How do I find the time to exercise?

My favorite quote: "If you want to do it, all you have to do is do it." -Ben Davis


I wake up at 4:30 am to workout. It sucks but it is the only time for me that will work during the week.

4:30 am - 5:30 am = workout
5:30 am - 7:30 am = shower, eat, kids up, kids to school
8:00 am - 4:30 pm = work
4:30 pm - 9:00 pm = everything life throws at a mom of 5!
9:00 pm - 4:30 am = sleep

Make the time

My schedule looks similar to yours... i wake up at 5:15, get lunches together, get myself and my 2 1/2 year old daughter ready for the day, and am out the door by 6:45. I have a 40 minute commute. my job is very busy and i usually barely have time for lunch. I leave by about 4:30, pick my daughter up, head home, make dinner, try to get my daughter in bed by 8 but usually she is not asleep until 9, and then I get ready for bed. Sounds like I can't fit in exercise but somehow I do. Exercise has always been really important to me and I make it work, but I have found that I have to fit it in wherever I can. At work, I try to fit in 1 to 3 15 minute walks a day on most days. i do pushups and sit-ups and other stength exercises at my desk throughout the day. After work, I will trade off either picking up my daughter or making dinner with my husband so I can go for a run or bike ride - I do this about 2 times a week during the work week. I also have found a gym that offers day care that I go to for about an hour with my daughter 2 times during the work week. On the weekends, I always fit in a long bike ride or run or hike in on one or both days. In all I am getting 5 to 6 days of intense exercise plus walking and strength training when I have a few minutes of free time. I have a very busy schedule but I have found ways to make it work. You may not be in a situation where you have a spouse that can help give you time for exercise, but if you are, I suggest talking to them to get their support. I also suggest looking for a local gym that offers child care, and exercising at your desk throughout the day or during breaks. If you search the web, there are a lot of suggestions on how to get a good workout with only doing somthing for 4 to 5 minutes at a time 6 times a day. You just need to find what works for you

Have you thought about preparing meals on the weekend and freezing them or using a crockpot to cook your evening meals? That way you could probably stay for practice with the kids and use that time to exercise. Bottom line is that you have to slow down and make the time to workout. If that doesn't work then at the very least you could try to use your fifteen minute break at work to walk.

My favorite quote: "If you want to do it, all you have to do is do it." -Ben Davis


I wake up at 4:30 am to workout. It sucks but it is the only time for me that will work during the week.

4:30 am - 5:30 am = workout
5:30 am - 7:30 am = shower, eat, kids up, kids to school
8:00 am - 4:30 pm = work
4:30 pm - 9:00 pm = everything life throws at a mom of 5!
9:00 pm - 4:30 am = sleep

This ^^^^
Yes it sucks but you are worth the effort and so are your kids who will love having a healthier mom!

Wake up earlier. Get up at 5 or 5:30 and get some exercise into your schedule. It will be difficult at first, but stick with it and it gets easier. I was NEVER a morning person. HATED mornings with every fiber of my being. But when I decided to get fit, I decided to overcome that hatred and get my body into the habit of being up at 5:00am every day, ready to work out. You can do it too.

I hate working out in the morning. I believe the best exercise is the one you stick to, so make time when you feel happy to do it! If you bring a packed lunch, how about keeping trainers in your desk drawer and going for a half-hour power walk? And when you run the kids to their activities, rather than dashing home, why not stay and walk or jog round where they're doing their stuff?

Housework only really needs to be done once or twice a week! With the meals, make double quantities and freeze the leftovers to have the following week, or get a slow cooker where you can throw everything in and leave it.

With your schedule it sounds like the best time is early morning, but I am not a morning person myself. I have to be up by 5:15 and I work 7am-7pm. Gym has a daycare during some hours and I utilize them a lot. As hard as it may sound, you can make time. I didn't think it was possible, then I caught myself sitting down bored...flipping thorough channels on the tv... and realized I could be up and doing something, Make some "you" time too, to recoop from the day. Best of luck! You can do this!!

It seems like the perfect time to exercise is when your children are in practice. If they are at a recreation center, you can go to the gym there. If not, try just walking around the outside of the building until the end of their practice.

I do my workouts at home at night before bed after my dinner has settled down. I just stay up a little later. I'm not a morning person so getting up that early is a challenge for me.

I get up in the morning before work and excercise too. I have 2 kids, so it's hard to find time after work. I do some fitness classes at night, but it's hard to squeeze them in sometimes, so mornings work best for me.

Our schedules are very similar, I'm a mother of two boys 9 and 3. My alarm goes off at 3:55am, I get up, brush my teeth, get dressed and I'm there by 4:15am. I stay there for an hour. As a mother I think its definately harder to find time to workout once the kids are out of school or asleep.

My alarm is set for 4:50 am....get up and JUST DO IT!!! It is finsihed and you can go throughout your day feeling like you have accomplished something and be proud of yourself!! I workout from 5 am to about 6:20.....good luck!

You'll fit it in when it becomes a priority. For me I had to have a heart attack and then things weren't so important. I suggest using your lunch break, and then have a snack or lunch during your breaks. Even if you only get 30 minutes, that is enough for a workout 3 times a week. Or you could do Tuesday and Thursday and fit one in on the Saturday or Sunday. You might even do 2 15's.

Good luck!

i tried working out in the morning, and realized it wasnt for me. So I would workout in the evenings, after my youngest went to bed (around 8:30).

Now i switched my work schedule around. I work 7:30-3:30, and go to the gym from 4:30 to 5:30. It helps to go straight to the gym from work. I have no excuses.