Any working Mommas trying to find time to exercise?

I have an infant son and I work 3-11 most of the time, sometimes 7-3, and I've just lost track of my weight. I've added on the the baby weight I had and now I really need to lose it because I want to be able to keep up with my son. I bought an elliptical machine and I'm trying to use that 1/2 an hour a day. It's been hard though.

I have three kids: 15, 10 next month, and 5. I work from home so finding time to work out is crucial. I usually get up at 5:00 a.m. to work out before the kids get up and then have my evenings free (unless working) with the kids. My youngest will start full day kindergarten in August so it will get a bit easier. On M/T/F I do 40 to 70 minutes of Zumba and then 30 minutes of Wii Cardio boxing. On W/Th, I do a 2 hour bike ride because those are the days my husband is home from working third shift at the new casino in our area. I also just started the Body By Vi shakes just as a matter of nutrition and convenience, especially during the summer when the kids are home eating junk.

Same boat!

I have an 18 month old son, I work full time and go to school part time. Where does the time go????

Sometimes I just have to put my son in the stroller and walk him to get any exercise. Only works for about 30 minutes before he is protesting being stuck in the stroller. Also (and I know its hard) if you can find even 10 minutes the TV (we have Comcast and On Demand has a fitness section) has tons of 10 minutes, 20 minute and half hour workouts.

Good luck fellow mommies!

I am a 38 year old mother of an 8 year old daughter. I work full-time 7-3:30 with a 45 minute commute each way. My husband works 3:30-12 so we don't see much of each other either, but that also leaves me with all the evening responsibilites (he does all the morning ones for our daughter though and during summer she is with him all day until he drops her off at the sitter so he can go to work). I am up at 5 am to get ready for work and leaving by 6:15 at the very lastest. Then after work (can't ever get out at 3:30 either) so it is usually about 4:30 by the time I get to the sitter's to get my daughter. Then it's home, helping with homework while making dinner, dinner, cleaning and laundry while she showers and get her stuff ready for the next day. During the summer, it is easier to fit in exercise since we don't have homework every evening and she can stay up later since she doesn't have to be up early for school. But during the summer she plays softball so most evenings are tied up with practices and games. If they are just practicing, I will walk around the fields at the park (we have a 1/4 mile path around the softball and T-ball fields) while they practice. If we have a free Monday, Wednesday or Friday evening, I go to Zumba. Luckily my instructor doesn't mind if you bring older children that can behave and they can either sit do their own thing (play video games or listen to music or whatever) or join in.
Now that ball season is over for the summer, I am taking a kick boxing class twice a week on Thursday night and Saturday morning. My daughter goes with me on Thursday night (this instructor doesn't mind either) and she can stay home and sleep in on Saturday morning because her daddy is there.
So right now I am kick boxing twice a week, trying to get to Zumba once or twice and trying to get a walk or bike ride with my daughter a couple evenings a week as well. I have exercise videos that I can do if all else fails and my daughter will even join in doing them. Too bad I'm not a big exercise video person. I would rather attend the live classes as it is more motivational to me.
It is hard when you have children to care for, household duties to deal with and work full-time outside the home. And it's even harder for those of you with little ones.
Maybe you can take walks and push them in their strollers when the weather is decent and possibly do an exercise video after you get them to bed??? Are the dad's there where they can help so you can have time to exercise by yourself sometimes? You just have to make the time and find something that fits your schedule and works for you whether you have to get up earlier to do it or do it after the kids go to bed.
Good luck everyone.

Good luck to you and everyone else. I am also a working mom of a soon to be kindergartener. I have found that the only way I can fit a workout in is at work. I will do 15 minutes of cardio (treadmill or elliptical) at lunch and then another 15 minutes (cardio or weighs) at the end of the day. I don’t have the time for long workouts so I just push myself as fast as I can for the few minutes I do have. On the weekend I do something similar. I try to take a 15-20 minute walk first thing in the morning before everyone else is awake. Also try to make play time include a physical activity. I know my daughter loves to play chase or race mommy. I hope you can find what works for you and your family. .

I agree, it's really tough to find the time! The Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred is great for packing in a good workout in a short time. I also enjoy Chris Freytag's workouts. Check out her 10 Pound Slimdown series.

It's very difficult to stay motivated because once you stop going for a while, it's hard to jump back on the exercise treadmill routine. I'm 38 yrs, recently divorced, working full-time with two children (12 and 9). The only time I have to go to the gym is the two days a week during the time they spend with their Father. Also, that's my free time which makes it that much more challenging to get my tail in there and sweat a little. Luckily, there are a few ladies at work that have joined my gym and we try to go during lunch just to walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes. That is a huge help. Good luck to you!

Mom of 2 boys 10 and 6. I work FT but also have the ability to work from home in the early mornings, evenings and weekend since it is a global company and I need to be online.

The only way I can do it is to get up at 5 to hit the gym (nearby) for an hour workout each morning. This is new and I had to get over thinking how hard it would be to get up that early and change our morning routine.

