Need some busy parents to read this!

lets be friends! we can motivate each other!! unfortunately my advice requres getting up at 5 30 am. do a workout dvd program...jillian micheals 30ds is a good one to start with; wake up 30 min earlier every morning and get it in..cook 3 meals on sunday to eat throughout the week. i am assuming you are a 9-5er...i am a mother of a 2 year old and a nine month old with a hubby and a job. i understand that life is busy. unfortunately you either have to sacrafice family evening time of 30 min or wake up a litte earlier. try starting with 3 days a week

I do a lot of running in place while I play with my kids and do chores around the house, we do dance parties were I do areobic moves and my kids think were playing...., we take long walks

I have an infant son so I am at the gym at 4am and back home by 6am before the little guy wakes up. I workout 3-4 days per week and this schedule seems to be working for me. I've found that going to the gym that early is the ONLY way for me to ensure I get my workout in.

First of all, you can do this. Yes, you can. I don't just believe it, I know it.

Next, stop looking at adding things. Look at changing things.

Here's how my exercise journey started:
I stopped parking by the door. I park in the back and walk.
When I grocery shop, I don't go in order, and I go up and down aisles I don't need anything from and race around the store. Every step counts.
If I was just picking up a few things, I carry it to my car that I parked in the back of the parking lot.

What are you already doing that you can just do a little differently to increase your activity?

As for having a preschooler, that's like a free exercise machine.
Why not play tag/chase before bath time? Why not make mommy time an activity to get both of you moving? Plus, exercised preschoolers are sleepy preschoolers.

As for dinner, there are tons of quick fix options out there. Celebrate the small victories. Every time I pop a Green Giant veggie steamer in the microwave I smile because I didn't pop french fries in the oven.

There's no adding. Just realigning. Look at what you're already doing and ask yourself what you can do to change it towards improving your health.

You CAN do this.

I have an infant son so I am at the gym at 4am and back home by 6am before the little guy wakes up. I workout 3-4 days per week and this schedule seems to be working for me. I've found that going to the gym that early is the ONLY way for me to ensure I get my workout in.

This is about where I live, too. I have 4 kiddos (3-13yrs). I'm at the gym when the doors open at 5am and I'm home by 6:30a, just before my 2 youngest wake. If I miss this time, I may not get a workout in for the day. This is my schedule 5 days a week. On Saturdays, my gym opens later (8am), so you'll find me in my garage at 5am doing an at-home workout. I too have found this is the only time I can most definitely get the sweating in for the day. Good luck!

Hi guys, I've been at this for about a week and am having an issue with scheduling all this exercise and cooking. I'm not new to healthy eating or exercise, as I've struggled with my weight going up and down my whole life. My problem is finding time!! I've heard all of the "make time" nonsense, and I'm posting here for some real advice. I get up at 6am to start getting ready for the day and don't get home until 615pm that night. I have a preschooler who needs dinner, a bath, mommy time, etc. And of course, there is the normal day to day stuff; load of dishes here, load of laundry there, prep for the following day, you know what I mean. Tonight I was able to eat a good dinner and get 30 minutes in, but I didn't eat until 8pm (which I consider too late for dinner) and other things I would normally do didn't get done. SIGH. I've only exercised twice this week but not because I didn't want to do more, I just couldn't find the time!! Help me.

If you have to be up by 6am get yourself up at 4 / 4:30am and go workout and come back by 6am. I have to ge up at 3:30am, especially during the school year, to get my workouts in. It sucks but it's more than worth it.

I have an infant son so I am at the gym at 4am and back home by 6am before the little guy wakes up. I workout 3-4 days per week and this schedule seems to be working for me. I've found that going to the gym that early is the ONLY way for me to ensure I get my workout in.

This is what works for me too. I work out at 5:30 befor my hubby and baby wake up. If I don't get it in before the day starts, then I'm unlikely to later.

My husband works out of town during the weeks so it is pretty much me. On a normal week I will workout as soon as I get done with work and then pick my kids up after that. I'm a school teacher so I'm up at 6, finished with work at 4, pick up the kids around 5:30. (I find that if I pick the kids up first and then try to workout at home I end up fussing at them because they interrupt my workout.) Then like you, dinner, bath, stories, bed. Typically while they are eating dinner I am cleaning up around the house and after I put them in bed I will have dinner (8-8:30 ish). I don't have a problem eating later since I stay up till 11 or so and I'd be starving if I ate earlier. I just try not to eat past 10 (I know that is late and may not work for some people, but it's worked for me). I know that is is hard, but you have to figure out what time works best for you. As mom's we have a tendency to put everyone else first and put ourselves last. For me I had to decide that the kids could stay at daycare for an extra 1 1/2 hours so I could workout. For you it might be easier to workout at home after you've put them to bed. Make a schedule and see where you can "make time". I'm NOT a morning person so getting up earlier is something that I would NEVER do. :laugh:

haven't had a little one for several years, but due to my work schedule i get up at 3:30-4:30 to work out before work. only way to be sure of getting it in. what about cooking for the week on the weekend then just reheat each evening?? i am also a huge fan of the crock pot

