Homemaker and mother of 2 can't get to the gym

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katieherringshaw
katieherringshaw Posts: 5
in Fitness and Exercise
I am a homemaker and mother of 2 small children. Since quitting my job since February I've been spending most of my time at home and have gained some weight. I've noticed that most of the weight has been on my butt and thighs. I would really love to go running, but have no one to watch my children. I also would like to go to the YMCA, but don't feel comfortable leaving my children in a strange daycare. Are there any suggestions? I've looked at some excercise videos, but there are so many mixed reviews.
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Replies

  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
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    The daycare at the gym won't be strange once you check it out. And you're right there!
  • jwaitman
    jwaitman Posts: 367 Member
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    I can understand not wanting to leave your kids in a strange day care, may I suggest you go and observe the day care and become more comfortable then start working out. Your kids may actually enjoy it. If you just can't bring yourself to do it, I highly recommend the Firm DVD's. They do work if you use them.
  • wbond
    wbond Posts: 363 Member
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    I do all my workouts at home...no need to leave the house when I can do everything I need to stay in shape in the comfort of my own home.
  • CassieLEO
    CassieLEO Posts: 757 Member
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    NO excuses lady. I have kids and a house and a full time job. If you cant get to the gym, get a jogging stroller and get out walking or jogging. You cant make excuses, where there is a will, there is a way!!!
  • serhart
    serhart Posts: 27
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    Is there a local park nearby? I take my kids down to the park a block from my home and we have a deal, they walk the track with me twice, they can play on the playground and i do lunges and stretches and such while they play and can still watch them. We go on bike rides around the block, we bought a spiral notebook and everyday we will go for a LONG walk and they find a pretty flower or a leaf and they each tape it to a page and we write about where we find it, the colors of it when they found it, things like that! I am not a stay at home mom, i work full time, but i only work 3 days a week. So most of the week I am at home with the kids, I was worried about not finding good exercises while at home. The more creative I can get with my kids, the more exercises we come up with.. Good Luck!
  • NikkisNewStart
    NikkisNewStart Posts: 1,100 Member
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    I'm a mom of 5 and I go to the gym (check it out first and ask about their credentials/certifications). I also have a double jogging stroller. You could also invest in a bike trailer. I also run around in circles in my backyard while they play. There are tons of things you could do... where there is a will, there's a way. How bad do you want it?
  • dianaskin
    dianaskin Posts: 66
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    One of the great benefits of exercise is that you don't have to do it all in one shot. Try to do something for 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the afternoon and, IF YOU CAN, 15 minutes at night. And it can be something your kids can do WITH you. I.e. in the morning, put on some dance music and get DANCING. You'll work up a good sweat and your kids can dance with you. In the afternoon, if they're napping, walk up and down the stairs or do a pilates video or some floor exercises. At night, if there's a partner around to take care of the kids, go for a walk for just 15 minutes! (If there's a partner in the picture I'm SURE they can give you just 15 minutes for yourself!!!)

    If you do this, you'll have done 45 minutes of exercise!

    I have found that I can motivate myself to do 15 minutes of exercise. There's no excuse NOT to just do 15 minutes. (And the great thing is that once I get started, it usually turns into 20 or 25 minutes!)

    Hope this helps!
  • megandurden
    megandurden Posts: 17 Member
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    Similar but different story here.....I am a full time professional with five kiddos. I have ZERO time for a gym. In January, I started doing karate two nights a week WITH my children. On the nights off from karate, I walk / run our treadmill and I have a short 20 minute Jillian Michael's Cardio Kickboxing DVD that I enjoy. I have lost 30lbs in 8 weeks. It can be done!!! I have an exercise ball that I’m using for ab strengthening, as well. Furthermore, I maintain my calories intake to 1200. Best Wishes!!! :) You can do this….Be Blessed! :)
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
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    Lots of choices you can do at home. DVD's. Wii.

    I also second the suggestion of going to check out the gym daycare first.
  • BabiG
    BabiG Posts: 6
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    I also am a sahm. I can't get to the gym either. We have all the game consoles here so I looked into games to get me moving. I recently purchased EA Sports Active 2. It has alot of variety.
  • SarahofTwins
    SarahofTwins Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I understand how hard it can be to make it to the gym. I'm also a stay at home mom, I have twin babies and a toddler to take care of. I was fortunate enough to invest in a home treadmill to do my runs. There are other alternatives to working out from home...dvd's or even internet videos for workouts. Try to get at least some exercise but 80% of dieting is what you are eating. Once your mind is set everything else will follow. Good luck to you :flowerforyou:
  • britneeb23
    britneeb23 Posts: 15
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    You could get a good double stroller and take the kids on walks. It may not be the same as running but it's better than nothing.
  • lauralu71
    lauralu71 Posts: 23
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    It's difficult, I understand. I have two children (4 and 1) and work outside the home. I have always felt the same - too hard to wake up before the children, don't want to pick them up from one daycare and bring them to a second so I could work out, hate to exercise at 9:30pm after they are asleep. Within the last month or so I have been successful with putting my youngest (he wakes at 5am) in the jogging stroller and going around the neighborhood while my older one and husband are still sleeping and I have been trying to exercise with my older one after the little guy goes to bed. If you don't want to invest in videos right away, there are many free ones on OnDemand (or something similar if you have with your tv) or on the internet (you tube, etc). The WiiFit is great too if you have that. My 4 year old thinks it's hysterical to "exercise" with me. Granted it's not the most effective work out, but it's something.

