Time to Exercise?????????

I understand and I only have one child. It is VERY hard to find/make time to exercise. The only way I squeeze a workout into the equation is if my husband takes over something I normally do. We have an agreement that two nights during the week, he will either feed our son dinner and play or do bath and bedtime routine. That gives me an hour twice/week to get to the gym. THen on the weekend, I go to the gym while my son is napping and my husband stays home. I understand our approach might not work for everyone, but know you are not alone.

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I'm there with you! I stay home full time with only one baby and I still can't seem to get any regular exercise done! My best chance is on Saturday mornings when the husband is at home and can watch the boy. Unfortunately I'm not super motivated, so I really, really need an exercise partner to keep me commited. Once a week exercise isn't terribly effective. So I just try to get little bits in here and there...Park farther away in the parking lot, take the stairs, strap the baby on in the carrier instead of using the stroller all the time. Eat lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains. Good luck!

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try the Jillian Michaels 30day shred workout tape-- it takes onlly 20 mins and you will get a great workout so you could do it in the morning. I do it twice a week and then try to walk or run 3 days a week and it helps. It is hard to juggle everything. good luck

My suggestion is to sacrifice lunch and eat it at your desk before or after. Go for a walk (or even better, a light jog), and eat a sandwich at your desk while working. Or decent snack before and after instead of a solid lunch. make time to exercise on the weekends. And go to bed earlier, which has nothing to do with the exercise dilemma, but you're going to burn yourself out.

Have you heard of the Fly Lady? If not check out her website. She has great ideas and routines for keeping your house clean and getting everyone to help out. Also she is affiliated with a personal trainer who has developed a fit it in anywhere exercise program. I have included links to both of their websites. Good Luck!

www.noexcusesworkouts.com/
www.flylady.net/

Can you shoot for getting the kids to bed earlier? My son goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:30. As soon as I get him into his crib, I jump on the elliptical for about 30-45 mins. Then I get a shower. That leaves me about 30 mins to catch up with the hubby before he leaves for work at 10 PM. He gets home from work around 6 AM and keeps our son occupied while I get ready for work. Then he goes to sleep when we leave.

For the longest time I "didn't have time or energy" for exercise. Then 7 weeks ago I decided to give it a shot. I feel so much better on the days that I exercise than on the days that I don't. I shoot for 4 nights per week, some weeks I do more and some weeks I do less.

Busy moms unite! I was in the same boat post baby #2. I still don't get exercise more than 2 times per week, but this was better than the 0 I had before. I build exercise into everything I'm doing. Grocery shopping--I park farther away from the front entrance and make sure I'm shopping in daytime hours. Yeah, it's a pain with having a toddler, but I put her in her stroller and walked the distance. Groceries went into the bottom of her stroller basket (and sometimes on top, as long as it didn't hit her head.) I take stairs whenever even when elevator is an option. I stretch in the morning when I wake. When my daughter wakes and goes to bathroom, I hit treadmill and talk to her. It's only 2 minutes, but it's something. If my son is having trouble memorizing some schoolwork, I have him do jumping jacks and do them with him until he get something memorized. It's funny, we laugh throughout, and we're exercising. When watching TV, I stretch. Get the point? If you're taking kids to sport event, watch some and walk some. Everywhere you go, you can do a little something that all adds up. It's not enough to burn off any weight, but it's enough that I can feel a little more energetic and I can tell I have more flexibility. Sometimes, I even get to check out an aerobics tape from library and do a few minutes of the routine. Take a walk during your work break and/or lunch break. I used to walk to the museums when I worked downtown. Just look all around you and see how you can do little things to get started and then, as your energy level and stamina increase, you'll be able to build more time in and take the kids with you. You wrote you have 3 dogs and 18 month old. Dogs must be walked. 18-month-olds love nature walks in the stroller. Your 13-year-old can use the exercise, too, to help control the hormones. Take the entire family for a walk on weekends. Choose Sunday as a no-work day (Sabbath, right?). You deserve it. No laundry, no dusting, just meals, walks and mandatory siesta. No computers or TV for you. You need a 2-hr. nap, so sleep when the baby sleeps. Tell Jr. to read--no video games. The challenge is consistency. When something happens (like flu) in the house, I find I lose all momentum and have to start over. I did lose at least 10 lbs. after baby #2 following this method. (I don't have dogs, though, so I might have lost more with the pets). I also eliminated soda for a while, cut back on fruit juices and replaced with water. Helped drop another lb. And, when I crave a big sugary or greasy snack, I do a stretch instead (then treat myself with a smaller sugar snack). LOL. Going cold turkey of treats will only guarantee binge behavior, so I indulge but not to excess. Of the 35 lbs. gained, I took off almost 25 of it over baby's first three years. Some will drop while you're not paying attention to it. Getting a small set of dumbells (cheap) also helped me tone my muscles. It's a small personal gym, nothing like what I'd get a Gold's Gym or Curves, but it helped some. Just get moving and give it time. I'm still working on that last 10, and my daughter is 5. Ugh! Someone told me that there is a gym in the area that offers childcare. I never looked into it because my schedule was too crazy and the DH also had unpredictable schedule so I figured it'd be a waste of $$, but that's another option. There are some area rec centers that also offer child care, once you get up to speed and maybe can create a better workout schedule. Wishing you the best of health.

