No time to excercise what do you do?

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  • davepavone
    davepavone Posts: 42
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    there is some very good info here but Its on you!!
    We do not know how long life is, So make time for you! Everything will fall in place, maybe a bump but change is always resisted.
    Make the changes for you its worth it.
  • ItsMeRebekah
    ItsMeRebekah Posts: 910 Member
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    15min full blast kettlebell work out. you use every muscle in your body and will hurt the next day! everybody has 12-15min a day!! no excuses =) thats what i tell myself anyways HAHHA
  • gigigirl003
    gigigirl003 Posts: 16 Member
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    I love the Leslie Sansone Walk at Home dvd's. They are broke up in to 5 one mile workouts that are about 15 minutes each. She is easy to follow and you can do only 1 up to the 5 miles (depending on how much time you have). They are fun and give you a decent workout. You can get them at Walmart. Hope that helps you.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    My husband works really long and weird hours some days he leaves at 6:30am and does not get home until midnight so he can't always be there to help. I teach in high school so parking farther away is not an option our school is on a road with no business. I do try to use my crock pot but just get tired of the same thing. If anyone has a good crock pot receipe that would be great but my kids are very picky eaters.

    There are a ton of crock pot cookbooks out there, there are also a ton of websites dedicated to crock pot cooking ( here's the Google search - https://www.google.com/search?q=crock+pot+cooking ), but just off the top of my head, I've done - sloppy joes, BBQ ribs, roast beef, BBQ pulled pork/chicken/beef, venison roast, squirrel (okay, that may be a weird one to you, but I tell you, it's awesome if you can get your hands on it).

    Why not have your kids help you with preparing meals, or have them pack their own lunches? At any age, they should be able to at least help (my not-quite-two-year-old helps by getting things like bowls and food, and throws stuff away, and helps me unload the dishwasher), if not do it completely themselves. Not only does it foster independence and self-sufficiency, but it also gives you a break!

    How about arranging carpooling with your kids' teammates? That would free up several hours a couple of times a week, at the expense of chauffeuring around a few extra kids on your night. Even better, if the practice location is reasonably close, you/they could walk or ride bikes to and from it.

    And what do you do while the kids are at the practice? That's a perfect time to go do something, even if it's going into a different room and doing Yoga or something (who knows, you may be able to start a local group for it!).

    You mention you're a teacher, what grade set do you teach (elementary, middle school, high school)? Depending on what set you teach, perhaps you could work in an "extra recess" time or some other excuse to go out an walk around at least once a week? Gym, Science, and elementary teachers have it relatively easy in this area, but even things like English or history, you can do things, if you're creative about it. It gets the kids up and moving, too.

    You have the time, you just have to figure out where it is and what you can do with what you have. Just get creative!
  • kh0215
    kh0215 Posts: 56 Member
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    I do feel for you, our situations are similar. I work at a school as a school nurse and in the evenings I work at a gymnastics gym. I get up at 6:30, work from 7:30am-8:00pm. I have 3 children and my husband works long hours. What I have found that helps me is picking a day of the week like Sunday and getting all my meal prep done. Chopping the veggies and cooking what I can, I then use the crockpot religiously throughout the week. M-T we have crockpot meals, Fix it and FOrget it has a ton of light to lighter recipes.

    I can't wait for the time to change again so I can get more hours in my day! :)
  • hiker282
    hiker282 Posts: 983 Member
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    A wise man once said, "When something is important, you make the time." Having no time is just an excuse. Nix the excuse and maybe cut back on your computer time. Use a lunch break as a time to get the heart rate up. Ask the hubby to help a little with getting the kids ready in the morning. You can find it if you're willing to sacrifice something else.
  • carolann_22
    carolann_22 Posts: 364 Member
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    Netflix has the 10 minute solutions videos - I do two of them at lunchtime on my computer since it's streaming - just 20 minutes, but it's something.

    I also walk on my planning period (I'm an elementary LMS). Just 20 minutes so I can still get school stuff done, but I go as fast as I can and get my heartrate up, and it's great for my morale to get outside a bit.
  • solincia
    solincia Posts: 5
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    I'm just going to throw this out there, as I do not have kids... but I was a kid once myself.

