Those who are fit with kids

[Anonymous]

I was super fit when my kids were that age. Still am in a very good shape but kids are older. Nothing special, I always have homemade meals, I don't eat a ton of bread, burger without a bun mostly, but I like some baguette with butter and eat deserts and ice cream. I think it is homemade food. I did ride horses twice per week but not anymore. I think it is really cooking and eating what you make, not even organic or grass fed, even if I try to buy grass fed meat if I can.
Most people that cook for themselves that I know are not overweight. My both SILs do not cook much at all and are overweight.

[Anonymous]

Anyonr have suggestions for streaming workouts? Please no Tracy Anderson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was super fit when my kids were that age. Still am in a very good shape but kids are older. Nothing special, I always have homemade meals, I don't eat a ton of bread, burger without a bun mostly, but I like some baguette with butter and eat deserts and ice cream. I think it is homemade food. I did ride horses twice per week but not anymore. I think it is really cooking and eating what you make, not even organic or grass fed, even if I try to buy grass fed meat if I can.
Most people that cook for themselves that I know are not overweight. My both SILs do not cook much at all and are overweight.

We rarely eat out because both DH and I don’t mind cooking. It helps to have two people on board with cooking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I honestly don’t know how both parents can work, commute, be a family and sleep.

Sleep 8 hrs, commute + work 9.5 hr, dinner and family time, 3 hrs, 1 hr for daycare logistics (either drop off or pickup), leaves 2.5 hrs for showering, gym, EVERYTHING else.

Most working parents do not spend 10.5 hours total working, commuting and doing "daycare logistics" (whatever those are--shouldn't daycare be along your route to work or at your work or by your home)?

Most parents spend more than 10 hours working, commuting and doing daycare. Where do you work and commute to? This is some idiotic statement. I used to work 6 hour days and that would take ton of time. Wake up 6ish, get kids ready for school, drop off one at one, the other at the other school, be at work at 9am. Leave work at 3pm, if lucky, pick up one, go for another, make it home by 4 if lucky and this was not in the DMV, but in a city with lighter traffic. What a dumb and entitled statement by you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I honestly don’t know how both parents can work, commute, be a family and sleep.

Sleep 8 hrs, commute + work 9.5 hr, dinner and family time, 3 hrs, 1 hr for daycare logistics (either drop off or pickup), leaves 2.5 hrs for showering, gym, EVERYTHING else.

Most working parents do not spend 10.5 hours total working, commuting and doing "daycare logistics" (whatever those are--shouldn't daycare be along your route to work or at your work or by your home)?

SAHM since 2006 has entered the chat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might be one of the most depressing threads I've ever read. When do you sleep?

Yeah wow, so depressing to see women actually make time to prioritize and value their health. Look, I have kids I need to be healthy for. I want to have experiences with them and have them remember me as strong and capable. I want to be hiking with my grandkids one day, able to climb a tree with them if I want. I want strong healthy homes and to not have aching joints and bad knees when I’m 60. So yes, I take a precious 45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week to invest in that for myself. So do all these women. You can think it’s depressing but it’s more depressing to see 65 year olds who can barely move.

+1

I also think it is important for kids to see their parents exercising and being healthy. I have found that active parents tend to have more active kids. A friend complains that her kids don't like any sports and complain about being active, but she and her husband aren't active either and activity is not built into their lifestyle at all.

Aging well is also one of my top goals. I don't want to be one of those people who retires and it too unhealthy to get out and do the things they dreamed of doing in retirement. We take a lot of trips to national parks that involve a lot of hiking. I want to stay in shape to continue doing these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might be one of the most depressing threads I've ever read. When do you sleep?

Yeah wow, so depressing to see women actually make time to prioritize and value their health. Look, I have kids I need to be healthy for. I want to have experiences with them and have them remember me as strong and capable. I want to be hiking with my grandkids one day, able to climb a tree with them if I want. I want strong healthy homes and to not have aching joints and bad knees when I’m 60. So yes, I take a precious 45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week to invest in that for myself. So do all these women. You can think it’s depressing but it’s more depressing to see 65 year olds who can barely move.

