Workout interruptions

quebooboo · December 2019

I'm a homeschooling mother of 5. My youngest is 7 months. I've been struggling with workout interruptions at home. I'm able to go out to the Y occasionally, but it's not realistic to take my entire crew as often as I need to workout. My home workouts often feel like a disaster. Right when I finally start to break a sweat, the baby wants to nurse, or some home disaster happens that needs my intervention. I have been getting between 20 and 40 minutes in 5 to 6 days a week, but it's often very broken up into tiny bits. I'm lucky to get 10 minutes at a time. I really want to get stronger and more in shape to keep up with my crew. Are my little broken workouts going to help me get there? I am getting so frustrated. I just want to be able to finish a workout but my little grimlins aren't on my side. 😩

MT1134 · December 2019

Every little bit helps but sporadic bursts like that probably won't make much of a difference. Any chance your crew can join you?

JBanx256 · December 2019

can you get it done at zero dark thirty when the munchkins are still asleep?

sardelsa · December 2019

Oh this sounds like my workouts right now.
For me it helps to lift since I can split up my workouts into sets.
One set....nurse baby. One set...make snacks for older kids. One set... deal with sibling dispute. One set settle and rock baby to sleep. You get the idea. I would workout in the morning but that would cut into the little sleep I actually get, not sure if that is the case with you. I just try to get it done. Maybe you can involve the kiddos? In the past I used to put on a workout video and we would do it together. I just keep telling myself this time will pass and it will get easier.

Shortgirlrunning · December 2019

Can your partner take the reigns with the parenting for 30 - 60 minutes a few nights a week so you can get your exercise in in the evenings?

sugarcakes38 · December 2019

When my babies were small like yours (4 ranging from newborn to 7yrs), I literally incorporated my exercise into my daily routine with them. I lost 151lbs that way.
- I walked the older ones to and from school most days.
- I made sure all my house chores were completed by the end of the afternoon and I moved quickly. A lot of up and down, fidgeting, carrying, scrubbing, sweeping mopping, day-projects like cleaning out closets, and in the end a clean house is always nice.
- I ate when my toddlers ate, and made sure I was done by the time they were done. Water and light snacks (snack size ziplocks w veggies, fruits, crackers or sometimes a mix) in between.
- I played with all of them. From the oldest to youngest. Basketball in the street, walks with all of them with the stroller, trips to the park, literally playing with them on the floor, hide n seek, shoot the opportunities are endless.
- made sure I slept. It was always a choice between time to myself after their bedtime or fall asleep. I learned that my rest was more important at those hours and not fight my sleep.

I lost the bulk of my weight with this and I’m sure it’s how a lot of young mothers do. There was just no other way for a long time. But it made me a better, more hands-on and attentive mom. My gym membership didn’t come until much later and it was a Christmas gift. Best wishes

quebooboo · December 2019

Thank you all for your suggestions. It's a bummer that my current short spurts won't do much. My husband works in the film industry. It's 70 to 80 hours a week, so he's not able to help most days. He does what he can. I'm currently not getting enough sleep (maybe 2 to 5 hours a night), so I don't have much wiggle room there with a teething baby. My older kids would rather heckle me while I work out instead of join in. And I'm not strong enough yet or recovered enough from birth (I fractured my pelvis and have pelvic floor prolapse) to include my 23lb infant in my workouts. I look forward to that! I am getting a little stronger... It's just taking a very long time to get there. It sounds like I might just have to make the effort to get to the Y more frequently where there is childcare for my kids so that I can finish a workout. It's just such an ordeal. So dumb that 30 to 45 minutes is so hard to carve out.

emmamcgarity · December 2019

Small things count. Do what you can and take care of yourself. Some days will be easier and others impossible.

Jthanmyfitnesspal · December 2019

@sugarcakes38 posted a great entry. Anytime you are active with your kids, you get at least 2x the benefit. You may not be marathon or triathlon training (at least, not without a lot of babysitting), but you can stay active while teaching them to be active as well.

I got a lot of mileage out of the old baby jogger. My friend, with two kids near in age, got a lot of use out of a side-by-side double.

I also did a lot of rug exercises while they played. But: it took a lot of training to teach them not to jump on me while I was doing push-ups!

quebooboo · January 2020

I just wanted to give an update! Thank you for your suggestions. My youngest son is almost 9 months and still clingy af. He refuses the stroller and anything that might be helpful. It's cold and I hate going outside. So I've learned I can do walking workouts from YouTube safely while babywearing. I can also do squats while babywearing. I have also learned that on a good day he's highly entertained by watching me play Just dance, so I will go in sweat mode and play for 30 minutes twice a day when I can. I usually put him in a jumper and let him jump along with me. I love dancing, so that's fun. I didn't want to leave everyone hanging. And wanted to share my solutions in case there are any other parents out there struggling to fit in some fitness.

Workout interruptions

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