New to MFP - Finding it hard to find the time - Working Mom

Hi...I am right there with ya! I joined several months ago and have had a difficult time finding time. I also work full time and have 2 little ones to take care of.

Maybe you can't devote one whole hour a day to exercising but maybe you can do small increments. Do you get an hour for lunch? Pack your lunch and your sneakers and walk around the block or parking lot for 30 minutes. Even 10 minutes bursts of exercise 3 times a day will work. Just try to think of little things you can do each day to get some exercise in. Do sit-ups or arm exercises with weights while you watch tv. If you just try to think outside the box a little I bet you can find ways to incorporate some exercise everyday. DON'T GIVE UP - YOU CAN DO IT!!!

I used to go to the gym every morning (when I had a sitter available - I'm a single SAHM), but it became too expensive for me. I took what I learned from working with personal trainers these years and started doing at home beachbody programs. It works for me. I can do them before the little ones are awake or after they've gone to bed. Sometimes, if I feel like doing a little extra, I'll workout in the middle of the day and have the little ones join me. It's hilarious!!

I get up between 5am and 6am (really I shot for 5 but often don't make it). It sucks but it's the only time I have. I don't sleep well if I try to do it in the evening.

I regret not taking time for me when my children were smaller to work out. It is a great stress reliever and makes me much easier to get along with. My children are teenagers now and I still have very little time so I get up at 4:30 do 30 Day Shred (20 minutes), fix lunches, fix my breakfast, hit the shower get the kids into the car get them to school and me to work. I also walk while my daughter is at cross country practice since it is at a park. Make time for you now and your whole family will benefit. Good luck.
Lori

I've been on here since January and still trying to figure out how to make this work as a working mom. I also commute an hour each way to work so those two hours are also wasted. I have been exercising 3 to 4 days most weeks except recently as I am getting my son ready to start school and I have not been feeling very good at all. One thing I do to squeeze in extra burns is to do little things while I am at work like crunches on the toilet...haha, I put the seat down, and then perch on the edge with my feet on the stall door and do crunches. I also do squats in the bathroom and shadowboxing while I sit on the toilet. My son also likes to "workout" with me which usually consists of him following along for a minute of a DVD workout and then spending the rest of the time telling me what I am doing wrong. Getting him involved has been awesome though, because now he wants to do it with me more and we've even jogged a mile together. He's 5! You can add me as a friend if you'd like Working moms have to stick together!

I was exercising after the kids were in bed...the summer came. It was hard to find time in the summer and I fell hard. I just started again but with diet only right now. Exercise to come again soon. The time is my biggest issue too but it can be done. Good luck! Feel free to add me as a friend if you want.

I understand how difficult it can be to find the time to workout. It's a challenge. I have 7 kids, 5 of whom are under the age of 14. I also work full-time and my husband works 12 hr nights. So there are days out of the week when I'm truly flying solo with the kids! I have found a few things that work, albeit with some trade-offs here and there.

~I have worked out over my lunch break, either by going for a 20-30 min walk, climbing the stairs several times, turning on some music and dancing in my office, doing squats and dips, etc. I've had to take some baby wipes and deoderant with me to hit the hot spots if I get too gamey :embarassed:

~Do some simple exercises while watching t.v. In my home, the kids aren't allowed to watch t.v. during the school week so it doesn't even come on until they're in bed (I have an 18 year old so he doesn't count). I've used that time to do some push ups and jumping jacks during the commercials. That's also a good time to get in some much needed stretching.

~I struggled for a very long time with the idea of taking too much time away from the kids. And I do mean struggled. But it took some serious encouragement...downright demanding....from my husband to let some of the angst over that go! I had to trust that my kids would actually be all right without me and that I'd be better for them if I took an hour 3 days out of the week to get myself on track. When it came down to it, that was more a matter of my own psychology than a matter of mothering. But everyone is different in that regard...just something to think about. NOW.....everyone in my house has a choice: They can get on board with Mommy when it's time to exercise or they can find something else to do until Mommy's finished. I suspect that my children are a bit older than yours, but my youngest is 7.

We ride bikes together in the neighborhood, they help me in the garden, we'll do a DVD together and they use canned good for weights, we do Wii together, make up dance routines together, etc. OR I will take that time just for myself while they find other things to keep them occupied.

~I get up at 5:00 in the morning. That gives me about 30 min to get some movement in before the kids have to eat breakfast. Getting up early is painful sometimes but it's absolutely imperative that I get in bed at a decent hour. You can't lose weight without proper sleep.

In essence, you might find it easier to break your exercise up in 10-20 min increments throughout the day rather than trying to get in a full 60-90 min workout at one time. There are ways to be creative and feel good about yourself and the time you spend with the kiddos. I hope this helps! Be encouraged!

LOL! Don't sweat it, girl. Some of this is trial and error. You might attempt to go to bed and wake up an hour early, only to discover that it makes you feel worse. On the other hand, you might find that you are sharper throughout the day for doing so. Allow for some flexibility and creativity and you'll find your way.

I want to say that people told me for years to make myself a priority so that I could be a better wife and mother to my family. It made perfect sense to me intellectually. But emotionally, that was probably the biggest hurdle for me to jump. Mommies don't like the idea of "robbing" time away from our children or letting other things fall to the wayside while we do something for ourselves. All too often, our approach is to try and get everything else done and THEN take what's left over for ourselves. But that never works because there's always something to do! We're NEVER done with laundry, grocery shopping, carpooling, cooking, cleaning, scheduling appointments, returning phone calls, checking homework, and running last minute errands for kids who've known about a project for weeks but waited until two days before it's due to tell you they need styrofoam shapes (...sorry...flashback from last school year, I guess). What was the question again? Oh yeah!....

Taking (and I do mean TAKING) time for yourself is indeed a selfish act and I've never met a young child who voluntarily said, "You know Mom, I was thinking that you work too hard and need some time away from it all to focus on your health and relaxation. Go....I'll be all right without you. See you when you return." Nope, it's up to us to demand of ourselves the same love, nurturing, and benefits we heap on others. If we say we want to get healthy so that we can enjoy and inspire our families, then we have to trust that they'll all be okay while we strive for that goal.

I'm done with my rant now...........

I have two children,one is two and the other is only 8 weeks old. I do videos during the day then the whole family (including my husband) go for a walk when it gets cooler during the evening. Some days I mix it up and I come over to my grandparents apartments while she watches my children and I use their fitness center. Like everyone says, use what you have available to you, whether the whole family goes for a walk or you do videos.