Calling all FT Mom's!

I'm a FT mom w/ 4 kids ranging from 3 to 17. There are weeks where my only hope for exercise is on the weekend and I accept that. Now that the weather is nice, I've been using my lunch hour at work to take a walk. At least I'm getting in something. There are some nights where I take 10 minutes and do jumping jacks, etc... too knowing that anything is better than nothing. I tried mornings and it just doesn't work for me. Set realistic goals. You'll figure it out! Just give yourself a little slack while you're adjusting and stay aware. You'll make it!

This is what I'm doing too. We have 4 ranging from 16 months to 15. SO takes the kids on the weekend and gives me an hour each day to do something. I've been trying to use my lunch hour more during the week to get stuff in too. Right now my goal is more daily movement. Morning isn't an option since I'm already up at 5am to get ready. I'm not done for the evening until 8:3-9pm and when I get up at 5am I don't really want to do anything that intense that late (the 15mo doesn't sleep through the night yet).

ETA: on the weekends I do dvds at home. During the week I do yoga at work, go for a walk on the trails behind work, or go down to the gym. I think i may start running home during lunch and doing the firm express during the week too.

I either do my exercise as soon as I get home while DH watches the kids or wait until after they go to bed. Some days, I take walks at work.

I was a single mom of two with a full time job and a dog. I utilized the crock pot a bit. When the kids got old enough, 6 & 12, I let them each choose a cookbook (one chose cuban and another chose all american homestyle favorites) . Each would pick a recipe out of their cookbook and I'd add the ingredients to the weekly grocery list. (actually in those days it was MONTHLY grocery list) And....in retrospect monthly worked out great! 24 hour Walmart. Two nights a week the kids cooked, then we'd have left overs two nights. This freed up the living room where I could work out for an hour and still chaperone in case the smoke alarm went off. So between the cooking day and two left over nights, freed up 4 hours of work out time. The kids have great memories of these times and still talk about it with their own kids!

I hope this helps. It's frustrating that there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done, but you can and will find a way.

It's not just a mom problem, so I'm going to chime in for a couple of reasons.

The thing about not being a "morning person". Well, I'm not a "working person" either. Nor, am I a "full time dad person". I'm also not a "eat healthy and exercise everyday person". I'm also not a "save your money and buy things when you have the cash rather than just spaz out and buy whatever I want on a credit card person". Ya know? I'm not a lot of things that I do. But, I do them because I either have to, or because they are things that result in positive outcomes rather than negative ones.

For a working full-time parent, I have found two things that work well.

1) Either get up early before the chaos and have "me time" where you can do your workouts.
2) Do it at night, after the chaos settles down.

There's a third, if you have someone that can watch them so you can go straight to the gym or whatever right after work. That's a nice option, but most single full-time parents can't do that because of homework, sports, etc.

So, given the options, I opt to get my butt out of bed early and get it done. I don't like doing it like that. If I had my way, I'd wake up around 9 or 9:30, drink coffee and screw around for an hour or two, go for a run, come home, make something to eat. Check email for a bit. Then, go take a nap. Call in to work after nap and see if they need me for anything. Hopefully not. Then, enjoy the rest of the day. Yeah, well, until I win the lotto, that aint my life.

Re-read this and it comes off a little harsh. Sorry, I'm grumpy. But, it's meant to motivate, not to be mean.

I'm a full time working momma of four kids (10, 7, 6 & 6). I walk at lunch when it's nice out, ride my stationery bike in my living room at night after they've all gone to bed. I also go to Zumba twice a week. Once on Wednesday nights and once on Saturday mornings. I literally schedule it on on the calendar. It's important to me. No one can take that time from me.

It will take some adjusting but if it's important to you, you will find the perfect solution for yourself.

I'm a FT mom w/ 4 kids ranging from 3 to 17. There are weeks where my only hope for exercise is on the weekend and I accept that. Now that the weather is nice, I've been using my lunch hour at work to take a walk. At least I'm getting in something. There are some nights where I take 10 minutes and do jumping jacks, etc... too knowing that anything is better than nothing. I tried mornings and it just doesn't work for me. Set realistic goals. You'll figure it out! Just give yourself a little slack while you're adjusting and stay aware. You'll make it!

