Anonymous wrote:I do a short yoga class at lunch several times a week, bike for transportation, run on occasion, and once it twice a month leave the kids with my husband for an evening to take a more dedicated class.

There are also yoga classes on demand at cable and on several internet sites to practice any time.

I take an evening walk (about 20-30 mins) with the kids either after dinner or as a break between study subjects. It clears their heads and mine.

OP I notice you said you're not a morning person. I'm neither a morning person nor a workout person, but here's what has worked for me for the last three months - workout both weekend days and one to two times a week I workout right after work and pick up DD a half hour late from daycare. I have had two weeks out of the last twelve where I didn't make it to the gym at all, but most weeks this plan has worked well for me.
The motivation that got me started on this whole thing was actually here on DCUM. Over the summer I was reading a post where the OP was complaining about having no time to work out and a poster wrote back that absolutely everyone has the ability to find a half hour in their day to squeeze in a workout. My gut reaction was, "that's ridiculous, I couldn't possibly find the time to work out." But the idea stuck and after taking a good hard look at my day I came up with a plan that works for me. If I tried to go at 5am I'd end up just hitting the snooze button for another hour. Be honest with yourself about what time\type of exercise work best for you. Don't be afraid to start small - 15 min on the treadmill is way better than not doing anything at all.
Good luck to you! I hope you find a plan that works for you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- thanks for all of the replies. I am soooo not a morning person, so I guess I've been in denial about needing to wake up earlier. Looks like I'll have to bite the bullet.

OP no one likes exercising or getting up early for that matter. We do it cause we have to. Give it a couple weeks consistently and you'll be used to it. Also, you may notice your energy levels are better throughout the day.

This isn't true for everyone. I'm a morning person so I actually like getting up early and I love exercising (lifting, classes). But, I do agree that after a few weeks of consistently sticking to any schedule and it will get easier.

If you could be healthy and look good without ever exercising, would you still do it?

20-30 minutes at a time on weekends and week nights - I put on a yoga DVD, while dinner is in the oven or laundry is in the wash, and the kids play or join me. I also go to the gym during my lunch break about once a week. I try to go more often but work is pretty busy so I normally just grab a few bites between meetings. I walk a lot. I know I'm healthy but not as toned as I'd like.

I also hate mornings. Take classes 9 a.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m. Sunday, as well as Wednesday evenings. DH doesn't mine watching DD alone as much on weekend mornings when they pretty much just veg and watch tv, and he knows he has to be home Wednesday nights so I can to go class for an hour. It is still hard to fit everything in, but I find taking classes is the only way I can make sure I don't use the time to do laundry instead.

5:45am treadmill in the basement. Shower and mostly dressed by 7am. Kids get up at 7:15. We are all out the door by 8am. 2 mornings a week DH handles the kids so I can sleep an extra 45min.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- thanks for all of the replies. I am soooo not a morning person, so I guess I've been in denial about needing to wake up earlier. Looks like I'll have to bite the bullet.

OP no one likes exercising or getting up early for that matter. We do it cause we have to. Give it a couple weeks consistently and you'll be used to it. Also, you may notice your energy levels are better throughout the day.

This isn't true for everyone. I'm a morning person so I actually like getting up early and I love exercising (lifting, classes). But, I do agree that after a few weeks of consistently sticking to any schedule and it will get easier.

For those running in the early morning when it is still dark (or later at night), do you feel safe? We have a nice path in the woods by our house, but I wouldn't feel safe running on it alone in the dark. I guess I could stick to the main roads....

Wake up at 5:30 to work out, back by 6:45. Husband in in the shower when I get back, kids are just waking up. We tag-team getting two little ones (under age 5) dressed and fed. He walks the dog. We're usually all out the door by 8:15 at the latest.

I'm sorry, but if it's taking you 2.5 hours to get ready in the morning, something is not right.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for folks who work out in the AM, how do you manage to get the kids ready and out to door in a reasonable time? we get up at 5:30 and it takes us 2.5 hours to get out with two
kids. i am doing something wrong. can you share your schedule and how you divvy up tasks with your partner to get in a workout as well as get out the door at a decent time?

Unless your kids are taking showers in the morning, they should be able to be dressed, fed and out the door in 30-45 minutes. Make sure the backpacks are packed the night before, clothes are picked out, and lunches made. Keep breakfast simple. I can't believe it takes you and your partner 1:45 to get yourselves showered, dressed and fed in the morning. Get yourselves taken care of before the kids, and you should be able to get it down to 1.5 hours. And then you have that extra hour to work out.

We get out the door in about 1.5 hours with our 2 kids -- 3 yo and 10 mos. old. We do EVERYTHING the night before. The baby sleeps in her clothes for the next day, and everything is prepped for daycare. The 3 yo takes care of all bathroom/bedroom activities before breakfast, so once she finishes eating she can put her shoes on right away to head out. Also, I eat breakfast at work.

I use our home treadmill after the kids go to bed. It means I stay up late because I'm usually too jazzed to go to sleep. On the plus side, I get a lot of work done during that time.

Never.

Anonymous wrote:for folks who work out in the AM, how do you manage to get the kids ready and out to door in a reasonable time? we get up at 5:30 and it takes us 2.5 hours to get out with two
kids. i am doing something wrong. can you share your schedule and how you divvy up tasks with your partner to get in a workout as well as get out the door at a decent time?

Unless your kids are taking showers in the morning, they should be able to be dressed, fed and out the door in 30-45 minutes. Make sure the backpacks are packed the night before, clothes are picked out, and lunches made. Keep breakfast simple. I can't believe it takes you and your partner 1:45 to get yourselves showered, dressed and fed in the morning. Get yourselves taken care of before the kids, and you should be able to get it down to 1.5 hours. And then you have that extra hour to work out.

I wake up at 4:40, go to gym by 5AM. Work out until 6:20, then shower and get back to the house by 7:00AM. Kids are usually just up and getting dressed. After they get dressed, we have breakfast and other morning stuff. Everybody is out the door by 8:00AM.

(lunches packed night before)