How to Fit in work outs

MyKids04
MyKids04 Posts: 178 Member
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I have a problem any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I am a mother of four and both my husband and I have full time jobs but we work different schedules. I work 9-5 and he works 4-12 midnight.

My day goes like this
Get up at 5:30 am take a shower get dressed and start breakfast for the kids.
6:30 am get my 13 year old up and she gets ready on her own
6:45 am get my 5 and 22 month old up, wash them up, get them dressed and get them downstairs to eat breakfast
7:15 am I get the baby dressed and in his car seat
7:45 am leave the house and take everyone to school or day care
9 am I am at work were I sit at a desk all day on the computer or the phone I even eat my lunch at my desk so I am sure to leave at exact 5 pm
5:30 pm I pick the boys up from daycare
6:30 pm start dinner
8pm the boys take a bath
9pm the 5 year old and the 22 month old are in bed
10 -11 pm the baby is in bed for about 5 hours when he get up for a bottle
11- 11:30 pm I get house work done that can't be done while the kids are up
Then hopefully I am in bed at 12:30 -1 am when my husband gets home from work and I do it all again in the morning.

So my question is how can I get in a work out with my day being so packed. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Now that the weather is getting a little better I do plan on getting outside with the boys more but to me that is not enough.

181673.png
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Calorie Counter

Replies

  • MyKids04
    MyKids04 Posts: 178 Member
    I have a problem any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

    I am a mother of four and both my husband and I have full time jobs but we work different schedules. I work 9-5 and he works 4-12 midnight.

    My day goes like this
    Get up at 5:30 am take a shower get dressed and start breakfast for the kids.
    6:30 am get my 13 year old up and she gets ready on her own
    6:45 am get my 5 and 22 month old up, wash them up, get them dressed and get them downstairs to eat breakfast
    7:15 am I get the baby dressed and in his car seat
    7:45 am leave the house and take everyone to school or day care
    9 am I am at work were I sit at a desk all day on the computer or the phone I even eat my lunch at my desk so I am sure to leave at exact 5 pm
    5:30 pm I pick the boys up from daycare
    6:30 pm start dinner
    8pm the boys take a bath
    9pm the 5 year old and the 22 month old are in bed
    10 -11 pm the baby is in bed for about 5 hours when he get up for a bottle
    11- 11:30 pm I get house work done that can't be done while the kids are up
    Then hopefully I am in bed at 12:30 -1 am when my husband gets home from work and I do it all again in the morning.

    So my question is how can I get in a work out with my day being so packed. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

    Now that the weather is getting a little better I do plan on getting outside with the boys more but to me that is not enough.

    181673.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Calorie Counter
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Can you leave the little guys at day care for a bit longer? Or do you have a lunch hour?
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
    Take some time at lunch and go for a walk. After dinner go for a walk with the little ones or do an exercise DVD. Do 15 minutes of sit ups, push ups, lunges before your shower inthe morning.

    It does not have to be alot at once, you can break it up during the day.
  • sarabear
    sarabear Posts: 864
    You say that you have a 13 year old, are they responsible enough that they could watch the kids or start dinner for you so that you could have about an hour?
  • aprilvet
    aprilvet Posts: 724 Member
    Wow!!! You are doing everything!! IMHO, your husband needs to do something to help. Can he give the baby the 10pm bottle while you pop in a workout DVD? What does he do during the day? Can he do some chores and prep dinner?

    Also, although you have a lot to handle, you seem to be getting only about 4.5 - 5 hours of sleep per night. Lack of sleep raises your cortisol levels and can make it a lot harder to lose weight. Since your husband doesn't go to work until later, could he get up occasionally to get the baby ready and take the kids to school to give you time to work out?

