When do you find time to workout?

[Anonymous]

I work out at home and at night. After I get my 4 year old to bed, I work out for 30-45 min, starting at 8pm, while husband helps older child (8 years) with homework and bed routine. Yeah, 30-45 minutes is not ideal, but it's what I can do now and it's better than nothing. And I do it 5-6 nights/ week so at least it's consistent. I use FitnessBlender.Com for my workouts.

[Anonymous]

Agree with others saying to be kind to yourself for now - get some rest and finish recovering for a couple months! Take some long walks this spring if you can, just for mental health breaks!

I only have one kid, so I know I have it easier. In my last job where everyone took lunch breaks, I worked out at lunch at my office gym. If my work schedule somehow got in the way, I just didn't work out that day. Now, the culture of my job doesn't really involve lunch breaks, but I work from home more often, so I do Beachbody on Demand workouts when I have time at home before I go pick up DD. They have a lot of 30 minute options that I can usually squeeze in, even if my workday is busy. Bottom line: weekday workouts usually only happen if I can get them in while DD is at daycare.

For the weekends - since DH is able to get in more exercise time at his office gym than I can get in during the week, he is understanding of my wanting to get in one or two workouts over the weekend. He is on kid duty upstairs while I workout downstairs or take a jog or long walk if it's nice outside. This is always planned in advance - ie, on saturday morning, I let him know that i want to work out at some point during the day and we figure out what time makes sense for me to take 30-45 mins to myself.

[Anonymous]

In my basement after the kids are asleep. We sleep trained so my kids (3 and under) are all asleep by 7:30. I workout until 8:30 while my DH cleans up the kitchen after dinner and takes out trash/locks down the house/sets the alarm. Then I shower and get in bed with DH where we spend time together until around 10/10:30 when we go to sleep. My youngest gets me up at 5:30 AM. You can do it.

[Anonymous]

I can't do evenings so I did 4:15 am during the week and whatever worked on the weekends. Then I switched jobs and my commute drastically changed so now I can do a more normal time. I didn't enjoy waking up that early but I knew that I would never do an evening workout because I've just never been a night person (even in college I'd get up early to study rather than stay up late). If you can do evenings, just make sure it happens - putting on your workout clothes is a great idea. If you prefer mornings, can you work out before your husband does?

[Anonymous]

Once kids were sleeping through the night, my routine included:
-5:30 am class at neighborhood gym
-lunchtime workout at my workplace, either at the gym or run outside
-weekend classes at neighborhood gym

My husband was home with the kids in the mornings and o. Weekends, which made it a lot easier.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Peloton. I use it 4x a week after kids are in bed. The classes are engaging so even on nights I don’t want to work out, I usually end up with a good workout. And you have access to yoga and running training through the app.

I used to do a gym with childcare. It was hard for me to coordinate naps with the classes I wanted and I usually didn’t end up a great workout. I don’t love gyms so I need someone pushing me. Peloton took all the excuses away for me and I really enjoy it. But it’s expensice so only worth it if you’re using it, which is also a motivator for me.

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised so many posters are using Peloton. How recently did Peloton get popular?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would hold off on starting any kind of formal exercise program until your 5 month old is STTN. You need sleep, and already aren't getting enough. Just take some walks for now and be really active with the kids. When you are getting at least 5 hours of consecutive sleep, revisit the situation. A Peloton can be great, but I've also had great luck with streaming home workout videos online (I use Daily Burn but there are a bunch of services).

+1

[Anonymous]

At work

[Anonymous]

Get a set of weights or kettlebells and work out at home.

[Anonymous]

I get up at 5:45 to run, go to a gym class one evening a week, and gym class Saturday morning. It gets easier, I don’t think I did anything when I had a five month old.

[Anonymous]

You don't find time. You make it. People who work out don't magically get random extra pockets of 45 minutes they found. They put a show on and work out in the living room with the kids which is what I did when they were very little and I had to watch them all the time. Or they get up early and do it in the 45 minutes before they need to wake up the kids and get them ready which is what I do now.

[Anonymous]

It's really important to figure out how to work out at home. I've been doing this since maternity leave (before kids, I was a gym rat). I have three now (8, 6, and 3) and work out every day. Youtube and fitness apps are your friends! Here's my suggestion: get Popsugar Fitness and flip through the various options. Start with a 10 minute cardio workout that you can do in your living room (or kids play room - I use my Ipad). Start getting your kids used to the idea of Mommy's workout time, and let them join in. You have to accept that things will get interrupted, or kids will get on top of you while you're doing planks, but keep going! Keep adding on workouts - there are 5 minute arm workouts (you just need to buy a few weights - I use 3 and 5 lbs), 5 minute abs, etc. You can do this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Buy a peloton or some other home fitness equipment. Then your workout time becomes after they fall asleep, naptime, or before they wake up in the morning.

We have a local studio that has classes that begin after the kids fall asleep, but I am usually exhausted by then. Any tips to make an evening workout more manageable? Do you have a hard time falling asleep afterwards?

I actually sleep better after I work out. Evening workouts are hard, but once I drag myself to our peloton and get on, it's fine.

I just got a peloton and I love it! I was having trouble finding time to work out as well. they have 20 and 30 min classes. I had to let go of the notion that if I work out less than an hour it isn't worth it. 20 min is better than nothing. I also stream yoga classes. before I figured out how to work out at home, I was only working out at sat and sun.

OP here. I am thinking about the Peleton. Are you able to do it in the evening? I wonder if putting on workout clothes before the kids go to bed will help ensure that I workout.

This is what I do, I put on my workout clothes as soon as I get home and end up getting on the bike around 8:30 or 9.

[Anonymous]

I have a fake peloton set up because I couldn't stomach the price tag of the real thing. $300 sunny fitness bike off amazon (free prime delivery!) and then I mirror the Peloton app ($20/mo) to a tv with my apple TV. Can't get the metrics, but I've done spin classes regularly for years so I know my body/like to ride to the rhythm of the music instead of focus on numbers to hit. I have no excuse not to squeeze in a 30 or 45 minute workout with this set up.