+1

I also think it is important for kids to see their parents exercising and being healthy. I have found that active parents tend to have more active kids. A friend complains that her kids don't like any sports and complain about being active, but she and her husband aren't active either and activity is not built into their lifestyle at all.

Aging well is also one of my top goals. I don't want to be one of those people who retires and it too unhealthy to get out and do the things they dreamed of doing in retirement. We take a lot of trips to national parks that involve a lot of hiking. I want to stay in shape to continue doing these things.

+ 1000

Prioritizing exercise should be as obvious as "prioritizing" sleep, or eating, or showering, or teeth brushing.... What's really depressing is that so many parents (moms in particular) are made to feel guilty for being healthy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might be one of the most depressing threads I've ever read. When do you sleep?

Yeah wow, so depressing to see women actually make time to prioritize and value their health. Look, I have kids I need to be healthy for. I want to have experiences with them and have them remember me as strong and capable. I want to be hiking with my grandkids one day, able to climb a tree with them if I want. I want strong healthy homes and to not have aching joints and bad knees when I’m 60. So yes, I take a precious 45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week to invest in that for myself. So do all these women. You can think it’s depressing but it’s more depressing to see 65 year olds who can barely move.

+1

I also think it is important for kids to see their parents exercising and being healthy. I have found that active parents tend to have more active kids. A friend complains that her kids don't like any sports and complain about being active, but she and her husband aren't active either and activity is not built into their lifestyle at all.

Aging well is also one of my top goals. I don't want to be one of those people who retires and it too unhealthy to get out and do the things they dreamed of doing in retirement. We take a lot of trips to national parks that involve a lot of hiking. I want to stay in shape to continue doing these things.

I want to build it in, but with work, commute, and kids it’s not clear how.

If we got home earlier or if kids had less homework or we cut out THEIR activities maybe we could squeeze in a family walk.

But removing their enjoyable active sports or making them stay late in SACC and such so I can workout seems selfish

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might be one of the most depressing threads I've ever read. When do you sleep?

Yeah wow, so depressing to see women actually make time to prioritize and value their health. Look, I have kids I need to be healthy for. I want to have experiences with them and have them remember me as strong and capable. I want to be hiking with my grandkids one day, able to climb a tree with them if I want. I want strong healthy homes and to not have aching joints and bad knees when I’m 60. So yes, I take a precious 45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week to invest in that for myself. So do all these women. You can think it’s depressing but it’s more depressing to see 65 year olds who can barely move.

+1

I also think it is important for kids to see their parents exercising and being healthy. I have found that active parents tend to have more active kids. A friend complains that her kids don't like any sports and complain about being active, but she and her husband aren't active either and activity is not built into their lifestyle at all.

Aging well is also one of my top goals. I don't want to be one of those people who retires and it too unhealthy to get out and do the things they dreamed of doing in retirement. We take a lot of trips to national parks that involve a lot of hiking. I want to stay in shape to continue doing these things.

+ 1000

Prioritizing exercise should be as obvious as "prioritizing" sleep, or eating, or showering, or teeth brushing.... What's really depressing is that so many parents (moms in particular) are made to feel guilty for being healthy!

I brush my teeth and shirt in 15 minutes, eat meals in car, at desk, or making dinner for family, and sleep 7 hrs now.

Working out requires childcare and time (and another shower)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might be one of the most depressing threads I've ever read. When do you sleep?

Yeah wow, so depressing to see women actually make time to prioritize and value their health. Look, I have kids I need to be healthy for. I want to have experiences with them and have them remember me as strong and capable. I want to be hiking with my grandkids one day, able to climb a tree with them if I want. I want strong healthy homes and to not have aching joints and bad knees when I’m 60. So yes, I take a precious 45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week to invest in that for myself. So do all these women. You can think it’s depressing but it’s more depressing to see 65 year olds who can barely move.

+1

I also think it is important for kids to see their parents exercising and being healthy. I have found that active parents tend to have more active kids. A friend complains that her kids don't like any sports and complain about being active, but she and her husband aren't active either and activity is not built into their lifestyle at all.

