how can i fit excercise in?!?!

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5/12/12 3:35 A

When I was 4 I went to bed at 7.30pm. Could you exercise once the kids are in bed? I know you are tired, but even 15 minutes will help! You have to put yourself first sometimes. I am 23 and my mother is morbidly obese, a smoker and a borderline alcoholic. I'm facing the possibility of burying her before I am 30. Please don't do that to your children.

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5/12/12 12:41 A

Please take this advice from a mother whose kids are grown and gone...you're little ones won't be little forever. Take them for walks and be sure to bend over and look at interesting bugs along the way. Teach them the importance of Michael Jackson's music by popping in the Thriller CD and dancing with them in kitchen. Find opportunities to lift them high above your head so they can feel the sun on their backs. Teach them to ride a horse using your leg as a pony to swing them up and down. Your life lends itself to exercise in the little things you do with your kids...ramp it up a notch or two...hold them above your head a little longer...bend over to look at bugs more often, dance a little longer. When you're ready, you'll get into a more organized exercise routine...until then, bend, lift, dance, and ride...it's all there.

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5/11/12 11:41 A

You only work until 5 pm?

You have lots of time after dinner and after the kids go to bed to work out.

Or you could get up at 4.

(btw, mom of a 2 year old, works 3 jobs, in case you jump on me for not "understanding" the schedule of a mom)

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5/11/12 8:17 A

FOR ME, if I don't do it FIRST THING in the morning, it is hard to get it done for the day and I usually skip it for that day.

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5/10/12 7:42 P

If you get a break at work I would go for a walk then. Or get the kids involved. Maybe make a game out of it. Tag and jump rope, etc are all fun for little kids and they're a good workout for adults as well.

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5/9/12 4:19 P

You can search right here for things you can do at work to get fit. You can sit right at your desk and do things for example you can stand and work if that is allowed; instead of sending an email or phone call, walk to the person in the office who you need to speak to. Park to the far end of the parking lot. Use 10 minutes or so out of your lunch time to take a brisk walk. Take the stairs and forget about the elevator and try to go as fast as you can up the stairs. The list goes on and on you just have to be creative.

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5/9/12 4:16 P

Mom of two small kids here. :) I have a totally different suggestion. Exercise doesn't have to exclude your kids! Oftentimes, it's tough to break away (I'm blessed with a job I work from home, so I can go when I like) but but I've found that if you just include them... it helps! Instead of telling your toddlers you need an hour to yourself, work out with them!

Do a workout video in the living room. Have you ever SEEN a toddler do jumping jacks? It's hilarious.

Go for a walk together.

Lift weights while they take a bath.

You do not need an hour a day to work out. Even 10 minutes a day is possible.

That 10 hour shift... I bet you have a break or two, don't you? Unless your bosses are inhuman, you have at least a 10 minute break now and again, or a lunch break. If you're like most folks, you have 30 minutes to an hour. If it's 30 minutes, workout, then grab a sandwich for lunch. If it's an hour, you don't need that much time to eat. Get your 30 minutes of exercise then, and then eat.

Are you a single mom? If so, you need to reach out for help. Contrary to popular belief, you don't get a medal for doing everything yourself. Ask the daycare if you can come 15 minutes later, and workout then. Ask a neighbor to help. If you're not a single parent? Time to crack the whip and ask your SO to step up to the plate.

And unless you're working 7 days a week, then you have days off... you can work out then.

Exercise isn't about all or nothing, hours a day. Here's some more great tips for sneaking exercise into your day when you're crazy busy. www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_artic
les.asp?id=1675

And looking at you right now, you have time to sit in front of the computer and ask about exercise... that means you have time to exercise. ;)

10 minutes 3 times a day is just as healthy as 30 minutes once a day.

Edited by: DRAGONCHILDE at: 5/9/2012 (16:17)

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5/9/12 2:41 P

The first place I would cut time from is your daily chores. The only chore that I think remotely needs to be done daily would be dishes/loading & emptying the dishwasher, maybe every other day. The recommend exercise level is 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes. Stop cleaning daily and exercise instead; then clean on the other 2 or 3 days you're not working out. Other thought is if you belong to a gym, do they have day care?

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5/9/12 2:06 P

"i don't have the luxury of telling my toddlers that i need one hour per night to myself. because they are toddlers, and they don't understand that."

Yes, you do, and yes, they will. They NEED to. If you don't teach them, early on, that exercise is an important part of life that everyone needs to do, they're going to grow up to have the same weight problems you have. The children of obese parents generally grow up to be MORE obese. You need to stop that cycle.

