exercise to lose weight - please give me a timetable that will work?!

[slowreadingprogress]

OK, I am really struggling to lose weight.
Ihave underactive thyroid and am on medication for this however the weight I have put on as a result of this condition is stubborn to shift in the extreme

I work full time. Out of house at 6.45am and leave work at 4pm so as to be home for 5pm to spend time with ds (working mother guilt emoticon)

DS has found it very hard to get used to me not picking him up from school so in the evenings until he is asleep I am very much with him. He often doesnt' drop off till 9pm - then by the time DH and I have cleared up and made DS lunch for the next day and sorted what's needed for his bag, etc, it is ten pm and gone.

I may be making excuses here but I am really finding it hard to think how I can get time to exercise. I already park a bit away from work and walk in and when I go out on visits I park so as to allow some walking, I always take stairs not lifts, etc so I am doing all those 'little' things but with my very stubborn weight gain these simply make no difference at all.

What would you do O exercise goddesses, given my timetable and a clingy 6 year old?!

TIA for any thoughts....

[mckenzie]

What do you do with your DS in the evening? Does your son have a bike SRP? Perhaps he can go for a bike ride while you run along beside him.
Or you could go to the local park/fitness centre and play tennis together. Or table tennis. or badminton.
Does your DS like football? Go out in the garden and kick a ball around with him for a bit and every so often get DS to do some keepy uppy while you do some press ups/lunges/star jumps etc.
Have a competition with DS to see who can do the most amount of star jumps/spotty dogs in one minute.

What about lunchtimes at work?

[JammyQueenOfTheSewers]

I think mckenzie's ideas are good. I was also going to suggest lunchtimes at work - a 30min brisk walk wach day should help.

What about weekends? Or, I know you want to spend time with DS, but would 1 hour for you to exercise 1 evening a week be manageable - not a huge amount but better than nothing? Or can you all go swimming and DH play with DS while you spend 30 mins doing some proper lengths, then you all play together for a bit at the end?

And good luck, I know how hard it can be to shift the weight and I certainly can't do it without exercise.

[slowreadingprogress]

thanks you two!

Yes - swimming at the weekend is a good one for us. DH and I can give each other some time to do lengths.

My trouble is that I can't do anything in the lunchtime...I only get 30 mins and during that time I actually need to eat lunch! I think one of my major difficulties is that I really do have to eat a 'proper' lunch otherwise I get shaky - hypoglycaemic.

Tennis with ds - tried it. He hated it. Was rubbish at it, poor boy. He has hypermobility which means that physically he is very behind and things involving co-ordination like tennis, badminton, are sheer hell to him and he hates them. Football again he is very reluctant to do.

I may well be able to get him to do the competitions with star jumps, etc but I think the thing is that this is very mood dependent and if he's not into it then he will not do it, if he has other play on the go.

i do realise the odd minute here and there is better than nothing and I should go for it but I think I have been really disheartened by how very hard my weight is to shift. Doing little bits here and there when I can for absolutely no result is what has been happening for 6 years and it's very, very depressing

Sorry feel I've been a bit negative about your good ideas. I know there's no magic solution to this otherwise I'd have found it by now.

[mckenzie]

get yourself a dynaband (and maybe get DS one too!). You need to be a bit inventive but you can do some great exercises to build up some muscle (which will increase your basal metabolic rate and help you lose weight). If you buy a decent one, probably on line, you should get a booklet with it giving you examples of exercises to do. These are the sort of exercises that you can do when you have 10/15 mins to spare and DS can join in or watch you. Get him involved by giving him the stopwatch and asking him to time you. Or count for you.
I don't know much about children's hypermobility - are there exercises that you DS should be doing to help him?

[tatt]

Don't know anything about hypermobility either but I have experience of weight loss being difficult . Would it be possible for you and your Ds to do trampoling or him to use a scooter while you run beside him or go for a bike ride together?

Are you eating foods with a low glycaemic index? That can really help with the hypoglycaemic problem. Think wholemeal prawn sandwich with salad followed by an apple or some plums.

Some nice mumsnetters got me into weights and interval training. The weights can be baked bean cans or bottles or water to start and you can do some arm exercises while listening to him read or watching a TV programme with him. You can do sort of press ups (from the worktop) in the kitchen while the kettle boils. When you can get a few minutes for exercise do short intensive bursts then slacken off - e.g. I cycle as fast as I can for one minute then slowly for a minute and repeat for as long as I've got/ I can manage. Do a few squats before you eat your lunch. Even if you don't lose weight you'll feel a lot fitter and you might just be able to up that basal metabolic rate enough to lose weight.

[slowreadingprogress]

more messages, thanks! You are obviously very knowledgable and I appreciate the advice.

mckenzie, re ds' hypermobility, yes there are exercises that we should/do do to help him but one of the problems for ds is that he will vehemently avoid the very things he needs to do. He is not one to set his mind to something, practice, and see progress. If he can't do it, he will bring down the shutters, and focus on the things he can do, which don't involve this sort of physical activity. So it is hard. But swimming is one of the best things and he loves that and we do it weekly. Trampolining I think could be a very good idea - was thinking of one for his birthday......

Funnily enough on saturday evening and tonight, ds dropped off at 8pm which is amazing - gives me an evening. I am hoping this continues - have decided to dig out an exercise video and as the evenings get lighter I will get out and walk - hoping to build up to a little jogging perhaps?!

thanks for the ideas

[NakedPlumpy]

Skipping? You could be in the garden with him and just do 1 minute bursts with a skipping rope and then play with him while you rest - could turn it into some sort of game with him timing you possibly?

[lunavix]

wii fit? I take it in turns with my 5 y o ds.

Trampolining is a good idea

This might sound daft but do you have a massive soft play place nearby?

We have a huge one which you can get a cheap membership to. If I take my two and actively play with them instead of watching I get iworn out