I'd echo a couple of the responses. Looking at what you put in your collective mouths. Drinking mostly water. Eliminating sodas. Increasing fruits and veggies. Especially asking your 13 yr. old to help with chores. I have a 13 yr. old. Sometimes it's easier than others. He does appreciate the responsibility of helping out around the house most of the time. Also, use family time on the weekends for exercise. It might be a bike ride, or a hike. Take the dogs with you on walks. Buy some exercise bands. They are great to take anywhere. Definitely walk during part of your lunch break.
Take some deep breaths and know that you are doing the best you can.

You sound busy! First I think you need to let some things slack. What I mean is that if your husband can do something LET HIM. It may not be up to your standards, but he'll get better at it over time. Be specific when you say clean. Make a chart with who is responsible for what (vacuum, sweep, mop, dust, etc.). You said you have a 13 year old. He can do chores (cleaning, his own laundry, etc. and probably even prep simple dinners (like put it in the oven for you). These are life skills that he will need to know.
Can your husband do the grocery shopping? If not many stores now offer where you can order online and wither pick them up or deliver them. Use the crockpot and do prep on the weekends.

As far as exercise goes and losing weight. You could do Weight Watchers Online for nutritional support. Then add stuff into your workday...walk on your break (down the halls, around the building, block, whatever) take the stairs instead of elevator or escalator. I'm not sure what kind of work you do if it is a desk job, ask if you can bring in a balance ball chair which will work your abs while you are working. Bring in a hand weight to do arm exercises on break/lunch. Little bits of exercise throughout the day will add up. Exercising doesn't have to be at the gym. What I do is I get up before my husband & kids so I can go walk (even for 30 minutes). Then i'm ready for the day. I take as many trips up the stairs as possible and dance while folding laundry. It adds up! You HAVE to eat in order to lose weight check out Weight Watchers. Good luck!

Pay someone to clean your house. It is WELL WORTH the $100 or so every other week.

Hi K. It sounds like you have a busy life, so working in a regular routine may be difficult. What helped me loose 40 pounds of baby weight was joining Weight Watchers. You could just do the online version, or you could find time for one meeting a week (maybe an early morning on the weekends). If you don't want to do the full blown plan, I can tell you the main things that I learned. Start out by making a food journal for a day or two of the foods you eat on an average day, and tally up the calories. Chances are you're eating too many calories to loose weight right now, but you don't have to starve yourself. Just swap healthy foods for the fatty ones. Substitute candy with sweet fruit, soda with flavored water, heavy creamer with skim milk, butter with olive oil, etc. While you're eating - stop, rest and assess. If you're starting to feel full, stop eating and save what's left for tomorrow's lunch or a later snack. If you eat until you're full, you'll stretch out your stomach and always feel hungry. This is a good way to monitor your portion sizes. Try eating less meat and sweets, more veggies and whole grains - good high fiber foods. A good web site to check out for more tips is hungrygirl.com.

As for staying fit - try jogging from 5:45-6:15, then get a shower before helping your son get ready for school. This might mean getting to bed by 10:30, but a half hour of alone time each night is probably ok. You could switch it up with yoga, hand weights, crunches, squats & lunges to get in some cross training. If you can't get up that early, the only other thing I can suggest is to work in a little exercise where you can - park further away to make yourself walk further, take stairs instead of the elevator, do a few lunges at work when nobody's looking. Good luck.

only thing i can figure is to wake up half hour earlier and do a little bit in the morning. might not be much, but it's something. i read that people who exercise in the morning lose more weight, b/c you stick with it more. also, keep in mind that muscle burns more calories while you're at rest than fat does, so if you only have time for a 10 minute toning workout, at least you're building muscle which will burn more calories. i feel your pain. good luck!

