Working parents who work out regularly… what’s your secret?

[Anonymous]

Joined gym next to my office and work out daily during lunch. Also walk an hour to and from metro and take stairs.

[Anonymous]

Every working mom that I know who works out either does it at 5:00am or has a super flexible work from home job. The end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Group class, same faces every day, commit to doing it like clockwork. Drive there and walk through the door regardless of how you feel. It DOT NOT MATTER how you feel unless you're stay-home-from-work level sick.

I know at 4:10 Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri I'm going to drive to the gym, change, and be doing the workout from 4:30 to 5:30. Fake it till you make it.

How do you manage that with work and kid pickup schedules?

I have a 40hr/wk job now. I couldn't manage it when I had a 70hr/wk job 3 years ago. I've had two unsolicited job offers in the last few months offering more money, with big promises about work life balance, but I've seen that movie before and I know it's bullsh!t. If I want to take care of my mind and body, I can't work 70hrs/wk and still make it to the gym. So I make less money now but I'm never going back.

[Anonymous]

Wake up at 4:45p so I can be at gym at 5a.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wake up at 4:45p so I can be at gym at 5a.

^I'm the PP who works out after work, but my wife does the 515am. So that's how we both get to work out. She likes working out that early, one of the crazy ones.

[Anonymous]

I work out on my WFH days.
I run outdoors during my kids’ activities (sports practice, Hebrew etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work out on my WFH days.
I run outdoors during my kids’ activities (sports practice, Hebrew etc).

Also-‘I work out in my basement using hand / free weights and Peloton app. So no time wasted going to the gym.

[Anonymous]

5:45-6:45 am class, and I didn't start doing that until the kids were 4 and 6 years old. Spouse gets up with the kids, he works out after the kids go to bed

[Anonymous]

Everyone's schedule and set up is different so you have to work with what you have. My DH gives DD breakfast and takes her to school most weekdays, so I try to work out from 7-8am at home, then either WFH or go to office. DD goes to aftercare until 5pm and my job is flexible so I am able to do pickup. But to be fair DD is 6. When she was younger and not sleeping well, less independent, it was harder and I did not really work out consistently.

I think also getting to a point where you want to work out each day - like you know you won't feel good if you don't - helps. So try to be consistent. Even if it is just a 10 minute workout each day. So it every day.

[Anonymous]

I started being able to workout regularly when I lowered the bar. Fit it in when you can - 20 minutes is way better than zero and helps you be more active the rest of the day. I’ll do one early morning a week, a few treadmill/track workouts while waiting for a kid to finish up a practice, sneak to the basement between calls/office gym to do a weights circuit. And then I try to play tennis, hike, take a solidcore class or something on the weekends.

I end up doing something almost every day, just not as much as pre kids when I could do a 90 minute Bikram yoga after work and then run to drink wine at a girlfriend’s house…

[Anonymous]

Instead of watching TV sitting down in the evenings, watch TV while walking on a treadmill.

[Anonymous]

Combination of flexible work from home job and not caring if I’m not giving work 100%.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for 5am. My husband works out after the kids are down for the night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you worked out, you wouldn't be so tired. Work out during your lunch hour.

How do you have time to workout, shower and eat in an hour?

[Anonymous]

Our house used to be tiny so I had an erg on our deck all year round. Now we have a basement so I have weights down there, too.

I love, love, love TV, so I save my favorite shows for when I’m on the erg. It only works for reality shows that don’t have complex plots or dialogue, since sometimes I can’t hear stuff or miss closed captions.

I haven’t done early morning workouts since my kid was in preschool. Once she started staying up past 7:30 and having evening activities it got too hard to be somewhere at 5:30 am.
There are times in my life where I just cannot fit it in. Especially if DH is traveling. During those times I prioritize 30-60 minutes of extra sleep a few nights a week, which seems to have the same impact on my health as a workout.