Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hang in there when DS2 have a more set schedule. Where is your partner in the scheme of things? With two kids (2, 4) I usually get up at 430 during the weekdays (twice) to go to gym and 530 during weekends.

I think that may have to be the plan for now. My husband works out first thing in the morning because he goes to work really early so he can be home to help out in the evening. I think evenings workouts are my only choice, but I am so so tired by the time 8/830 rolls around.

On the weekends my husband and I trade off so we can each get in some exercise, and I exercise a couple weeknights a week after my kids go to bed (around 8 or 8:30). I either run outside or swim for exercise (mostly running). I've been doing this since July, and it was really hard to motivate myself for the evening workouts at first, but after a week or two it became much easier. You just have to power through the first couple of weeks.

I have two kids. They are now five and almost eight but I’ve been working out consistently since they were babies. The vast majority of my workouts I do at home. We have a Peloton and a treadmill and I also do some of the Shaun T Beachbody workouts like insanity.

I’m lucky that my job is flexible and now my kids are old enough that I can do the workouts while they are home. So I can work out at 8 AM then get them to school and then get to work. Depending on my work schedule I will get up at seven-ish and do it or do a class in the late afternoon.

Anonymous wrote:Single mom of three kids. I work from home so go to hot yoga (corepower) 5 days a week - they have flexible classes between 10:30 and 1:30 so I I am always find something I can fit around my work.

On weekends I go before my kids wake up(6:30 am classes), and if I’m traveling for work I go for a run.

What do you do for childcare on weekend mornings? Or are you out of that phase? I feel like people with older kids forget how arranging consistent childcare or even managing little ones who wake up unexpectedly and need to be put back to bed is a constant part of the planning process. Classes out of the house are so often frustrated.

I do workouts from YouTube after the kids are in bed, but I have a six month old and he does sometimes wake up mid workout. It is what it is right now.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I got one recently and really like it! I like the livestream classes -- it makes me get out of bed to not miss the start of the 6am class. I did evenings when my first was little, but mornings are better now with my 9mo old's current schedule. The peloton makes it easy to find something that works-- whenever that might be

DP, and I do classes almost exclusively on-demand. There are so many ways to stay accountable with a Peloton--lots of different challenges, FB groups, etc. The bolded is one of the best things about it; that, and the quality and variety of instruction.

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.

I got one recently and really like it! I like the livestream classes -- it makes me get out of bed to not miss the start of the 6am class. I did evenings when my first was little, but mornings are better now with my 9mo old's current schedule. The peloton makes it easy to find something that works-- whenever that might be

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).

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.

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.

My office has a gym in the basement. My house has a gym in the garage.

On my lunch hour or after work.

When the kids are a little older, many martial arts places offer family classes. Once my youngest turned six, I was able to do a martial arts class with all three kids three times a week. It's been a lot of fun.

I get most of my exercise commuting to/from work by bike or on foot. I do drop offs, so I either use a trailer on my bike or a double stroller if I walk. If I had to budget separate time for exercise, it would never happen, so this is what works for me. But, I live 3 miles from my office and my kids' preschools are (sort of) on the way.

I'm a runner. When I just had one kid, I would get up early (6ish) and do a couple miles before work, and a longer run on the weekend.

Then I had another kid, and also started a compressed work schedule, so I also have to be out the door to work by 6:15. So now I run three days in a row--Friday (my telework day), Sat and Sunday. It's not ideal to train three days in a row, but it's all I can do now.

I also walk about 2 miles a day for my commute (though that's broken up into chunks...walk, metro, walk)

When the weather gets better and it stays light later, I'd like to drop one of my weekend runs and add one after work, as soon as my spouse gets home.

I have three (7 and under), work FT, and have kept up daily workouts other than very early pregnancy/postpartum immediate recovery. What works for me is being rigid about doing something, but flexible about what that something is. Through the years, that's been some combination of:

Double jogger
Peloton
Gym with childcare
6am fitness classes

I almost always workout first thing in the morning, so there's less time for life to get in the way.

During that stage, I just resigned myself to the fact that something was better than nothing. To me, that meant working out three days a week: Saturday and Sunday when husband could watch them, and once during the work week. As the baby began to sleep through the night and reliably wake up at a certain time, I started to wake up early and exercise then.

Also, during the summer it is easier for me to do evening workouts- the warm weather and late sunset energize me.