which is why moms even exist in the first place.

    This is exactly why I do what I do and why I am here.
  • DonnaLFitz
    DonnaLFitz Posts: 270 Member
    I have a special needs daughter -- she has Niemann-Pick Type C, a degenerative neurological disorder.

    Planning is crucial to every day with her, even more so to maintain consistency in my exercise routine. I work full time, but my daughter is able to go to school, so I devote my lunch hour to a good walk whenever possible. When I get home, I do shorter workouts on my TotalGym XLS and some yoga. I use the TotalGym both for aerobic and strength training. It's good for aerobics when I set the incline down a notch and do reps for 15-20 minutes, varying the muscles that I use.

    On the weekends, my son and my boyfriend take turns watching her so I can take longer walks and bike rides and run errands. She cannot be left alone at all.

    I hope you find a schedule that works for you. If you can do 15-20 minutes 2-3 times a day, you'll get some good exercise in.
  • Bethy25
    Bethy25 Posts: 73
    I am a single mom of a two year old so have trouble squeezing in exercise as well. If weather is nice, I leave work a little early MWF so I can work out before picking her up from Daycare. If that doesnt work, I do exercise videos or elliptical at home at night after she goes to bed, or get up early in the morning before she wakes up! Good luck, it is a challenge! On days I dont get exercise in, I work extra hard to make sure to stay at my calorie goal and make sure as many of them are "healthy" calories that I can!
  • jreese5226
    jreese5226 Posts: 328 Member
    I exercise after they go to bed or in the AM before they wake up. I only have 2, though. It can be challenging to get enough sleep and fit in exercise with 2, so I can just imagine the difficulty you may be having. During the waking hours, I try to do stuff with the kids for exercise. We have a fairly large hill near us and I have had my kids stand at the top of it and tell me to "go" and time me as I run up it.
  • KZOsMommy
    KZOsMommy Posts: 854 Member
    Hi Dawn!

    I have a son that has aspergers. Yes working out has become a big challenge for me. I work hard at getting up early in the morning to workout before they get up in the morning (I also homeschool my 3 kiddos). Or I have to wait til he is really engaged in something or til my husband comes home. Wait for him does not always work for me right now because my husband does not handel his melt downs well. This is a newer diagnois for us so we are still learning. I work hard at eating well and not getting down on myself if I miss a workout (that is a hard one for me I LOVE my workouts!!!).

    I will add you as a friend I agree we can all use all the support we can get!
  • jenniefromtherock
    jenniefromtherock Posts: 80 Member
    My son is Autistic. .I used to worry about the housework but now its last on my list. I get my treadmill in while my son is doing his ABA therapy. My husband works away and is gone 2 weeks, and then home for 2 weeks. On the weekends sometimes I make a deal with my son, if he lets me do my treadmill we can do whatever he wants after.
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    I have a severely disabled daughter - Cerebral Palsy - who needs 24 hour care and is pretty much house bound. My husband and I work opposite shifts, so I find it almost impossible to find time to exercise. But, I work on a college campus and often have meetings in buildings about a half mile away from mine, so I usually get to walk 2 - 3 days a week. I recently bought a stationary bike, but I'm finding it incredibly difficult to be motivated to actually ride it.
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