    Hope some of these ideas help!
  • TammyLanham
    TammyLanham Posts: 109 Member
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    I agree - if you really want to do something about the extra weight, you will. If you don't, you'll make every excuse in the world and you won't do it. I have 2 children & work from home. I get up in the mornings 2x a week before my husband even gets up and go work out (kids are asleep). 2x a week, I take the kids to the park & just play ball w/ them, etc. It raises my heartrate, makes me sweat & builds relationships with my kiddos. Sometimes, I run up & down the stairs to my basement. I workout on my elliptical machine downstairs, too. All comes down to that one question: How bad do you want it & what are you willing to do? If you REALLY want to go on a vacation, you do what it takes to go, right? How bad do you want this?
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    Get a Netflix subscription and rent workout videos. Then if you find any you like, you can buy it and just return the duds.
  • slim_photographer
    slim_photographer Posts: 310 Member
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    I think the biggest road block for getting more active in you case is sentiments of being silly if you throw yourself in the ground and start doing push ups, crunches and so forth. I know because my wife has the same complain as you do and she's just too self conscious.

    Is people going to think I'm crazy if I start going up and down the stairs for no apparent reason while the kids take a nap? Get over this kinda of question and just do it. You'll be happy and others may or may not respect your effort but it will be you who gets the benefits.
    Any exercise video will be good to start you off. I bought ripped in 30 and it's ok. You'll realize that a lot of those moves you could've come up with by yourself but they are effective because they pace you and you pay money for them which is an action that shows your commitment.
  • Bodhizephyr
    Bodhizephyr Posts: 48
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    2 small children - too old for pushchairs? If not - get power pushing! Brisk walks with the buggy.

    How about a mother and toddler dance class? - if there are any in your area.

    personally I'm loving 'Your Shape Fitness Evolved' on xbox kinect - expensive if you don't have one! And you need the space.

    Just get the kids involved can they ride trikes while you jog/power walk?

    Can you do a child care swap with a friend - they have your kids while you gym it and you in return have theirs while they have some 'me' time.

    I hate the gym so its a case of thinking around it. How about evenings? Can Daddy watch them while you go to some classes? Getting motivated on your own can be a struggle - I'm a social exerciser - I play for a Netball team and I go to dance classes.

    Summertime_girl is right though - the daycare will only be strange the 1st couple of times - and you know you're close by if they need you.
  • mlemonroe2
    mlemonroe2 Posts: 603
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    i am a stay at home mom of an 18month old. i jog/walk with her every morning in her stroller. (regular stroller, not a jogging stroller) i work out on my wii fit and do Leslie Sansone Walk At Home DVD durring her nap time.
  • hannahcf
    hannahcf Posts: 64 Member
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    I am a mother of 4 and I home educate so they are pretty much always with me. I agree it is difficult but it's possible. I think you need a range of strategies, some will work one day and some another. For me, this is how it works. I sometimes run in the morning before my husband goes to work but only if I have the energy to get up really early, which depends on how well the kids have slept! Other times I play football in the garden with the kids or do yoga with them. I have Rosemary Conley DVDs which I use in the evenings where possible, and I go to at least one class a week, sometimes paying a babysitter if my husband is not back in time, which is annoying but better than missing my class. I walk with the kids as much as possible, either pushing a buggy or carrying the baby in a sling, and I sometimes go for a faster walk in the evenings. I agree about the gym problem - I wouldn't leave my kids in a creche in that kind of setting, though that is just a personal choice. Good luck!
  • 2chubby4now
    2chubby4now Posts: 93 Member
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    Put music on daily and dance with your kids. You can even hold them for extra weight. Works up a sweat believe me. If your house has stairs walk up and down them as much as possible. If you have a cordless phone, walk around your house or up and down the stairs when you are on it. No sitting down. Take the kids for walks. If they walk too slowly, let them walk with you for a bit then put them into a stroller or wagon and away you go. If you go to a playground with them. Join them. Just keep moving. You will be teaching them to be active. Never mind what anyone else thinks! It does get easier as they get older. I never joined a gym or left mine until they got much older. I just didn't want to.

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