Career Parents trying to make it happen!

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samanthamihail
samanthamihail Posts: 1 Member
in Motivation and Support
It's so difficult, isn't it? It's my job to SIT and THINK. I have to remain productive long after my sharpest mental point in the day has passed, and I'm bored, so I SNACK! Not to mention the monthly Office Birthday cakes and luncheons, random donuts and the candy bucket in the break room. Add a family at home to cook meals for and, yeah that's a lot of opportunities for poor eating choices, and few opportunities for exercise. I'm trying to find better ways to deal with office trudgery, boredom and stress. And to convince myself that taking time away from family or housework to get a workout in is not selfish (that's how it feels). Anybody else trying to make it happen ?!?!

P.S. this post is NOT meant to denigrate stay-at-home parents or imply that they don't face as many challenges; just to recognize that our challenges can be different at times. :)

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  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    It's SO FREAKIN' HARD! I work 40+ hours a week and still manage to eat right, exercise and take care of the entire family and house and two kids under two. Yes, I have bad choice days but mostly I make the choice to eat right and I do it. I think just knowing that taking time for yourself is NOT selfish is a huge hurdles and once we release that guilt we can really get stuff done.
    First, I get up before the entire house is up and I run. My husband takes care of babies if they get up while I'm gone.
    Second, I log everything I'm going to eat for the day in the morning. that way I know if I have wiggle room or can have that candy or donut in the break room during the day.
    Third, I walk twice a day every day during work. I set a reminder on my work email calendar that pops up and tells me to take a walk at 10 am and 3pm. Some days I don't get the walk in due to work stuff, weather, my temperament but 90% of the time I do.
    Fourth, I have someone clean my house twice a month. it's worth every penny to me to know that I don't have to do that deep cleaning and can spot clean in between.
    Fifth, I choose to make nutritious meals for my family every night so if that means crock pot in the morning or coming home and getting it done then that's what I do.
    You are doing great and life is all about decisions. Sounds like you are making the good decisions to move your health and the health of your family in the right direction. JUST KEEP IT UP!!! You can make the choice to live better.
  • Cassandraw3
    Cassandraw3 Posts: 1,214 Member
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    Yes! When I first started my current job a year ago, I slowly started putting on weight for those exact reasons. Then I started going to the gym again, and my weight kept creeping up! Then finally in April, I had enough and started tracking what I eat. I've managed to lose the extra weight I put on plus a few more pounds. I have since learned to moderate the amount of offices goodies I eat. Learning to find other things to fill the boredom other than food. Recognizing wanting to eat from hunger vs boredom.

    As far as the gym, I do that for my own sanity. I love working out and I am happier when I do. It is easier to be a better mom/wife when you are happy and taking care of yourself. You cannot pour from an empty cup. While it is hard to be away, it helps in the long run.

    It took a while for me to find the right balance. I don't always get all the housework done (ok, I never get all the housework done), but that is not what my son will remember when he is older. I slowly added in the gym time, to going 3-4x /week, then started tracking calories. Now, they are both habit. You can do this. Do it for yourself and to set a good example for your kids.
  • countcurt
    countcurt Posts: 593 Member
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    I guess I don’t totally follow. There are multiple demands on all of our lives. And if you’re not at work with all those temptations you’re at home making cupcakes for the PTA bake sale or helping to sell (and therefore having to buy) Girl Scout Cookies. And then there’s the pizza dinner after soccer practice, the multiple kids’ birthday parties. And with all that carpooling and carting kids to dance lessons, piano lessons, all the while waiting for the plumber and the tree guy to show up so there goes the workout.


    The point? Lots of people have lots going on. Some of which we have no control over. Most of which we DO have control over. You can’t control how much candy is in the break room. You can control how much of it you eat.
  • bemyyfriend0918
    bemyyfriend0918 Posts: 241 Member
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    samanthamihail wrote: »
    It's so difficult, isn't it? It's my job to SIT and THINK. I have to remain productive long after my sharpest mental point in the day has passed, and I'm bored, so I SNACK! Not to mention the monthly Office Birthday cakes and luncheons, random donuts and the candy bucket in the break room. Add a family at home to cook meals for and, yeah that's a lot of opportunities for poor eating choices, and few opportunities for exercise. I'm trying to find better ways to deal with office trudgery, boredom and stress. And to convince myself that taking time away from family or housework to get a workout in is not selfish (that's how it feels). Anybody else trying to make it happen ?!?!

    P.S. this post is NOT meant to denigrate stay-at-home parents or imply that they don't face as many challenges; just to recognize that our challenges can be different at times. :)

    Yes, it is HARD at the office. Prior to my current job, I worked in retail and was constantly walking around the store all day running to various departments. I was easily walking 20K steps a shift. Now I sit on my butt all day at my desk. I never realized how much of a difference that would make in regards to my overall health, but to go from an average of 20K steps a day to 3K on a good day, is absolutely noticeable. It's easy to sit at my desk and snack, and between the specials in our office cafeteria, bagels on random Mondays followed by cupcakes on Tuesday and pizza on Wednesday, it's all too easy to fall into traps. After work I'm exhausted, and can't even fathom going to the gym when I have so much to catch up on at home.

    The only thing that helped me is walking while I'm at work. I spend every break and my entire lunch walking. That's 1 hour every day! I manage to get 6600 steps in during those times, plus around 3000 or so just from daily life, so I'm almost hitting 10k. Not to mention i'll get up every once in a while and walk up the stairs for an added bonus. I pack my lunches, and eat at my desk. If they're getting bagels or pizza or something, i'll plan ahead and eat some and make it fit into my plan. A slice of pizza only has around 400 calories tops...so there's my lunch for the day! I don't usually have pizza AND a cupcake in the same day at work, but if I do I either need to force myself to go to the gym after work, OR cut my dinner down a little lower.
  • texasleahgirl
    texasleahgirl Posts: 96 Member
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    I hear ya, desk jobs are tough on daily activity. As an accountant, I completely understand when you are mentally past the best part of your day so a snack does help. I plan that mid afternoon snack to make sure I have room for it. So here are my office job tips:

    1. Set my Fitbit to remind me to move at least 250 steps every hour.
    2. Pack my lunch 95% of the time along with snacks, pre-weighed and pre-logged usually.
    3. Daily 40 minute walk at lunch, keep clothes/shoes at work so there are no excuses.
    4. I work for a restaurant chain, so we always have new recipes and samples to try, not to mention the candy bucket, doughnuts, birthdays etc. So I bought a $14 food scale to keep at work to keep track of unexpected foods as they come up. Last week we sampled 2 different taco meats so I just weighed out .5 ounce of each and that kept me from overeating the samples.

    Bottom line, remove all friction from what you need to do daily to stay on track--make easy, packable lunch choices, keep walking shoes with you at all times, move as much as you can while at work so you have more free time at home with family, and make tracking unexpected items easy to do so you can participate in the important events and social time with you co-workers.

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