Calling all moms of 2 or more kids, 3 and under

Honestly,
I tried at the house to work out and something always interrupted me. I made it a priority to work out when the kids went to bed, so walk at night, join a gym. I liked the Jillian Michaels 30 minute workouts as well. Good luck!

sorry double post

I have 3 little ones and I started my fitness journey in August. I live on a farm and don't have the ability to go to a gym, nor do we have great roads to run/walk on. So - we invested in a nice elliptical for cardio and I have been focused on using Jillian Michael's dvds 5-6 days per week. I started with 30 Day Shred and the workouts are under 30 minutes (including warm-up and cool down) so you could actually do it during naps! I've also done Ripped in 30 and am currently doing Killer Buns and Thighs. I personally wake up at 5:30 with hopes to get in my workout before anyone wakes because naps don't always overlap.

Adding the strength training element has made all the difference in my body. I needed to really sweat! It is hard when you sacrifice doing other things, but it is so worth it! Best of luck!

When I'm at home with my kids (3 and 1), and they're awake, I let them "join in" while I use exercise dvds. They think I'm hilarious when doing Tae Bo and they do their own little versions. Sometimes I have to pause and restart, sometimes they get in my way, sometimes I use the baby to my advantage when I can.

It's not ideal, but if I can accomplish 40 minutes of high intensity exercise in my living room with 2 kids gated in (sometimes the playpen will be used), then anyone can get it in - even if you have to break it up.

If you don't have exercise dvds but have cable with free on-demand, there are tons of GREAT workouts there as well. Or I have used my laptop before to find free exercises online. Having "dance parties" with your older kids is fun, quick little way to raise your heart rate. Good luck!

I am right there with you! My son turned 2 in July. My daughter turns 1 next week. They are only 16 months apart. The one thing that I am thankful for, is that I stay at home with them right now and aside from school work (in college part time) I have the free time to be with them, and try to work out. It is possible, but trust me I make excuses all the time. I hate that when they nap I have to choose between quiet time to myself with a cup of coffee relaxing, or cleaning the house because LORD knows it needs it, or working out. I wish they napped long enough for me to do all three! LOL

I go on walks with my kids when the weather is nice we live in Ohio so I only get about May-September to go on walks. What I learned from that is, have a halfway point where you can stop, let them out and play, and give them a snack and a sippy cup, etc. The halfway point for me is my parent's house 1.4 miles away. We walk there, then rest, then turn around and walk back so its almost a 3 mile walk which is nice. I know what you mean about the meltdowns and such, but don't let that phase you, just keep trying. The other thing I do for walking is taking them to the park and pushing the stroller around the park a couple times. Our park has big hills and it is such a good work out. Then when the kids get fussy, we stop at the playground and I let them swing and stuff. We have a snack, then I push them in the stroller back to the car. It is really nice, and the best part is, if a meltdown happens, I'm not far from the car and we can just head home (vs. walking 2 miles back home with screaming kids).

As far as working out when they nap I have a biggest loser dvd it has the option to do 20, 30, or 40 minutes. I usually put it in once I know they are good and asleep and just go for it. If they wake up and aren't screaming or crying I just let them play in their room/crib until I'm done. If they need me right away then I just go get them, and stop the work out. I also have a step aerobics dvd with the 6 inch step, but that is a little longer and a little more noisy so I don't usually do it as often.

The one thing I tried that worked out nicely was getting up before the kids, and working out. I had to set my alarm and get up at 6, but I had time to work out, and eat breakfast and drink coffee and the house was quiet and it was so nice. BUT I've only done that about 3 times, because it is SO hard for me to get up early just to work out. Ugh. I hate it. One other thing I have done, is work out later at night after I've put the kids in bed. I also didn't like this as much, but usually the early morning or late night work outs are easier to get through since the kids are sleeping more soundly than during a nap.

GOOD LUCK!

I have two little ones at home too. It's so hard to schedule around them sometimes. Even when you think they're on a schedule. I have really loved Tony Horton's 10 minute trainer. All the workouts are broken down into 10 min segments: cardio, lower body, abs, total body, etc. I can definitely fit a 10 min workout in. And, if you have extra time, just do more than one. You might not think 10 min will do anything, but believe me, it works you. He combines multiple moves in one. It works you. Anyways, that's how I've managed unpredictable kids and no time.