Take 15 mins. out of your day and walk around your block. You mention that you have dogs take them with you. Than every week add another 5 or 10 minutes to your walk you will see a different.

You work, so you get a lunch hour. Go for a walk during your lunch hour... It works and it gives you a change of scenery.

First, I would pay someone to help with the house chores. You have three dogs right? I started excercising once we got our dog. I walked our dog twice a day. I told my husband that I had to walk the dog and that either he could do it (i knew that he didn't want to walk the dog) or watch the kids. So walk the dog at least once a day on a nice long 30 to 45 minute walk. I have three kids who are very active and their dad works far from home (1.5 hours each way), so I do everything (house, kids, cooking~no extra money for take out). I feel your stress!! I also try to find time to exercise while waiting for one to finish soccer or another activity. Sometimes we moms have to be creative. I also have given myself "permission" to leave the house messy if I am too tired or busy to clean it. Also, my kids have a chore list they try to complete everyday. If you don't take care of yourself, who will??

Hi K.,
You sound a lot like me in that you take care of everything and don't have any time to care for yourself. It was always impossible for me to find time to exercise. So the result was that I would excercise on an irregular schedule and was always unhappy with my body. After 10 years of doing that, I've finally accepted the fact that the only way I'll get to excercise regularly is if I do it before anything else in my day. You won't like hearing this, but to do so, I get up at 4:45 a.m. 4 days a week to run for 30 minutes on my treadmill. I finally see some progress being made in the right direction and I'm happy. Am I tired at the end of the week? You betcha! But for me it's worth it because it allows me to burn off some stress and I feel better about myself. Good luck K!
I.
Clubdebebe.com

Calorieking.com helped me keep a food journal.
The same thing happened to me after my first baby. So I started walking on my lunch break
. Then I realized I could burn more calories in less time on the elliptical machine at the gym. Five minutes to change, 30 minutes of cardio, ten mins to shower, five mins to dress, and you have fit in a workout! I lost 50 lbs doing that
Your work might even have a gym. If not, find one close to work. This changed my life. My lunch hour became the time in the day just for me. I had a lot more energy and was less crabby. I would have a shake or something light after my workout on an afternoon break. Good luck!

If you get any good advice I'd luv to hear it....
I have the same issue I just cant seem to find time to do the much needed work-out every once in a while either?

Sounds like you have a lot on your plate. And I'm sure having to handle all of those things and feeling alone in having to take care of all of them, while putting yourself on the back burner is probably adding up to a lot of stress. Which stress is always great at helping to put on and keep on weight. Exercise would be a good stress relief and help to boost your self confidence, not to mention the way it can help your body stay strong in the long run. I would start by seeing what you can fit in at work. I wanted to buy one of those little bike pedal machines that will fit under a desk for my Mom at work. She does walk but she has a desk job that keeps her in a chair most of the time. Is there any time you can take during your work day to get a work out in? If not, there are family gyms like the YMCA that you may try to look into and get not only yourself involved but your children and perhaps husband as well. There are a lot of activities you can all do together if you don't want to go to a gym, such as bike riding(just get a seat that connects onto the bike for the littlest one) or swimming if you have a neighborhood pool or even just a trip to a park where you can take some nice long nature walks and either push a stroller or pull a wagon...etc. I can see how much your family means to you but you should mean just as much to them and if they do not see exercise as an important thing, then they should at least try to help and support you since you feel it is. So hubby needs to help out and if possible your 13 year old can help with chores or watching the little one so you can get some time to take care of yourself. There are at home options as well such as exercise videos or equipment or even games such as Wii fit these days. I do find having a partner, another Mom especially works wonders. Do a little yoga or just deep stretching and breathing, because it sounds like you need to give yourself a break and enjoy life as often as you can every day!

You've got a 13 yr old, right? My son is 10 and his chores are: put clean dishes away from dish washer, load dirty dishes into dishwasher, help carry in/put away groceries, take out trash and take trash can to the street on trash day. Many hands make light work. Take Hubby's help when he can chip in. As for exercise, sneak it in by parking farther away in a parking lot (for a longer walk in) and take the stairs instead of an elevator when you can. As the baby gets older, he can help, too.