I need help.. Can't find a balance :(

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Replies

  • MondayJune22nd2015
    MondayJune22nd2015 Posts: 876 Member
    Since she is as exhausted & as active as she is for work, I believe that it'd be unhealthy; for her to exercise beyond that. She should be spending her weekends resting/recovering, not putting more strain on her body; by exercising.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Since she is as exhausted & as active as she is for work, I believe that it'd be unhealthy; for her to exercise beyond that. She should be spending her weekends resting/recovering, not putting more strain on her body; by exercising.

    I disagree that adding some strength training would be harmful. I know people with far harder schedules that make it work, btw. Anything is possible when you want it bad enough.
  • MondayJune22nd2015
    MondayJune22nd2015 Posts: 876 Member
    edited December 2015
    Since she is as exhausted & as active as she is for work, I believe that it'd be unhealthy; for her to exercise beyond that. She should be spending her weekends resting/recovering, not putting more strain on her body; by exercising.

    I disagree that adding some strength training would be harmful. I know people with far harder schedules that make it work, btw. Anything is possible when you want it bad enough.

    I consider lifting 3 year old's, strength training. I believe that her exhaustion, proves that she's already doing enough (for "HER" body), if not too much. She could burn out. It doesn't matter what we desire, if our bodies can't achieve it and/or we disable ourselves, from overdoing it; in the process. Even if she had the time & others have the strength, to handle it, that doesn't mean that she can. We all have limitations & they aren't all the same, as everyone else's. Suggesting that she can do what other's can, isn't accurate & thus blames her, for not having that ability. We don't get to choose our abilities, we just get to choose; whether or not we use them.

    Here's an example of what I mean: 2 men were shot in the head, in the same spot. 1 survives, the other died. The 1 whom died, was happily married, had 2 children, a great career & friends. While the 1 whom survived was homeless & recently attempted suicide. Would you be suggesting that it wasn't fate but rather that the successful man, didn't have enough of a will to live; as the homeless man did to survive & therefore it's the deceased man's fault, for not surviving because a homeless man with nothing to live for survived, the same injury? Sometimes just because there's a will, doesn't mean there's always a way; to achieve something & it doesn't mean that it's our fault, if we can't.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    Since she is as exhausted & as active as she is for work, I believe that it'd be unhealthy; for her to exercise beyond that. She should be spending her weekends resting/recovering, not putting more strain on her body; by exercising.

    I disagree that adding some strength training would be harmful. I know people with far harder schedules that make it work, btw. Anything is possible when you want it bad enough.

    I consider lifting 3 year old's, strength training. I believe that her exhaustion, proves that she's already doing enough (for "HER" body), if not too much. She could burn out. It doesn't matter what we desire, if our bodies can't achieve it and/or we disable ourselves, from overdoing it; in the process. Even if she had the time & others have the strength, to handle it, that doesn't mean that she can. We all have limitations & they aren't all the same, as everyone else's. Suggesting that she can do what other's can, isn't accurate & thus blames her, for not having that ability. We don't get to choose our abilities, we just get to choose; whether or not we use them.

    Here's an example of what I mean: 2 men were shot in the head, in the same spot. 1 survives, the other died. The 1 whom died, was happily married, had 2 children, a great career & friends. While the 1 whom survived was homeless & recently attempted suicide. Would you be suggesting that it wasn't fate but rather that the successful man, didn't have enough of a will to live; as the homeless man did to survive & therefore it's the deceased man's fault, for not surviving because a homeless man with nothing to live for survived, the same injury? Sometimes just because there's a will, doesn't mean there's always a way; to achieve something.

    Wow, that was a jump.

    The OP said she wants to work out. If she re-organizes her time, it is possible. She doesn't need to do hours of cardio, weight loss is achieved through calorie control, but there are still some benefits to strength training, on top of lifting 3 year olds. In fact, it might be possible that strength training would reduce the risk of injury or strain as she ages.
  • CanGirl40
    CanGirl40 Posts: 379 Member
    I get up each weekday at 4:45am to squeeze in some kind of activity....2 days a week it's strength training at the gym...other times it's just a 30-minute walk...It's the *only* time I know I will "get it done"...otherwise I will find every excuse in the book!