    Good luck!! MAKE YOURSELF THE PROIRITY!!!!!!!!! Spoken as the voice of experience.
  • ktthegr8
    ktthegr8 Posts: 479
    OMG! You really need some you time.I agree with getting more sleep. I can't even think about the gym without 7 hours of sleep. You can break your workouts up into 10-15 minutes here and there, but as a mother, I have come to LOVE my gym time in the morning. Sit down with your hubby and figure out sometime that he can take over and you can take off. It's important. Good luck!
  • dksmom
    dksmom Posts: 11
    i work an 8-5 desk job too... do you get any daily breaks? do you have stairs in your building? are you in an area you can walk? i started walking the stairs where i used to work, on my break times. when i switched jobs we started walking outside on our breaks. if it's yucky outside i will walk for 15 minutes in place at my desk.

    don't they have a small stepper machine that you could put under your desk? i know i saw one advertised with avon once...maybe you could put one under your desk for lunch time. or do some creative exercising at your desk???
  • Kimono
    Kimono Posts: 367
    Any way your husband can put something in the crockpot while he is home. So dinner would be easier for you. Could you stand more while at work, or sit on a stability ball. And could your husband do a bit of housework so you wouldn't have to stay up so late doing it. And you have a 13 year old that could do a lot of helping. I have a 10 year old and she helps me out a lot with her brothers and my daycare kids. She does dishes, folds laundry, takes out trash just to name a few.
  • Cass
    Cass Posts: 5 Member
    My question is what does your husband do all day? If you are going to bed at the same time as him, he could get up to help you and take a "nap" before he has to go to work at 4:00. If he got the 5 yr old & 22 mos old dressed and started with breakfast (or maybe even get them all of to school), you could squeeze in a 45 minute dvd workout in the am . Also, I'm sure he could spend 30 minutes a day cleaning something to free up a few minutes of your time. Many times, we all feel like we need to take on the world and do it all ourselves and in reality, they have no problem helping (they just don't know what to do or that you even need help). Is he aware that you're trying to find time to squeeze in a workout and would he be supportive in helping you achieve your goals?
  • Kimono
    Kimono Posts: 367
    My husband worked night shifts for a while. It stinks. But he did get up and help me if I needed it. Sometimes you just have to ask and then tell them how much you appreciate it.
  • ggooding12
    ggooding12 Posts: 53
    First of all why is the hubby not taking care of his kids during the day. Sounds like he has it way too easy. If he drops off the kids at day care around 2 or 3, then maybe they can stay there an hour or two longer so you can get a work out in. Do you belong to a gym? Good luck. I know it's hard with little ones, I had 2 girls and 3 steop boys from age 4 - 9. Three are now grown and the two youngest are 16 and 17. So, it's easier for me now. I can definitely feel your exhaustion.
  • gflynt
    gflynt Posts: 32 Member
    I must agree. Your husband needs to help you out in the mornings. If he gets in at 1am, then he can get up at 6:30 to start the breakfast/waking up process. This alone would give you an hour (5:30 - 6:30) to exercise and then you could shower/dress after. Perhaps he can take a nap at 11am or so.

    I worked nights for a while and this is exactly what I did.
  • paddlemom
    paddlemom Posts: 682 Member
    Wow! Your life is a workout in itself! Thinking about how to shoehorn in yet another activity can be really challenging.

    I know that getting hubby and teens on board with helping out more is great in theory; but it can be really stressful trying to change how the rest of the household runs at the same time you are trying to change yourself, so do it in little steps so you don't sabbotage your own success.

    See if there are some things on your "must do" list that you really can let slide....a little dust and disorder are healthier than no exercise and too many calories :bigsmile:

    Dinner? I like the crock pot or oven dinners and there are some great low calories ones out there that you can love! Toss together a salad with them and you have found a half hour to do an exercise dvd or take the kids for a walk.

    Dance with your kids! - a 5 month old makes a great resistance weight. There are some great mommy and me exercises that you can do, which lets you incorporate your play time with them into a workout. Again - 15 minutes here and there really adds up.

    Definitely take work breaks!!! I get that you might not take a lunch so you can "bank" that half-hour/hour and get out earlier at the end of the day, but you at least need to get the oxygen circulating. Try just getting up and doing one loop of the stairs at the office every couple of hours.

    And SLEEP!!!! - It's easy to look at it as unproductive time, but not only are there good metobolic reasons for getting a good night's sleep, but it's hard to keep motivated if you are just too tired to care!

    Good luck - we're here for you!!!
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