Mom's with young kiddos!!!

I have two 3.5 yr olds and one 2 yr old... Pure craziness! Between working 40 hrs/week and trying to keep the household going, exercise is a daily struggle for me. So is sleep... I'm trying to make sleep a priority, I think that will help a lot. I also find I have better luck when I include the kids -- walking trail, dancing around the room, etc. It may not be solid gym time, but every little bit counts, right?!?! LOL :-)

I'm a single mom, I work full time (40hrs) and I have the extreme luxury of working out at lunch. I'll stink to high heaven coming back, but I get anywhere from 3 to 4 miles in on the treadmill and I've lost almost 30 pounds since January. I also do Jillian Michael's 30 Day shred at night after she goes to bed. Some days I dont' know how we do it, but its better for me to be in a better mood and she reaps the benefits. I take all my daily vitamins and drink a protein shake after my run at lunch because it's so much easier than briniging food or being tempted with all the goodies here at work. I grill on the weekends to have good food on hand, AT ALL TIMES! She eats what I eat or she doesn't eat! Brutal, I know, but it's so important for me to teach her how to eat and we are learning together. Man, I give all of you mom props for having more than one child, I honestly don't know you you do it. I have my hands full with just ONE and it's just she and I!!!

I'm 32, with 4 girls ages 10, 5, 3 and 18months. I work from 7:30-4pm and I run home to work out before getting the kids from daycare/latchkey by 6pm. If I don't fit it in for whatever reason (doctor's, store) I will do it after I put them to bed. Good luck! The hardest thing for me is pushing play on the DVD player

Same story here. I have a 5yo and 2yo, work full time, wife to a farmer and live in the country so there are no gyms nearby. I am not a morning person so my kiddos go to bed at 8pm and I'm downstairs working out by 8:15. I don't get much done around the house but I feel good after my workout and I've lost 17 pounds so far this year.

It is hard!!! I have a 3yr old boy & 6yr old boy. I work 40hrs a week as well. When I get off at 4 I head to the basement of the building I work in and use the gym there for free leave there at 450 so I can pick my kids up by 530 (dont to pay that late fee- $1 a minute yikes!!) then do the dinner thing, clean the kitchen, homework w/my kindergardener, make my kids & my lunch, bathe my boys put then to bed. Then I either do Wii Zumba, JM dvd, or the treadmill. For a while I did ChaLean Extreme, its a 90 day program and I made it to day 60. It's a crazy schedule and I dont get to sit once I get off work but that's ok I sit all day long. lol. No tv for me!!! I'm usually in bed at 10/1030 then up at 515. Only one Pepsi throughout the whole day and that's first thing in the morning.

I'm in the same boat! The only time that works for me is 4am workouts! At first it was tough! But, now its just a part of my routine. Up at 3:30am, to the gym by 4am, back home by 5:45am. Then I eat breakfast, do some reading, etc before the kiddo gets up at 6:30am. That's the ONLY "me time" I can find! I'll take it though! Good luck!

I have a 5, 3 and 1 year old. I also work full time shifts.
I'm lucky in that my hubby stays home with the kids and works on 1 of my days off. I've got really good at planning! I'm also a runner, so that means that my exercise involves me getting out of the house.
If I'm on an early shift (starting at 7am) I'll get up at 4am, drive to work, then go for a run there (stops me waking the kids up at 6am when i need to shower). If I'm working late (starts at 1pm), I'll still go at about 730am, then when i get back the kids have had their breakfasts and we can have some nice time together.
I also have a cross trainer in the garage that i picked up for $20. If the weather is bad, if it's just late, or even if i haven't been bothered I'll often go on that for an hour or so. I'll throw the kids infront of a dvd and just get on with it.
So, I think that you just have to plan it then do it. I book it in with hubby like an appointment, and write it on the calendar so that he knows when i need him to be around.

I'm 33 (almost 34) with 3 kids. daughter 2 1/2 (regular night terrors, so I'm also sleep deprived) and sons 5 & 12. I work full time (military, but non-traditional unit which means working out is on our own time) and I'm taking online college courses. Husband is gone by 6:30 am every day. I found a local gym that has daycare included. Sometimes I do that and the kids think it's a treat. It's basically a playdate for the little ones. I've also started pushing park time with the kids. Sometimes my 5 yr old will ride his bike and I'll push his sister in a stroller and we'll race. Other times I just walk and they ride bikes/trikes. You can also do things like zumba dvd's or WII dance games. I give the kids controllers (with no batteries haha) and we have a dance party. They spin and wiggle their butts and I get in an extra workout. I know our local park has an informal walking/stroller group. Every morning they meet up and go. The kids seem to love it and I'm sure it's more motivating knowing other people are expecting you.

30yrs old, 40/hr a week outside the home job, I have twin boys 6 yr olds, and a 4 yr old daughter. My husband works nights and I work days.
I get up every morning and workout, currently I'm on day 6 of 30DS. I walk for a half an hour during my lunch break. My time is when the kids go to bed, I go and walk about 3-4 miles a night with a couple of neighbors and my dog. It's great, because it's adult time, it can be quiet time we don't always chat the whole time, and it's exercising.

Sat. I get up early and leave the kids to daddy and I walk the dog for about 2 hours. Utilize the people around you, w/o of course taking advantage. It's a bit harder, if I remember, with the little, little ones because they need you so much more assistance.

When I had little ones I would take them to the mall and walk around with them before the stores opened. So quiet and it was a way to get out of the house.

Good luck! and remember it's all about planning a head and scheduling.

Is there any way you can work out during your lunch break? I know before kids and I was working 50+ hours a week I would take 30 minutes during my lunch to run. I couldn't even imagine how tired you are though with no sleep and working FT w/kids.

Now that I am a SAHM I work out for an hour during naptime and 30 minutes after the kids go to bed at night. Thankfully both of my kids STTN (knock on wood lol) so I don't need my afternoon pick me up naps anymore. After I figured out I would never have the motivation to leave the house at night after they went to bed to go to a gym I went on Amazon.com and bought an elleptical. I can say that it was the best purchase I ever made for my health so far. I can work out when I have time with out having to worry about daycare or a babysitter and I find that seeing it in my bedroom, starring at me while I lay on my butt watching TV is a great motivater to get up and push myself for atleast 30 minutes.