This. I have a 2.5 year old and an 11 month old. I usually end up working out after they are in bed and all the cleaning is done (about 10pm). I am not a morning person so that is not an option lol
I make sure to leave my office every hour and go to the bathroom and do about 100 jumping jacks or run in place for 2 minutes. Doing those things 7 times a day starts to add up. I also make sure to park as far away as possible and get in some extra steps.
You will find small bursts of time that you can get a little bit done:)

I work full time as well as having two toddlers at home. It took me a while to figure out how to juggle working out, plus working full time, cooking, cleaning, playing/teaching the toddlers and then finding time for the hubs and I. And I hate the feeling of taking away "family time" to workout. So what I do is I do short high intensity workouts throughout the day. Usually a combination of toning/cardio. The toning normally in the morning and the cardio normally in the evening. In the morning I wake up about 30 minutes earlier and do a short 15 minute weight lifting / toning exercises while everyone's asleep... shower and then I am off to work. In the evening the hubs normally watches the kids for about 15-20 so I can do another exercise (normally after dinner). If the hubs can't watch the kids or if they just want to be with me... sometimes I just workout with them! They LOVE to imitate my workouts, and they even count with me when I am doing reps or counting down the time. On work days I do 2 workouts, and on Saturdays 3 workouts, and Sundays are my "rest day". I don't go to a gym, or following any program or dvd... I create my own workouts. And we just recently created a room in our home just for "working out" so that helps me a lot having that space to do it - although I don't use much equipment. I typically exercise for 30 - 40 minutes a day Monday-Friday total and 45 minutes to a hour total on Saturdays.

In the beginning (back in Jan. of this year) I was biking a hour a day in the afternoon... but it just got boring and hard to find a whole free hour to do that! So thats when I started changing up my routines, shortening them and increasing their intensity. It makes it much easier to find the time to complete them, they keep me interested, and the higher the intensity the more cals you burn in that time period

I've never been a morning person, either, but I've gotten to the point where I'm just sucking it up and going early before work. I have someone to watch my daughter after work, but I would rather spend that time with my daughter. Especially with the weather getting nicer, I hate to waste that time indoors at the gym. So my alarm is set for 5am.

I'm not a morning person either. I have 4 littles (10, 7, 5, 3) I am usually working out around 8pm after they are all taken care of. Sometimes later than that once they are in bed. For me it defeats the purpose of me trying to workout & to keep getting interrupted by them, because they just need something & I'm the only one that can do it right!

Hi! I work FT and I am a mom to a 7 month old little girl. Its not easy but I try to walk everyday for 30min either during my lunch or any break I can get. It's easiest if you can get a group of coworkers to join you and start making it a habit, that way if you ever dont want to go someone else is there to motivate you. Also really utilize your weekends. Take out one hour of each Saturday and Sunday and do what you can. You are just as important as every member of your family and you need to take care of yourself to continue to take care of your family. Do what you can wwhen you can. Good luck!!

I work out during my lunch hour and during baseball practices...I also wake up at 4 am on weekends to get my weekend burn on! I work 40 plus, have three small kids and a hubs..baseball, homework, dinner, lunches, baths etc...! Its ALOT of work to fit it all in..but its possible..Tuesday night I was so exhausted I could barely move...but I did..and felt great afterwards!

I work out during my lunch hour and during baseball practices...I also wake up at 4 am on weekends to get my weekend burn on! I work 40 plus, have three small kids and a hubs..baseball, homework, dinner, lunches, baths etc...! Its ALOT of work to fit it all in..but its possible..Tuesday night I was so exhausted I could barely move...but I did..and felt great afterwards!

Oh yeah. Lunch time. Where I work, we have a gym, so that's an option, if you don't have tattoos that you don't want everyone to knwo about. Ha, ha.

It's not just a mom problem, so I'm going to chime in for a couple of reasons.

The thing about not being a "morning person". Well, I'm not a "working person" either. Nor, am I a "full time dad person". I'm also not a "eat healthy and exercise everyday person". I'm also not a "save your money and buy things when you have the cash rather than just spaz out and buy whatever I want on a credit card person". Ya know? I'm not a lot of things that I do. But, I do them because I either have to, or because they are things that result in positive outcomes rather than negative ones.

For a working full-time parent, I have found two things that work well.

1) Either get up early before the chaos and have "me time" where you can do your workouts.
2) Do it at night, after the chaos settles down.

There's a third, if you have someone that can watch them so you can go straight to the gym or whatever right after work. That's a nice option, but most single full-time parents can't do that because of homework, sports, etc.

So, given the options, I opt to get my butt out of bed early and get it done. I don't like doing it like that. If I had my way, I'd wake up around 9 or 9:30, drink coffee and screw around for an hour or two, go for a run, come home, make something to eat. Check email for a bit. Then, go take a nap. Call in to work after nap and see if they need me for anything. Hopefully not. Then, enjoy the rest of the day. Yeah, well, until I win the lotto, that aint my life.

Re-read this and it comes off a little harsh. Sorry, I'm grumpy. But, it's meant to motivate, not to be mean.

This pretty much sums up my feelings on the subject.

I am not a morning person at all either!! Some days I take my daughter on a walk and that's my exercise, other days I work out after she goes to bed. You might have to stay up later, but you can do it!