Finding time to exercise

[skuttle]

DH and I started our diet this week. We haven't exercised yet and that really bothers me because I know exercise is a huge part of getting healthy. How do you find time to do it?

We have a 6 month old son, I work full time, and I'm studying for the bar exam which I'm taking in Feb. We planned on walking around the neighborhood with DS, but it's still a bit chilly to do that with him, even here in Louisiana. I have exercise tapes that I did the first time I lost weight before my pregnancy, but I just don't have the engery when I get home from work. Plus, I have to study.

Do you think exercising on the weekends and then squeezing in at least once a week will be enough? I really want to loose this weight and just can't figure out how to squeeze in exercise!

 

[sueg]

I am a working mom, with 2 DSs (16 & 9). I am not studying for a bar exam, been there, done that. However, my suggestion is to exercise first thing in the morning, even before my beloved morning coffee. I started arising 1/2 hr. earlier and immediately doing a 30 min. tape. If your young son's schedule makes this a problem, you may have to work out a plan w/ DH.
I exercise 6 days a week w/ Thursdays off. However, I think that one day during the wk. & both days on the weekend is a good start.
A group of women in my office tried to organize a lunch time work-out, but we couldn't find suitable space. A few of them joined a nearby CURVES instead.
I did not have great sucess losing weight immediately after the birth of my youngest & I can sympathize with your time demands. But my experience is that not losing the weight after his birth sent me a a weight gain road that resulted in the need to lose over 60 lbs. to get close to my pre-birth weight. However, be easy on yourself and don't let losing weight interfere too much with enjoying your son. As my oldest starts to look at colleges, I hear the resounding "they grow up sooo fast, enjoy every minute". Slightly conflicting advice, but to me, that's motherhood!

 

[Laurajean1014]

Oddly enough, if you exercize you will have additional energy. It's the will to want to do it. Try a 15 minute pilates workout for energy. It's by GAIAM and called Pilates Energy Boost work-oout with Ana Caban.

Also, try a fast walk or a 20 minute treadmill for aerobic strengthening!

Best of luck to you!

 

[tlgoblue]

Everything Sueg said! Also, whatever you do is better than nothing, so give yourself a pat on the back for even 15 mins of exercise. I did find, way bck when, that it was a more managable routine if I split it up into smaller bits. Do 15 mins in the a.m. before you shower. Go for a 15 min walk at lunch. Do 15 again around 2-3, to rejuvinate (instead of that cup of cofee or tea ), and then if you have time, do a gentle yoga session in the evening to wind down. I'm sure that you see the magic in this. You have worked out for an hour! Just take it slow and do what you can. Don't get all worked up on the weekends either, or you'll tire of your routine quickly. Also, give yourself some down time. If you spend your weekends exercising, when will you have time for you? Good luck!

Keep the Faith!
Tracy

 

[sharoncity]

Time has always been my biggest challenge to exercise. I too work full time and have DD (11), DS (6). My DD is one of those kids who LOVES to be involved in all sorts of activities, so I'm always running around. This week for instance, she has dance practice Mon, Wed, Thur and Fri nights. We have a banquet Friday night for cheerleading and a competition Sat and Sun for dance. So, needless to say, I don't have a whole lot of free time. My new years resolution was to make the time for myself. I have exercised the last three nights with a FIRM tape. I put it in any where between 8:50 to 9:15 pm, finish by 10:15. Not a perfect situation, but the best I can do this week. And I FORCE myself to do it. I feel quite proud of myself afterward too.

While your schedule is quite difficult right now, trust me, it won't improve. It will be a different kind of busy, but busy just the same. I figure I've got at least another 12 yrs of this and I'm not waiting till then to loose these extra pounds! Getting up early didn't work for me as I'm already up at 5:30 am and my body flat out refuses to get up any earlier. I have forgone TV time/reading/relaxation in the evenings to do this. But I feel it is important and I'm determined to loose it this time!

If you can possibly force yourself to exercise two nights a week and then the weekends, I think you will see results. Going 3 or 4 days with nothing will cause you to be more sore and it will take longer to see measureable results. If you could schedule Sun, Tues, Thur, Sat it would probably be great! And you'll feel more energetic once you get started with an exercise routine!

 

[Christine]

No real solutions for you but sympathy. I work full-time and have 2 kids (DD-12, DD-9). I get up at 4:30 a.m. and am out the door with my 2 kids at about 5:45 a.m. There is no way in h*ll that I could exercise in the morning. Then, since I have to get up so early, I am in bed no later than 9:00 p.m. When I get home at 4:00 p.m., that leaves me 5 hours to fix dinner, eat dinner, clean dinner, go over homework, do some laundry, etc, get ready for school work the next day. Of course, my kids do a lot to help with that now, but I am still finding a hard time squeezing in the time for a 45 minute FIRM tape or a walk. Now that it is dark and cold, it is VERY hard. My suggestion is that you should try to get out for your walk alone and make it as intense as possible. I know from experience that you can't get good quality walking in power walk well with a stroller. Heck, I can't even do it well when I've got the dogs with me. So make the workout that you CAN fit in a high quality one. Really push yourself for 2 miles (that's 25-30 minutes). Also, anything you can do is better than nothing. So while you might now see great results with your proposed schedule, it will provide you with SOME benefits. Personally, I did not notice any weight loss until I kicked up my walking to 2, 5 miles walks per week with some small 2-3 mile walks added in. Now that winter is here, kids are back in schools/activites, I can't get the walks in and I can't lose the weight. I guess I'm being discouraging, but please do try to do all that you can and you might find that with a little bit of schedule tweaking you can do more!