    Another suggestion...maybe don't worry about "working out" at this stage in your life...I mean, move and be active but don't feel guilty about not having the time...80% of weight and health is about what we EAT. So just keep that in balance.

    I concur with Kate above me^^^
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Op- I own a cleaning service. I'm up at 530 am , take my kid to school and clean all day until 6pm. Then I go to the gym for 45 mins , come home and clean ,Cook and all the mom things. I also serve drinks at night part time. So I go from one job to the next sometimes and end up working 12-15 hrs those days.
    I want to make time for the gym so I do it. I make 45 mins three days per week. Even if I have to wake-up earlier or go to bed later. Even if I have to miss out on hanging with friends at times .
    So yeah, where there's a will, there's a way.
    Am I freaking exhausted? Of coarse I am.
    If your too tired after caring for toddlers all day then try working out before work. At the very least , what about weekends ?
    I get that life gets in the way sometimes but if you really want something you will find a way to achieve it.
    Do you think your the only teacher in the world who is tired after caring for small kids? No, there's tons of them who still find a way so therefore you can too .
  • groversa
    groversa Posts: 450 Member
    edited December 2015
    My problem was never thinking I'm the only one with this problem. Obviously I know there are other people feeling this way, the post was hoping some people who have figured it out could shed some light, not to have people tell me that I'm not the only one. The post is asking for advice on how to do this WITHOUT continuing to wear myself out. I asked for advice on how to find balance with all of this. So repeating that I'm exhausted and giving a so what response to that gives no help to me. Thanks anyway.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    What about reducing your errands to 3 days per week, and on the other two, add in a progressive strength training program? Plus use a food scale, and weigh and log accurately.

    This is exactly what I would do.
    I would schedule all errands for three days and take that extra hour on the 4 left over and workout( even if she worked out only 2 of the 4 leftover days. I'm counting weekends because most day care centers are not open on weekends )
    I would definitely begin a strength training program! but even if you got some kettlebells and did some routines at home , that would be a great start !!
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    groversa wrote: »
    My problem was never thinking I'm the only one with this problem. Obviously I know there are other people feeling this way, the post was hoping some people who have figured it out could shed some light, not to have people tell me that I'm not the only one. The post is asking for advice on how to do this WITHOUT continuing to wear myself out. I asked for advice on how to find balance with all of this. So repeating that I'm exhausted and giving a so what response to that gives no help to me. Thanks anyway.

    I did show you how I've managed to find time in my schedule for my workouts. I gave you a short run down of my day and showed you where I fit my gym time in. Then I also suggested waking up a bit earlier to do it then since you are tired after work. I also mentioned weekends .
    But instead you picked out the sentence of not being the only one who is busy. Which your not. If we've all figured it out, surely you can to!!

  • groversa
    groversa Posts: 450 Member
    thorsmom01 wrote: »
    groversa wrote: »
    My problem was never thinking I'm the only one with this problem. Obviously I know there are other people feeling this way, the post was hoping some people who have figured it out could shed some light, not to have people tell me that I'm not the only one. The post is asking for advice on how to do this WITHOUT continuing to wear myself out. I asked for advice on how to find balance with all of this. So repeating that I'm exhausted and giving a so what response to that gives no help to me. Thanks anyway.

    I did show you how I've managed to find time in my schedule for my workouts. I gave you a short run down of my day and showed you where I fit my gym time in. Then I also suggested waking up a bit earlier to do it then since you are tired after work. I also mentioned weekends .
    But instead you picked out the sentence of not being the only one who is busy. Which your not. If we've all figured it out, surely you can to!!

    I'm sorry. I didn't mean to seem like a B, I'm usually more optimistic than pessimistic, I just felt offended after reading that and replied in a negative way. Thank you for your advice.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    groversa wrote: »
    My problem was never thinking I'm the only one with this problem. Obviously I know there are other people feeling this way, the post was hoping some people who have figured it out could shed some light, not to have people tell me that I'm not the only one. The post is asking for advice on how to do this WITHOUT continuing to wear myself out. I asked for advice on how to find balance with all of this. So repeating that I'm exhausted and giving a so what response to that gives no help to me. Thanks anyway.

