how do you find ME time

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I have been wondering the same thing lately. My schedule is crazy busy and I am a single Mom with a dead beat ex. My two kids are awesome but busy (as they should be). But between my full time day job, my AVON business, my full time Mom position and trying to squeeze in work outs when ever I can life seems a little overwhelming...and I start classes in the fall....Lord what was I thinking!

Oh deary...I think the one thing that would be worse than my situation (being a single mom) is having a hubby that makes you feel like one!

Here are a few suggestions... because you need to be happy.

Try adding some of those chores to the regular week instead of waiting for them to pile up on the weekend. For example, clean the bathroom on Wednesdays and do grocery shopping on Tuesdays.

Find a gym near your work place or use your lunch to workout.

I always used my daughter as an excuse not to work out or have a social life. One night I was sobbing because I was so alone and my mom told me that I was hiding behind my kid... Now I make working out a priority and I have a great social life. Training for my half marathon is what keeps me sane. Seriously!! You have to take time to do it. Prioritize it with the ironing and meals. It's that important. It is a need...not a want.

I would love to know the answer to this question too! Im a stay @ hm mom w/o friends or family here. i have a gym membership, but have only got to use it a handful of times bc it has no place for kids to hang. My husband is known to fall asleep on th ecouch & my older to can fend for themselves, but my 1 yr old cant, the older 2 can watch him, but they r outside playing w friends. Sooo i have been staying up all ours of the night having me time, which is starting to wear on me & isnt healthy, need sleep to lose weight to. lol! Good luck on finding that balance. I have yet to find it & i dont have a full time job on top of bein a mom!

in a few weeks I'm going to have the same problem in the area of a time crunch. I'm a single mom to a toddler (I live with my dad though so that helps) but I started back to work last week, and in a couple weeks I'll be starting another grad class. I spend 8 hours at work with a half hour drive (that gets longer as the weather gets worse), by the time I get home I get 3 wonderful hours of quality time with my daughter before it's her bed time, then spend 2-3 hours on classwork during these classes. Somewhere in there I need to find time to take a shower and all those menial tasks like cleaning, doing laundry, packing lunches, etc. So, I typically end up in bed by 1:00am and get up around and then do it all over again. I'm a little luckier than you in that I do have my weekends off, which I jam pack with having to do everything I can't get done during the week.

One of the things I've found that was holding me back was the fact that I had what I call, Workout Tunnel vision, I didn't have the time I needed to get the type of workout in that I wanted so I felt like I didn't have time to exercise at all. When I discovered how many calories one can burn just from walking that helped solve my problem. I just told myself I deserve a half hour to myself. and make it a point (especially on my days off) to go for a half hour walk. I have since started using EA Sports Active 2 which is a great cardiovascular and strength training program that I can do right in my house (I have it for the PS3 and I'm told they also make it for the Wii)

Why doesn't your husband help with anything around the house or garden? Is there any chance that he would, or like someone else mentioned at least watch the children for you for a half hour. I don't know if any of this helps you at all. I know (even from when I post) there's so much else going on in the background of any one individual's life that they can't possibly explain everything they have to account for. But I hope you do find time for yourself, you so deserve it!

You don't find the time you make the time. Also, don't be fooled into thinking that you have to work out for a long time. A thirty minute walk will do wonders for you.

You are in a really hard situation I really think aznladie82's comment about using the kids nap or tv time to do some small workout, combined with Jenns1g's about using any and all time even if only short is probably the best option for you at the moment? I hope things can improve for you soon

I think most people have busy lives and find it difficult to find 'me' time. I don't have kids, but I am studying law full time and working full time as a medical PA atm so I know what it is to be busy! Some days it feels overwhelming and to be honest my way of dealing is to just throw caution to the wind every now and then - just ignore all the things I 'have' to do, and focus on the things I feel like doing. Of course, there follows a period of mad scrambling to reclaim the lost time by half-a**ed effort after this.. but sometimes I think I just need it. I call it 'taking a personal day', and this probably happens once every 3-4 weeks.

As for exercise, I tend to agree with Jenns again - I used to look at it like "Oh, I don't have time to schlep all the way down to the gym and take a 45 min class then sit in traffic for another 30 minutes on the way home again - thats 1.5-2 precious study hours right there!" Now I just put on my shoes, do what I can, and enjoy the time for what it is.

Good luck and keep well xoxo

Congrats on still being persistent on trying to work on yourself. Check with your employer to see if they offer any incentives for going to a gym using the pedometer, lots of companies are focused on healthy living these days. Try tracking on a pedometer and see how many steps you are taking per day and use it as a way to set goals. You could then go home throw on your workout clothes and use cleaning as a way to meet your pedometer goals which is a form of exercise. Try getting a HR monitor and see how many calories you burn working around the house you might be surprised.

Now for the extreme if someone told you could win a million dollars if you worked out 3-4 times per week for the next 30 days what changes to your schedule would you make? Would you get up 30 min earlier and exercise, would you work out during your lunch, would you park further away at work, would you take a brisk walk during your break, would you use the stairs, would you bands during your breaks? These are only suggestions and are easier said than done and rest and recovery is important to a healthy lifestyle.
Good luck to you, there is a ton of support here and hopefully your family will take notice before it’s too late.