Motivation from other full time working (away from home) mommas

Hi! I'm a full-time working mom of 4. My workplace is 1 1/2 hours away one way so I drive 3 hours as well as work a 35 hour a week job. I use my lunchbreak to do something I also get up earlier than everyone else to get my day started. I meal prep on my days off (fri/sat). I am doing my 3 rd round of whole30. All I can say is plan it in and schedule it. Hope some of it helps.

Jess

Single mom of 3 young children here. I work full time with a 45min commute one way. I wake up early to get my workout in. I prep meals to freeze on the weekends. I get my rest on the weekends.

If all you are wanting to do is lose weight, then eat at a deficit. If you are wanting to strength train and tone then you will find time when you want it enough.

It's not easy, but there is time if you want to make the time.

Regarding weekend meal prep, I just started using cooksmarts.com. It plans meals for the next week, I just choose how many servings for each meal and it gives me a grocery list and for each meal it gives me a list of prep work that can be done for the meal and how many days in advance it can be done. It also makes recommendations for how to make a different meal with leftovers. I make a little extra of meals that look particularly tasty to freeze or for lunches. (This can be done without a meal planning service, but I find it helps tremendously and has made cooking a bit more fun for me.)

I'm also interested in hearing how experienced moms find times to make exercise happen. My little one likes it when I do some yoga exercises on the floor with him. Sometimes I use him as a prop, other times he just watches me. He loves it when I do dolphin push-ups and kiss his nose. (He's almost 8 mo.) I'm hoping that by making it fun now he'll want to join me as he gets older.

As someone who has got from couch to half marathon in 6 months without losing a single pound, I can attest to weight loss being about having a calorie deficit! I'm currently establishing weight loss through diet and will add in more rigorous exercise in another month or two. Just in time to start back running this Spring.

Full-time working mom with 2 boys (7 and 9) here. I also get up early for my workouts (5:15-5:30-ish). It was really rough at first, but I have tried to make it a habit. I am too tired in the evening to work out then, so try to get to bed early and strive for 7 hours of sleep at night. Often it's more like 6.5. I have found that even doing short workouts, like the 7 minute workout (google it, there are a couple of different iterations!) help keep me on a schedule and at least I feel like I did something. If you have more time, you can double the work out or triple it. For me, getting it in in the morning is the only way to keep my work outs consistent (and even then sometimes I just hit the snooze button, like this morning ... ).

Sharon_C wrote: »

Mom of 3 (although they are slightly more independent), I work 2 jobs, one 40 hour, the other will go up to 40 hours depending on deadlines. I was a confirmed night owl but I knew that if I wanted to make my health a priority that things were going to have to change. Evenings are out. Too many times one kid or another had to be driven here, there and everywhere, forcing me to cancel my gym time. Plus there is that 2nd job that takes up a lot of my evening hours.

I had no choice but to commit to mornings. It's the only way I could fit exercise in. The whole family had to make adjustments but they did. I've been getting to the gym at 5:30am 3 days a week and it has changed my life.

I too was like you. I swore I would never get up early to go to the gym. I swore I was more a night person and I swore I needed 8 solid hours of sleep. Now I go to bed at 10:30, get 7 hours of sleep and my body and mind has adjusted to the new me.

This... EXACTLY! I am a young mom... what person under 30 wants to get up early??? No one! I just knew it was the only time of day someone couldn't derail my workout plans!!!

I am a full time working mom of 3 kids under 10 and also enrolled in two graduate classes this semester. So, I'm busy. I choose to get up each morning and make it to the gym at 5:00am to go work out. Is it tough? Yep. After the first few months, it was a habit for me (and I never thought I would say something like that!). I have been doing it for two years now, and it's just the norm. It's so much easier for me than going in the afternoon because my husband and kids are home sleeping in the morning, and I don't have to worry about them!

Hi I'm a mother of 3 and work full time with long hours. I try to do my longest workouts the days I'm off. The days I'm working I split up cardio and strength training. Getting up just 1/2 hour early to do 20 min of weight training can pay off. Don't put pressure on yourself to do things "perfect" all at once because you'll give up. The more you are in a habit of something the easier it is. You may be able to do longer workouts in the morning if you start a little at a time. Good luck

I hear ya - same boat here. My husband and I both work full-time and have two children (12 and 5). Life is busy. Crazy busy! For years I let the stress of the business consume me and take over my life -- of course i went from in great shape and running all the time (profile picture) to being 50-60 lbs overweight and starting back over. Where I am now. I have completely overhauled how I prioritize my time this year. My routine has been come home from work, change into work out clothes and get in my exercise (currently doing p90). Then I make dinner and bedtime routine and such. It is busy but I have been making exercise a priority. The first week was hard but you just got to do it. When I was running a lot back in 2012 after my son was born, I wouldn't get out the door to run until he was in bed and it was 8 or 9pm - but I was determined.

As far as the zero energy goes -- I don't know what your diet or life is like but I can tell you what has worked amazing for me. At the beginning of the year, I cut out all soda, all alcohol and all caffeine.... while also meal planning and cooking all home cooked meals. The first couple of weeks were completely miserable. I was hangry all the time and was in such a daze. my mind was so foggy. but after the first week it got better and then it just kept getting better and better. I work out 6 days a week now and am LOVING it! I am eating healthy and feel amazing. I'm sleeping better and I have so much energy. I am loving doing the p90 program and have found an amazing beachbody support group that is completely motivating.

I'm completely new to meal planning too. I went from hating cooking and ordering out most nights a week to cooking all healthy meals every night in January and find myself loving cooking now. I have some great meal planning ideas I'd love to share if you are interested.

Don't expect everything to change over night. make small changes that you can fit into your lifestyle and just keep at it. You can do this! Feel free to add me on here if you want some friends on here for motivation. I have an open diary as well.