I am loving it so far because I get my workouts in and it feels great but there are definitely kinks to work out in the morning routine!

I am 37 as well and have 3 kids, 2 boys 12 and 15 and 1 daughter that is 5. I work full time Monday to Friday from 8:30-4:30 and my kids are involved in all kinds of activities.

My husband works shift work but he is very understanding of my workout time. He now knows that I am a much better person if I get exercise....which makes it much better for everyone around me! hahaha

I work out on my lunch hour usually. I am very lucky and am allowed to eat at my desk, so I eat a snack around 11 and then head to the gym down the street at noon and work out for 40 minutes and then head back to the office. I am usually sweaty but I reapply my deodorant and a little body spray and I don't really care what my hair is doing by then.

When my kids are doing their sports in the evenings I will walk around the streets while I wait for them. In the evening I will take my dog for a quick run/walk for 20-30 minutes. When we are at home I have some hand weights and I will stand and do a few set of bicep curls. I do sit ups and push ups during commercials. I take my kids swimming and will do squats around the pool and it just looks like I"m jumping around! lol

Feel free to add me for added support, I am always open to more friends in the same situation!
Cheers

I am 37 as well and have 3 kids, 2 boys 12 and 15 and 1 daughter that is 5. I work full time Monday to Friday from 8:30-4:30 and my kids are involved in all kinds of activities.

My husband works shift work but he is very understanding of my workout time. He now knows that I am a much better person if I get exercise....which makes it much better for everyone around me! hahaha

I work out on my lunch hour usually. I am very lucky and am allowed to eat at my desk, so I eat a snack around 11 and then head to the gym down the street at noon and work out for 40 minutes and then head back to the office. I am usually sweaty but I reapply my deodorant and a little body spray and I don't really care what my hair is doing by then.

When my kids are doing their sports in the evenings I will walk around the streets while I wait for them. In the evening I will take my dog for a quick run/walk for 20-30 minutes. When we are at home I have some hand weights and I will stand and do a few set of bicep curls. I do sit ups and push ups during commercials. I take my kids swimming and will do squats around the pool and it just looks like I"m jumping around! lol

Feel free to add me for added support, I am always open to more friends in the same situation!
Cheers

I too work a fulltime job and have commitments outside my home preventing me from getting time to exercise. I have a sister in a longterm nursing facility. I try to go 4 nights a week to spend time with her. Recently, I discovered I could take the time talking with her and push her outside in her wheelchair. I burn approx. 300 calories pushing her for approx. 30 minutes. She loves getting to spend time outside and I find she is willing to talk more openly with me. For those with young children, pushing them in a stroller would be alternative or better yet, volunteer at a facility.

I'm not a biological momma but I was a stepmom for many years with joint custody, a job as an Operations Manager at Commerce Bank working minimally 50hrs per week plus a clean freak whose kitchen floor you could eat off of at any time so when I decided to lose weight I had gained during a failed pregnancy back in 1996, I started getting up at 4:30a to be working out by 5a because I knew if I left it for nighttime, it would never happen and I wanted it THAT BADLY! I work out at home which saves A LOT of time and is convenient at 5am. I've been working out ever since!!

When my children were younger it was difficult to find time to exercise, I totally understand what you all are saying. I was too exhausted to get up at 5 am to exercise. I am finally back into a routine now that they are older. When they were younger, I felt that I needed to get in a " full routine" in order to feel like I exercised. For now, do what you can and do not beat yourself up. I now have a jump rope and I skip a few minutes here and there when I can not get to the gym. I also do jumping jacks. Make do with what you have for now and doing a little is better than none. Get some resistance bands, they are inexpensive and you can do something at home with those. I may not get a full out "workout" while I am at home. But by busting out a few jumping jacks or jumping rope , I can get my heart rate up, break a sweat and feel a little better. Good luck to you all.

Hey ladies!

I'm on a very similar boat. I work full time at a desk job, have a 2 year old, and I'm also a wife - where's ME time?!

I have actually found great joy in indoor cycling (spinning). I recently got my certification and began teaching classes - I now teach 5 times a week on top of my regular job!

I will say, that by having that commitment there of teaching those classes or signing up for the classes has held me accountable. Every cycling class I teach I burn around 500 calories. If you commit to those 3x a week, you'll be burning 1500 calories a week - which is awesome!

Since we're constantly on the go, I highly recommend some sort of protein shake or meal replacement. It's easy, nutritious, and you'll see great results on top of your workouts - this is how I lost most of the 48lbs I gained throughout pregnancy. I got so into it I actually became a coach for BeachBody (the makers of P90X). If you need nutritional guidance, or any kind of motivation, feel free to hit me up! I love this part of my life because not only does it keep me healthy, it keeps me sane! Beachbody also has a ton of good workouts you can do at home if at home works better for you. There are many options, so feel free to ask any questions about any of the programs - some require almost nothing except yourself!

If you have any questions regarding nutrition or the workout programs, I'd love to help you out!! It's really tough, but you can find the time to do it, even if you only have 25mins a day that you can dedicate to it!