I started with '8 minutes in the morning'. You can do it without the book. Pick two exercises from the list if you don't have any you prefer to do. Turn the music on. Warmup for two minutes. Stretch for two minutes. Do stretches that relate to the exercises you chose. Do ten reps of each exercise: focusing on your form and the instructions for the exercise. Feel it where you are suppose to. There are a lot of web sites the have exercises and demos. If you want some references, I will start sending them to you as I run across them. The last advise is go to bed early. I don't know what your weekend (or even if you have one) looks like, but try to get more done then so you can do less during the week. You don't have anymore time then anyone else does. So, chose your priorities, set goals, schedule your day according to your priorities, once you run out of time, don't schedule anything else, no matter how important it appears. If it were truly important, you would have already put it in your planner. When you reflect on your day and make the next days schedule, see if you have a place for the request for your time that you had to say no to.
SHOELACES 12/23/06 5:14 P
Thank you both so much for the suggestions! I really appreciate it! I'll give it a try! I'll let you know how I do! :-) Thanks a bunch!
Rana
CHANGEISGOOD 12/19/06 10:35 A
Shoelaces~ My advice is to forget about trying to do regular exercise that is listed as exercise. Pick one or two afternoons a week right after work and take your boys to the park. Run and play with them in the fresh air and just enjoy spending time with them. If after work isn't feesible, make it a Saturday (Or whatever your day off is) tradition. An hour of just playing with the boys will do you a lot of good both physically and mentally. And you will be making some memories that they will cherish forever. It doesn't have to be for hours at a time. 15 to 20 minutes together to just connect can do you all a world of good. I took this aproach when my kids were younger and I wasn't a single mom yet, but sure felt like it. My ex was never around and didn't help with ANYTHING. It helped me to be more relaxed when I got the kids down for the night and had to do all the bills and other housework. By spending more time with the kids making happy memories, I didn't feel as guilty as I had about not spending enough quality time with them and I wasn't as stressed. So, I made better choices with food and that helped my weight, too. And it didn't break the budget!
Another thing that might help. If you do not already have a crock pot... buy one. dinner can cook for you while you are at work and that cuts down on some stress, too. On the days you cook after you get home, if the boys are big enough for it, put them in the tub while you cook. When dinner is over so is their bath and it will give you time to share a book with them.
My kids are 15 and 19 now and they see their friends families where their single mom doesn't have time for them and ask me how come I always have time for them. They are amazed! I just smile and tell them that they are my #1 priority. We don't go to the park often anymore, but Saturdays are still set aside to spend with my kids and usually at least once a week we take an evening to play games or watch a movie together. I know this is way off the original subject, but I just wanted to share how I handled the lack of exercise time and the benifits I still enjoy because of it.
One more option is make friends with someone with kids about your kids ages. Then you can trade off. Two days a week you keep all the kids for half an hour while she exercises and two days a week you get a turn while she has all the kids. Just a thought.
Good luck! I will say a prayer for you! Talk to you later.
~Sandy
CUDA440 12/19/06 8:53 A
I go for a walk in the mall at lunch time at least twice a week. I get an hour lunch, and there is a good food court with Subway there that I can quickly eat and walk the rest of the time. I don't know how you do it by yourself. I have a hard time and I have a husband that helps out a LOT! I commend you for having to do it yourself.
Beckie
SHOELACES 12/19/06 1:03 A
I don't have time to exercise! Does anyone know where to fit it in?? I am a single mommy of two young children. 4 and 2. I work full time. By the time I get off work @ 5, pick up the kids, get dinner on, help with preschool homework, bathe them and get them to bed it's 8 or later. Now I have to clean up dinner and the table, clean up the kitchen and pick up the house. Then there is the paperwork. Opening the mail, paying bills, tracking the days food :-), balancing the checkbook so I can be sure nothing bounces and so on. Inbetween all that there are beds to be made, laundry to wash, laundry to fold, lunches to pack, diaperbags to pack and sometimes I have to bring work home. By now it's about 11 and I'm beat and although I could be up another hour or so with things to do I have made it a goal on this site to get 8 hours of sleep a night so now I have to go to bed. Then I get up in the morning only to start all over again!
There is just too much to do at night to fit it in... and the mornings are just as crazy. I can't get up early and go for a walk cause at 4 and 2 they really shouldn't stay home alone... even if they are sleeping. :-)