Hi! Welcome to MFP, and welcome to the club! I'm the mother of three, and my husband is working overseas in Europe. It's very hard to set time aside for exercise, esp. when you should be doing it every day, but at first I think just getting any exercise in is better than nothing. As you do more, you will get more energized (though I remember I was extremely tired after workouts at first). I won't give you any more advice than what has already been given, as a lot of it is what I would have suggested too, but just stick with it! It will be a slow process perhaps, but slow and steady wins the race! Feel free to friend me if you like, I noticed we have about the same wight loss goal, and I have only just (re)started. I fell off the bandwagon just before Christmas after having lost 12 lbs...

i work fulltime shifts, and have 3 kids under 5. i'm lucky that my hubby is a stay home dad.

when i'm on an early shift (which starts at 7am) i'm at work for 5am to go for a run there first (otherwise the kids would wake up and i'd get all caught up in them).

when i'm working an afternoon shift (1pm-10pm) i go out in the morning (after the kids have breakfast and have gone to kindy). that way i still have some time with them.

it's a hard balancing act, and it's not possible all the time. sometimes i feel really guilty because my kids want me to play with them as i'm heading out for a run. i need my hubby sometimes to remind me that i'm getting the balance wrong and sometimes the kids take priority over a run. but sometimes a run takes priority over the kids (like when they've been doing your head in all day!).

the only thing i've really had to keep me motivated is that my goal is to do a half marathon in oct. i think if i didn't have that then i would use the kids as an excuse not to go out.

i do get the kidst to join in with some of the weights and stuff i do (they just stand in the room with me and get in the way really). i'm hoping to include them more as they get older- i'm looking forward to my eldest riding her bike as i run alongside her.

i know it's difficult, but you've either got to find a way to fit it in, or realise that now may not be the best time to try to commit to it.

can your hubby pick up any of the extra slack?? just because the house needs cleaning doesn't mean you have to be the one to do it! we actually have a cleaner (!), and she comes for 2hrs a week. she blitzes the house, which means my hubby doesn't get ****ty with me for not pulling my weight because we have a lovely lady called colleen pulling my weight for me :-)

Hi guys, I've been at this for about a week and am having an issue with scheduling all this exercise and cooking. I'm not new to healthy eating or exercise, as I've struggled with my weight going up and down my whole life. My problem is finding time!! I've heard all of the "make time" nonsense, and I'm posting here for some real advice. I get up at 6am to start getting ready for the day and don't get home until 615pm that night. I have a preschooler who needs dinner, a bath, mommy time, etc. And of course, there is the normal day to day stuff; load of dishes here, load of laundry there, prep for the following day, you know what I mean. Tonight I was able to eat a good dinner and get 30 minutes in, but I didn't eat until 8pm (which I consider too late for dinner) and other things I would normally do didn't get done. SIGH. I've only exercised twice this week but not because I didn't want to do more, I just couldn't find the time!! Help me.

I fit it in the evening when there's time, but this past week I just couldn't find time and set my alarm for 4:15 AM so that I could get my hour in before I had to hop in the shower at 5:30 (toddler to preschool at 6:30). I did this because I was tired of missing out on my workouts and feeling pretty guilty for not spending time with my little man. Unfortunately he decided that was the night he'd wake at 3 and not fall back asleep until 4, so I'm going to try again this coming week. I'm taking an earlier bed time and an earlier morning. Sucks

We know all about the kids sneaking in a schedule change on you! Actually, the worst lately has been my boys decision to dice open his hand on a can while I was running on the otherside of town. I had to sprint back to where I parked the Novara, and then cycle back as fast as my already tired legs could carry me (I had just finished a 12 hour shift, and had been up for 25 hours). When I got there, I just did what wound care I could, and then fell asleep on the floor. When I woke up, it was clear he actually needed stitches, so I spent a few hours in an ED before heading back to work for a half shift. I still ran the next morning, though.

It can be very difficult to fit it in. Here are some suggestions:

1) Get up earlier and do your exercises right away. Yes, horrible, yes you are half awake but no matter what you get them done. I'm currently working on this one.
2) Pre-cook meals at the weekend for the week at the weekend if you can -- freeze them and thaw & cook on the day. Have something ready for your busiest days. Have good pre-cooked dinners, yes even store bought ones, as a back up for bad nights. If that doesn't work, then cook extra on some nights and freeze the stuff right away so that you have another night's dinner. That way you can control the calories. When I'm good and I'm using my slow cooker, I make a big batch and then label each dish with the calories per ounce and then I can make a meal from a bunch of different things.
3) Buy foods that make it easier to put dinners together: pre-cut vegetables and pre-cut fruit on really bad weeks. I use Kroger's Coleslaw every week. It has just cabbage and carrots in it and is 25 calories for 1.5 cups. Find things like that that work for you. Frozen vegetables are fine too.
4) Make a household chores schedule and stick to it. (Gosh I wish I could take my own advice on this. :P ) Take this time to delegate some of chores to others if you can. Also think about how often stuff needs to be done. Does everything need to be done every day or can you do it less frequently? Can you simplify your cleaning routine -- books like Speed Cleaning might help with this. Buy gadgets that might be able to help if you can afford them (for example: Roomba and Scooba for doing the floors).
5) Get enough clothing/household bedding extras that you don't have to constantly do laundry.
6) Plan some you time in all that as well -- you need some time to unwind.
&) Smile and don't worry -- we are all struggling with it. There ought to be 48 hours each day so I can get everything done and then at the end some mysterious time should appear at the end so I can get enough sleep (of course the world should just stop turning while I'm sleeping). That's not too much to ask for is it?

Best of luck.