    I just wanted to reassure you that if you decide to try strength training, you should be able to get a program in in about 30 minutes. So if you can tweak your errand days to be a bit more efficient, you might be able to fit it in with no loss of time.
  • groversa
    groversa Posts: 450 Member
    groversa wrote: »
    My problem was never thinking I'm the only one with this problem. Obviously I know there are other people feeling this way, the post was hoping some people who have figured it out could shed some light, not to have people tell me that I'm not the only one. The post is asking for advice on how to do this WITHOUT continuing to wear myself out. I asked for advice on how to find balance with all of this. So repeating that I'm exhausted and giving a so what response to that gives no help to me. Thanks anyway.

    I just wanted to reassure you that if you decide to try strength training, you should be able to get a program in in about 30 minutes. So if you can tweak your errand days to be a bit more efficient, you might be able to fit it in with no loss of time.

    Thanks!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited December 2015
    arditarose wrote: »
    I work with little ones too. On the days I workout I'm usually out for about 13 hours door to door. If you want it, you'll get it.

    This. If you don't want it enough yet to fit it in, you definitely can lose just focusing on calorie control.

    Personally I find the best time to fit things in is first thing in the morning and that leaves me feeling more energetic for the day ahead. You can also probably consolidate some of your stuff and carve out time on 2-3 days, as others have mentioned.
  • justvclark
    justvclark Posts: 24 Member
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    First of all, bless you! Just reading "I work full time at a day care with a class of 22 three year olds" sent me into a state of exhaustion. I can't even keep up with my two youngest grandchildren (2 1/2 and 1) at the same time.

    I had the same reaction, except that my kiddo is 9, and the memories of that age are becoming more and more distant. What I *do* remember is that I lost a lot of weight when my son was 3, and a lot of it was just from playing with my kid (and there was only one of him!). I can imagine that being responsible for 22 3-year olds can be very draining, and I think that people often underestimate how exhausting it can be, not just physically. I'm sure you're already doing it, but maybe run around with them a little extra, pass a ball, play tag, build elaborate sand castles, etc. If you have to stand back and watch while they play on the playground, maybe do a few laps around. Then again, when I worked in retail, I was always in pain and found out why when I got a good step counter. If it's something you can swing, maybe look into one, especially during the holiday sales? It's kind of nice to know where you are before worrying about doing more. I also got the sworkit app for a couple bucks and just fit in 5-10 minute strength training workouts that didn't put too much stress on already-sore body parts, and I didn't feel guilty about not doing more. It's got an alarm setting to remind you if that's something that would help. Good luck!
  • k80flec
    k80flec Posts: 1,623 Member
    I bet an activity tracker (there are many on the market, I use Fitbit) would show that you already do loads of steps each day - and therefore activity/cardio exercise.

    Weighing all solid foods and accurately measuring all liquids will support your focus on calories in. ^^^^ as many other posters say - you can lose weight without exercise - exercise is about health really.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    If the question is what you should do about feeling physically exhausted, honestly this is a question for your dr. I am not being sarcastic, since tone in posts is sometimes misunderstood. It could be you are missing something in your diet, have developed anemia, have some hormonal issue. At your age, regular working hours, no kids and more than average sleep, feeling physically exhausted does not sound normal and is worth investigating with a dr. Unless this is a new job for you and your body is still adjusting?
    If the main issue is how to find more time to exercise, the obvious (for me) answer from your schedule would be a combination of weekends, right after work or late evening. For example, a couple of hours on weekends, plus one or two hours after work during the week. Just make sure to find something you like, that will not feel like an obligation or it will be very hard to convince yourself to not just go straight to the couch instead. Maybe ask your friends if they are already in a class, or running or doing a sport so you can combine socialisation and exercise?
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 661 Member
    Embrace the chances for extra exercise during the work day. I once did my workout based solely on what my toddler son was doing. Great workout, lots of jumping. :)

    Do lots of squats while getting down to their level, participate in their activities. Basically, don't just sit or stand still. Though, I'm sure you already don't sit much. Focus on the food intake, which is probably easy when distracted by your busy schedule. On the weekends take nice long walks.
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