Fit parents with kids - when do you find time to work out?
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Anonymous
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Mom of toddler here, both full-time working parents but my job is lower-key/more flexible and mostly WFH.
We each do a long exercise activity solo on the weekends and then do the rest of our weekend stuff together. He usually does a round of golf by himself and I do a bike ride. I am training for a century ride (100km) so that gives you an idea of our activity level! We make it work and prioritize it. On our weekly babysitter nights, we sometimes golf. If it's walking/no cart, it counts as exercise 
I will admit I don't get a lot of gym time (vs outdoor exercise) but that's my choice due to COVID/transportation limitations. |
Anonymous
Oh, and for shorter exercise (3-mile run, short bike ride, strength training/yoga routine) I just do it during the workday while teleworking. At a quiet moment or in lieu of lunch break. |
Anonymous
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Regarding dinner, something that works REALLY well for us is that 90% of our home cooked meals are designed to be eaten two nights in a row. We make double of whatever our main is, we prepare twice as many veggies (but if a salad, only dress half for dinner the first night), etc. The second night's dinner goes straight into containers as we cook it. This means that every other weeknight, no one has to cook. That frees us up a ton.
I know I basically only have to plan and prepare dinner one night a week, two tops. So a typical week is: Monday night -- Eat Sunday's leftovers, each get in a 30 minute run before dinner (we will shower after kid goes to bed) Tuesday night -- I cook, no workout. Usually kid helps me cook to keep her entertained while DH gets in a long workout Wednesday night -- No one cooks, I do a barre class online while DH goes for a run and toddler gets 30 minutes of screen time pre-dinner Thursday night -- DH cooks with DD, I get my long workout Friday night -- No one cooks, I go to a dance exercise class after work (they have childcare), DH works out or doesn't, sometimes he (GASP) plays video games while we're gone When you have small children, you need to prioritize and get efficient. Are our leftovers always amazing? Nope, but they are dinner, reasonably healthy, and homemade. We go out to eat once or twice a week. Everyone gets exercise. Everyone gets downtime. It is hard but we make it work, and I think it will get easier as our kid gets older and we don't have to do quite so much of the childcare shuffle (though then we'll have the activities shuffle, so maybe 6 of 1, half dozen of another). |
Anonymous
Yeah, disregard snarky PP, I used to work out in 20min sessions (HIIT-type stuff) and I had visible abs. |
Anonymous
+2 |
Anonymous
I like how you’re using past tense |
Anonymous
-_- I'm still fit, just in a skinny cardio way, not in a muscle-y way. Jeesh. |
Anonymous
| When my daughter was little I'd put her in her swing or jumper and do Jillian Michaels for 25 min. Now that she's older, I go for two walks per day on work breaks and also do two high intensity fitness classes; swim on weekends. I go on speed walks for passive calls like townhalls. |
Anonymous
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It was really hard when they were very little. I basically just tried to be active with them. When my youngest turned 2 I decided I needed to prioritize my health for a while and somehow managed to train for a sprint triathlon. I think I swam a weekend morning and once a week at 8:30pm. I ran with the toddler in the stroller a couple afternoons a week and did one longer run on my own on the weekend. I tried to do one bike ride a week with the kids in the bike trailer, and did a late night or early morning bike ride. For night workouts, I ate a light dinner and snacked after. It was hard, and I was back of the pack, but I felt really proud of myself for pulling it off, and managed to keep up exercise, though not at the same inrensity, afterwards. For me, making a commitment to something made all the difference. A twice a week running class is what first made it seem doable. I’d take an hour two evenings a week and DH fed kids or finished bedtime for the two months it lasted.
I’ve ebbed and waned since then, but the good news is it gets much easier once they are tweens! My youngest is now 10 and I’m in the best shape I’ve been in since my 12 year d was born. |
Anonymous
Asleep by 9:30, up at 5:30 to exercise before anyone else is awake. I don’t really have time for TV or anything but that’s not so much of a sacrifice. That said, I don’t think I exercised much when the kid was a toddler while working FT. Took walks when I could but so busy and exhausted. I think my first foray back into exercise was the 7-minute workout, then I doubled, then tripled. That got me into a habit. |
Anonymous
Ah yes the bike trailer! I highly recommend as well! |
Anonymous
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I have a toddler and a preschooler, and the key for me is to be flexible with the timing. In the morning I dress in workout clothes and stay that way until a break in my day comes. I’ll use my lunch break to do 45 mins of weights. If I don’t have a break during the day, I’ll make dinner for the kids and workout while they eat with DH and he gives them a bath, then we trade and he works out while I put them to bed. Then if I have the energy I’ll do 30-45 mins cardio, shower and go to sleep. On the weekends I get a longer workout in while DH takes them to a playground.
I keep a cardigan and blazer nearby for zoom calls to put over my workout tank. I’m not a morning person and I’m already busy then making breakfast and packing lunches, dropping kids at daycare and school - just doesn’t work for me to get up earlier. Just find the little pockets of time in your day and do it! Even if you start with 10 minutes of core work. Get your feet wet. |
Anonymous
| Pre-COVID I was getting up at 5am to work out, shower at 6 and then downstairs by 7 fully dressed to get children ready for school. Since I've been working from home, it's been a bit easier. I can usually squeeze in a workout at around 10am if my work schedule permits. Fortunately I work for DoD, so my bosses encourage PT. I don't know how I ever got up that early! |
Anonymous
| DH gets up everyday between 4 and 4:30 to start his day and work out. |
Anonymous
| We’re up at 4:30 every morning. One person runs outside the other uses the treadmill or peloton inside (we alternate inside/outside daily). I’m showered by the time my kid is up. Then it’s a scramble to get us both out the door. . The sacrifice is we’re in bed by 8:30/9pm and there is no real downtime during the week. But I’ve been able to train for a dozen marathons this way, so for us it’s worth it. |