Aging well is also one of my top goals. I don't want to be one of those people who retires and it too unhealthy to get out and do the things they dreamed of doing in retirement. We take a lot of trips to national parks that involve a lot of hiking. I want to stay in shape to continue doing these things.

+ 1000

Prioritizing exercise should be as obvious as "prioritizing" sleep, or eating, or showering, or teeth brushing.... What's really depressing is that so many parents (moms in particular) are made to feel guilty for being healthy!

I brush my teeth and shirt in 15 minutes, eat meals in car, at desk, or making dinner for family, and sleep 7 hrs now.

Working out requires childcare and time (and another shower)

Ok so stay fat. Enjoy getting diabetes at 60. You’re right, you have literally zero time to ever squeeze in being active.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyonr have suggestions for streaming workouts? Please no Tracy Anderson.

PP here who works out at home. I use the Peloton app and love it. Highly recommend. Awesome variety of workouts - cardio (treadmill, outdoor running, spin, HIIT), strength training, bootcamp (half treadmill, half strength training), yoga, and meditation. They have workouts for various lengths of time (from 5 minutes to 1 hour) and for different levels of fitness. Most of the instructors are great (some are annoying). The music is good, too. I pay $13/mo (which was the price a few years ago) but the current price is now $19/mo I think. They probably have a free trial period for the app.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might be one of the most depressing threads I've ever read. When do you sleep?

Yeah wow, so depressing to see women actually make time to prioritize and value their health. Look, I have kids I need to be healthy for. I want to have experiences with them and have them remember me as strong and capable. I want to be hiking with my grandkids one day, able to climb a tree with them if I want. I want strong healthy homes and to not have aching joints and bad knees when I’m 60. So yes, I take a precious 45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week to invest in that for myself. So do all these women. You can think it’s depressing but it’s more depressing to see 65 year olds who can barely move.

+1

I also think it is important for kids to see their parents exercising and being healthy. I have found that active parents tend to have more active kids. A friend complains that her kids don't like any sports and complain about being active, but she and her husband aren't active either and activity is not built into their lifestyle at all.

Aging well is also one of my top goals. I don't want to be one of those people who retires and it too unhealthy to get out and do the things they dreamed of doing in retirement. We take a lot of trips to national parks that involve a lot of hiking. I want to stay in shape to continue doing these things.

I want to build it in, but with work, commute, and kids it’s not clear how.

If we got home earlier or if kids had less homework or we cut out THEIR activities maybe we could squeeze in a family walk.

But removing their enjoyable active sports or making them stay late in SACC and such so I can workout seems selfish

Workout in the mornings or during THEIR activities. I often run while my kids area at practice. I also hit it harder on the weekends to make up for having less time during the week. When they were little I went during their nap time because I felt guilty being away from them on the weekends. I also run later at night after my kids are in bed.

When I was younger I thought getting to the gym at 7 am was super early, these days I go at 5 am and have been since my oldest was around a year old (took a break after my second because there was no way I was waking up early after being up during the night.) I only do 5 am workouts 2 times per week because every day is too tiring.

and so you don't think i have all the time in the world; I work full time and commute. Kids are elementary age so less demanding than infants.

start small. add some activity here and there and build on it from there. you don't have to go from 0 to working out for an hour 6 days a week,

[Anonymous]

above poster again. I also went through a phase where getting to the gym was hard so I did beachbody workouts at home (21 day fix workouts are only 25 min) and also did Jillian Michaels workouts. Did they make me as strong as lifting at the gym, no, but they did make me a little more fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might be one of the most depressing threads I've ever read. When do you sleep?

Yeah wow, so depressing to see women actually make time to prioritize and value their health. Look, I have kids I need to be healthy for. I want to have experiences with them and have them remember me as strong and capable. I want to be hiking with my grandkids one day, able to climb a tree with them if I want. I want strong healthy homes and to not have aching joints and bad knees when I’m 60. So yes, I take a precious 45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week to invest in that for myself. So do all these women. You can think it’s depressing but it’s more depressing to see 65 year olds who can barely move.

