Feeling frustrated and wishing I had more support.

The job of the household CEO.. I know that job very well.. Finding time for US is so difficult.. I'm a mother of two very active kids.. I work shift work .. It is so very hard to find time for myself.. Unfortunately that time usually comes when everyone has gone to sleep or has not got up yet.. I know the tired feeling believe me.. I feel your pain.. If you need support please feel free to add me as a friend..


Valarie

Working out pre-dawn is not the end of the world! In fact it's the best way to start your day and the best motivation you can have for the rest of the day.

I've learnt I just can't exercise in the evening - it's just too tempting to crash on the couch or read a book and relax. Plus it's harder to keep a schedule, we're more likely to do different things in the evening, and if you have a family you'll have more demands on your time in that part of the day, right?

So just tell yourself you can get up an hour earlier, certain days of the week. Set an alarm and even set another 5 minutes later (that's what I have to do, haha).

Once you're awake - as yourself "Ok I'm awake now, what's the point of staying in bed?"
Get your workout clothes on and start whatever your workout is, once you've started, you'll get into it, and want to finish.
And when you do, endorphins will be be pumping, you'll be proud of yourself for having put that effort in already, and you can get on with your day in a more positive frame of mind!
Once you get in the habit of scheduling your workouts, telling yourself before you go to bed 'can't wait to do this tomorrow morning', it'll be easy
You'll probably even find you have more energy the rest of the day!

I did a lecture on exercise for breast cancer survivors the other day, and we talked about some of the same issues. I was joking and said the first tool you should get when you start changing your life style is a course in time management. I think - as someone else - this may be a good time to involve the kids at some levels. Do things as a team - in that way it is a family project and everyone benefit.

This should not be looked at as a diet. Diets are more than frequently a failure to begin with. Make it a life style adjustment - because what you do now you will be doing for years to come. One place I have learned a lot is the podcast (webcast) fat2fitradio.com - lots of good information and motivation.

Remeber - as Chris McCormack says - you are the CEO of your own one person company.

I completely understand where you are coming from. I leave for work at 5:30 am and by the time I get my 4 kids settled in the evening, the last thing I have energy for is exercise. 3 of my 4 children are in sports and I love to work out, but with their schedule I have fallen back drastically on exercising, which is the one thing that I really feel I need. I am learning though to sneak in little ways to get exercise daily. My youngest daughter and I walk around the soccer fields while my other children are at practice. I also park my car towards the back of parking lots so I have to walk farther. It is also good for the kids to get a little extra movement. I figure if I can organize a bit more and get help from the kids, then I shoudl be able to sneak in a 20 minute Zumba workout at least 3 days a week to start off with. As moms, our lives are so hectic, but I have learned that if we need to make time for ourselves. Feel free to add me as a friend and we can help support each other.