    1. "My kids are picky eaters" .... growing up, what my mom put on my plate, we ate... plain and simple.. no two butts about it.
    2. You have an advantage ~ you get home at 3:30pm. It might be time to change up the routine. How old are your kids? Take 30 minutes for yourself when you get home to walk/job, do your C25K, etc. Also, as someone else suggested, use videos or Netflix for at home solutions. Get the kids involved too!! 30 minutes a day for physical fitness for them as well would be so beneficial, regardless of the age! My parents didn't get home until 5:30-6pm when I was a kid, so during that time my sister and I did whatever, homework, etc.... use your advantage of getting home early to your benefit... MAKE TIME for YOU!! :)

    Just some thoughts...
  • jessie_rose24
    jessie_rose24 Posts: 40
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    I carry a jump rope in my purse :) Whenever I am stopped somewhere...even punping gas.... I pull it out and get a few minutes of speed roping in.... you get some weird looks but whatever. Not like you are ever going to see those people again anyway. I also jump rope during breaks at work ( I work at an elementary school so it's no big deal for me to pop into the gym and jump rope on my 15 minute breaks when everyone else is outside smoking) Also if I eat my lunch fast, I can sneak in some rope time then. This is crucial on days when I just cannot make it to the gym!

    Tabatas are also another favorite of mine. Pick an exercise (a favorite is air squats, push ups, sit ups, burpees, etc) do as many as you can for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat 8 times. Total work out time 4 minutes.... but they are super effective. Keep it to one exercise at a time... i.e. do Tabata Squats for the 4 minutes, then if you have time later maybe do push ups or sit ups. If you have more time then string two or three tabata cycles together :)

    Get the kids in on the action... when I help my son with his homework and I feel like he needs a quick break, I say "What time is it?" And he yells out "TABATA TIME" we both go through a quick 4 minute cycle, which he thinks is a game and he's getting out of homework.... we both get exercise and it does amazing things for his focus! (He is 9 and not a fan of homework).

    Hope some of these ideas help!
  • UnderConstructionJ
    UnderConstructionJ Posts: 87 Member
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    bump
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
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    I know just how you feel, I have been managing to get in about 20-30 minutes a day on a used exercise bike I bought but other than that just focusing on my calroie intake right now. Im hoping in the summer I will be able to find a lot more time.
  • czechmate823
    czechmate823 Posts: 89 Member
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    My husband works really long and weird hours some days he leaves at 6:30am and does not get home until midnight so he can't always be there to help. I teach in high school so parking farther away is not an option our school is on a road with no business. I do try to use my crock pot but just get tired of the same thing. If anyone has a good crock pot receipe that would be great but my kids are very picky eaters.

    Here's a great site for crockpot recipes -- http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
    I love that site and use her recipes often, she has quite a lot, so you can mix it up, and the bonus is that they are mostly gluten free, so if anyone in your family has a wheat or gluten intolerance, you're covered!!
    I also love www.allrecipes.com, they have a ton of crockpot and make ahead recipes, and one that I've gotten from some MFP'rs on here is www.skinnytaste.com.
    Also, hop over to the recipes forum, they have a ton of quick recipes that may help you shave off more food prep time so you can have extra time for a quick work out!
    Good luck, I know it's a struggle, but getting support from this community -- and your family -- will keep you on track!! :happy:
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    busy mom. this is just my opinion, but d your kids really need to have that many obligations? good for them to be involved and active, but it seems really draining on you. kudos for doing both, work/mommy errands. to answer your question ALL of Jillian Michael dvds are great. cannot go wrong. I prefer killer buns/thighs, 30day shed, shred shred, boost metabolism
  • zafferFL
    zafferFL Posts: 402
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    make time, no excuses.

    Get some weights and a pull up bar, learn to lift and do the basics. Squats, pull ups, dead lifts. Don't be intimidated, these exercises are for everyone.

    You don't need a lot of time, eat well and do those exercises correctly and heavy enough and you barely need 20/30 mins, 3x a week.
  • chameleon73
    chameleon73 Posts: 119 Member
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    Everybody goes to the bathroom! While you're in there (after you do your business), do 20 jumping jacks or situps or something. Will only take an extra minute and it adds up.

    (I have kids too, and sometimes during the day the only time I get to myself for a few minutes is by locking the bathroom door!!). Lol
  • kirstinlee
    kirstinlee Posts: 152 Member
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    I also think you need to intentionally carve out time for yourself. What about the weekends? Your health and fitness are important. Having a family and catering to their schedule is important, but you need time for you as well.

    This.
    Brings to mind the quote "Those who feel they have no time for fitness, will sooner or later have to find time for illness."

    If there's no possible way you can carve any time out (what's more important, your kids' activities or your health?) what do you do while they're at their activities? Could you squeeze something in while they're doing their thing?
    If not, have you ever considered having a "cooking day"? Basically a Saturday or Sunday where you cook meals for the entire week and refrigerate or freeze them until you use them. Not only would this give you the time you would normally spend cooking during the week, it has the added bonus of always knowing for sure what you're going to eat so you can plan ahead of time.
    Just my two cents. (:

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