+1

I also think it is important for kids to see their parents exercising and being healthy. I have found that active parents tend to have more active kids. A friend complains that her kids don't like any sports and complain about being active, but she and her husband aren't active either and activity is not built into their lifestyle at all.

Aging well is also one of my top goals. I don't want to be one of those people who retires and it too unhealthy to get out and do the things they dreamed of doing in retirement. We take a lot of trips to national parks that involve a lot of hiking. I want to stay in shape to continue doing these things.

I want to build it in, but with work, commute, and kids it’s not clear how.

If we got home earlier or if kids had less homework or we cut out THEIR activities maybe we could squeeze in a family walk.

But removing their enjoyable active sports or making them stay late in SACC and such so I can workout seems selfish

Women are conditioned to put everyone else in front of them. You’re not being selfish by taking time to be healthy.

I went through recurrent pregnancy loss about 10 years ago. That was when I decided to make my health a priority. It was no longer “optional” or a luxury. It was something I HAD to do to have a family and be healthy enough to take care of them. It didn’t happen overnight. I think a lot of people fail because they try to jump into a whole new lifestyle both feet first. Once the novelty wears off it’s too easy to slide back into old habits. Commit long-term, then make incremental changes.

The time I take to be healthy is not just about me- it’s also about having the energy to take care of my family in the manner I want. I commit typically 30-45 minutes 6 days a week to being “uncomfortable” ie- working out, so I can feel energized and confident the other 23 and a half hours of the day.

Prioritizing regular workouts come with a price. I pay for it by having more things delivered, like groceries. Means I have to cut back on other things. I run, which after the expense of a good pair of sneakers, is relatively cheap. No fancy sexy workout clothes for me haha. We maintain a family-centric model, rather than a kid-centric- meaning we make decisions and allocate time keeping the entire family as a priority, not just the kiddoes. Mom and Dad have to be happy in order for the family to work and be happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This might be one of the most depressing threads I've ever read. When do you sleep?

Yeah wow, so depressing to see women actually make time to prioritize and value their health. Look, I have kids I need to be healthy for. I want to have experiences with them and have them remember me as strong and capable. I want to be hiking with my grandkids one day, able to climb a tree with them if I want. I want strong healthy homes and to not have aching joints and bad knees when I’m 60. So yes, I take a precious 45 minutes a day 4-5 times a week to invest in that for myself. So do all these women. You can think it’s depressing but it’s more depressing to see 65 year olds who can barely move.

+1

I also think it is important for kids to see their parents exercising and being healthy. I have found that active parents tend to have more active kids. A friend complains that her kids don't like any sports and complain about being active, but she and her husband aren't active either and activity is not built into their lifestyle at all.

Aging well is also one of my top goals. I don't want to be one of those people who retires and it too unhealthy to get out and do the things they dreamed of doing in retirement. We take a lot of trips to national parks that involve a lot of hiking. I want to stay in shape to continue doing these things.

I want to build it in, but with work, commute, and kids it’s not clear how.

If we got home earlier or if kids had less homework or we cut out THEIR activities maybe we could squeeze in a family walk.

But removing their enjoyable active sports or making them stay late in SACC and such so I can workout seems selfish

DP here. Surely you can find 30 minutes 3-4 per week for exercise. If you can't do a family walk, fine. Go by yourself. Wake up earlier or leave DH with the kids in the evening and go for a walk. Having the kids stay later at day care or after care twice per week isn't a big deal. And it should be much easier to carve out time on the weekends.

It's not selfish to take care of yourself. You have to get out of that mindset. How can you care for your kids if you aren't healthy yourself? My mom died of cancer when I was 19, which was caused in large part by poor lifestyle choices. She was always there for us - SAHM, very involved at school, always putting our needs first. I would much rather have been left with a babysitter or entertained myself for an hour while she did workouts at home than to watch her get sick and die. It's an extreme example, I realize, but you have to think long term. I for one don't want to be saddled with carrying around too much weight, or have a bad back or knees that would prevent me from keeping up with my kids as I get older. I don't want to miss out on enjoying life with my family because I'm in poor health. So I carve out time to eat well and exercise. You can, too.