Busy working mom's...

Hello! I completely understand what you're juggling. I have two part-time jobs, school, and taking care of my two-year-old. Fitness comes where I can squish it in. I take walks with my son, do Zumba while he jives to the Latin beat, play with the kids at my child care job...even though sometimes it's only 5 minutes each segment, it's SOMETHING.

I know just what you mean. I am married, two kids (13 & 9), and also working full-time. It used to be if I couldn't fit in a hour of straight exercise I would think, its not worth it! (and eventually I found myself hardly working out at all, til it all would come to a complete stop!)

This time, I am fitting in 20-25 minute exercises and realizing that some calories burned are better than none! I will workout while making dinner...I will take a walk up the road after dinner....Even while watching TV I usually wiggle my foot around so I am never completely still it seems!

I had to realize that yes my family is very important...but so am I!

I'm a busy working mom of 3 with a hubby who runs a business. It sure is busy around here. I have found that 30 minutes of excercise between 3 and 5 times per week is realistic for me. I did invest in a treadmill that I started with a year and a half ago-- I started out walking for 30 minutes and now I am up to jogging 3 km's in 30 minutes. I do find this to be the best strategy for me. The rest I focus on high nutrition packing my cooler full of food everywhere I go...plan for meals ahead of time and cook up on the weekends for the week. I also do my excercises at 6 am before the small people get up. Now that they are not babies it's much easier for me...

I also hired a housecleaner!

Set small realistic goals and you will get there...

I exercise on my breaks at work. I get 2 15 min breaks during the day. I go for a walk or jog during those breaks. Then it doen't cut into any time with my kids. I work full time, and also part time at night. have 2 kids ages 3 and 2. and house full of animals and a husband. if I can't work any other time, at least I know I got 30 min of exercise in.

My kids are grown and gone with kids of their own, but when they were young I used to run and they would go along on their bikes or roller blades. Great exercise for all of us, plus their constant chatter about school and friends and such kept my mind off how much I hate running.

Where ever I can! If my husband is working nights and I know I can't get out for a walk after supper (dishes can wait til my son is in bed!) I fit it in on my lunch hour, or a quick walk before I pick him up from day care. I walk with the Nordic walking poles so that I can bun more caleries and use more muscles in a shorter tim period (the poles "live" in my truck with my sweats so I am always prepared). I even walked in circles in our yard one night because I couldn't get out during the day and hubby had a meeting that night, I don't really care if the entie town (very small town) might be laughing at me as they drive by my house. I am doing this for my health and always feel better after a good walk. It is up to you to make time for your health. My son (7) even n out and walked around the yard with me for a bit, it is great to show them healthy habits!

I have a part time job, full time student and songle mother of 3 girls (3, 5, and 7). I always squeeze my workouts in after they go to bed and on Fridays I bring my youngest to the gym with me while the other two are in school and she goes to the daycare in the gym.

Lunch time! That is best for me... I am not a morning person. I am blessed with a gym at work... so I make use of it. Occassionally, I will do something in the evenings. Then on the weekends, hubs watches our son while I work out and then I watch him while hubs goes for a bike ride.

AND like Lisab - I hired a cleaning lady! I just can't do everything.

Ditto (tritto?) the cleaning lady! I will NOT spend half of my week-end cleaning the apartment.

single working mom to a 2.5 year old. I try to work out after she goes to bed since we aren't getting in our walks in anymore at night since its getting dark earlier

I used to really get down on myself when I didn't workout. When I did find the time I really felt better and I felt I could be a better mom and wife since working out helped reduce stress. I work a full time job and have 2 kids (8 and 6). I made a promise to myself that I would find the time to work out because I wanted to give my family all of me and leave the stress behind. I found that if I get up and do my workout in the morning it works. There were many days that the alarm would go off and I would pull the covers over my head, BUT I eventuallyt got up and went to the gym and I was happy I did. I start my day stress free and it has really helped me stay on track of eating good through out the day since I don't want to undo all my hard work by eating bad.

I take a few classes at my gym in the early morning while hubby gets the kids ready for school.
I go after work a few nights a week and put the kids in my gym's childcare.
I do my long runs on the weekend with friends and either let hubby stay with the kids, put them in the gym childcare or get a sitter.
I don't let having kids, a full time job and a hubby keep me from being healthy. no excuses!

Good to see that other busy mom's bail on the housecleaning and opt for a good burn!!! Yeah us!!! and for all those not quite there yet...it will come. Keep on plugging away!!!

I work full-time, and have a husband and 27-mo old. I am not the type of person who can function after waking up early to exercise, so I have to get mine in during the afternoon/evening hours. I shoot for 3 days per week, and sometimes I get 4.

For weekends, I like to go during nap time. But, sometimes I need a nap too.

On weeknights, I get home around 6pm and my husband gets home around 6:30-7pm. We all eat together almost as soon as he gets home - sometimes I am able to cook a 30-min-or-less recipe, but sometimes I end up just reheating leftovers. I will usually only eat about half my dinner (I include a late protein-rich snack late in the afternoon so this is not a problem). After I eat, I get ready and hit the gym, track, etc. My husband is responsible for childcare/bedtime on those nights. This way, fit my workout in between 7:30-9:30. When I get home, I finish dinner and get on with the rest of my night (which often means showering and going to bed).

It's crazy busy and exhausting, but even my husband has noticed that allowing me this time to get my exercise in makes me a much happier person in general. It also means that he gets nights out with his friends any time he asks -- as long as it doesn't interfere with my workout plans!

I also work full-time, school part-time (8 credits this semester), and I'm a single mom to a 5 year old. I work out in the morning. I usually get up at 5 and study and then start my workout some time after 6. I do exercise dvds. I'd rather go to the gym but that eats more time (getting there) and money (gym membership and child care), plus I feel guilty giving away even more time with my son so I am teaching myself to love working out at home. I study late after my son is in bed and early morning and then do my workout and then it's time to get ready and head off for a day of work. You just have to decided what matters most to you and make it work. If you are a night person do it at night, if you're a morning person do it then, or at lunch. I spend my lunches these days transporting my kindergartener to and from daycare and school (couldn't find any places that could do it for me). Also you could involve your spouse and/or kids walk with them, ride bikes, etc.