You don't stay home from work just because they'd prefer it, do you? Have they never cried when you left them off at daycare? But you go anyway. They understand "Mommy has to work so we can have groceries and shoes and a house." Now it's time for them to understand, "Mommy has to exercise so she won't get sick and she'll be able to take care of you and still be around when you're grown up and have kids of your own." It would be different if you were 5 pounds overweight and just doing all this for vanity's sake, but you're not. Your weight is dangerous to your health, and losing it is the right thing to do FOR your kids. Otherwise, they're going to be taking care of you when they're in their 20s or 30s.

Think about it as being like when you travel on a plane with children. They always tell you that if there's an emergency, you MUST put on your own oxygen mask first and then take care of the children. If you don't take care of yourself first, you might not be able to take care of them at all. Taking an hour a day NOW is a lot kinder than making them spend their teen and early adult years watching you get sicker and sicker.

Of course, you can also exercise after they go to bed...

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5/9/12 12:59 P

Are you a single parent? If not - it might be time to have a discussion with your SO about needing some help. Even if its just to get 20-30 minutes to yourself every now & then.

Other than that, try to combine activities. If you watch tv, you can watch it from an exercise bike or treadmill. If you have no equipment (or would rather not be using equipment with the kids underfoot) you can walk/jog in place. You can also involve the kids. Put them in a stroller and take them for a walk.

Edited by: SMERRIMAN7 at: 5/9/2012 (13:01)

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5/9/12 12:50 P

I'm not sure what advice you're looking for then. I made a suggestion on both the "I don't have time" and "I'm too tired" excuses that are perennially lame.

If you're doing physically exhausting work day after day, then you probably don't need to exercise.

Most of us work, have kids and we all have the same amount of hours in the day. I gave you my advice for making it happen. If you "don't have the time" it clearly is NOT a priority for you. Working and taking care of kids is a priority and apparently you're unable to shift these priorities temporarily to someone else to create 30 minutes for yourself. I'd work on your time management skills first, I think.

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5/9/12 12:44 P

actually, brewmasterbill, it IS a priority for me. that's why i am on sparkpeople asking for advice. and unfortunately, unlike you, i don't have the luxury of telling my toddlers that i need one hour per night to myself. because they are toddlers, and they don't understand that. and yes, i do feel that i am too tired, after working a 10 hours shift, cleaning a house, doing barnwork, and parenting my children. which, again, is why i am asking for advice.

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5/9/12 12:01 P

Two things, first, you're not too tired. You think you are. I come home from work after a similar schedule to you. I'm beat and the though of exercise quite frankly is sickening. I eat a quick snack and usually within 2 minutes of starting my workout, I feel great. The energy/adrenaline kicks in and you're rocking it. The kicker for me is that I have to convince myself that I'll feel better at the end of the workout than I do at the beginning. With rare exception, that's always the case.

So get over the "I'm too tired" excuse and do it. I schedule my workout time from 6-7pm. It's my time, no one else gets a piece unless they've lost a body part or they need a trip to the emergency room.

That is how you fit it in. Either it's a priority for you or it isn't.

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5/9/12 11:59 A

Can you find ten minutes for you? With a packed schedule, it helps to start small and build from there. Start with ten minutes that are absolultely scheduled into your day, and once that's habit and you and your family are used to it, add another five. There are plenty of things that just have to get done during the day (you wouldn't skip showering, eating dinner, or doing the laundry) - physical activity should be one of them.

Is it just you at home? If you are working full time, handling the children, cooking meals and housekeeping duties should be split between you and your partner. To be blunt, you shouldn't be doing everything if there's another able-bodied adult living in the home.

Can you get your kids involved? Ten minutes of dancing in the living room with mommy is tons of fun, and it teaches them early on that exercise is a fun and natural part of the day. How about a walk after dinner? There's nothing I love more than being passed on the path by a mom with a jogging stroller or a dad out running with his six year old and the dog. It's fantastic to see active families.

Edited by: CHRISTINA791 at: 5/9/2012 (12:00)

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5/9/12 11:58 A

Even 10-15 minutes is beneficial, so maybe try to squeeze something in at lunch. Can you shave any time off your morning routine? I get up between 4:30 and 5 to work out, am usually done just before 6, take a minute to chill out, then am in the shower by 6. After I shower, I get my 11 year old up. I makes sure she's getting ready, eat breakfast, get myself ready, get my 3 year old up and ready, make sure lunches are packed for my husband and me, and all 4 of us (husband gets home from the gym to pick us up around 6:45) are out the door by 7.

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5/9/12 11:41 A

i work a full-time job and have two children under 4. i usually get up at 5 am, and by the time i am done showering, making breakfast for the kids, and cleaning up breakfast, its off to work. i usually work until 5 or so, and by the time i get home, make dinner, do whatever housework needs done, i am way too tired to work out. i am on my feet all day at work, and i am very active in playing with my kids, but my body is used to that level of movement. i know i need more to amp up my calories burned, but i can't seem to find the time. what can i do extra to get that little bit of excercise in?