How to fit exercise in to full time work and life

Why is your DH not doing the washing and cleaning and walking the dog as well as you?! I'm guessing that since you used to be part-time, he justified you doing those things because he was working full-time?

I think the answer is to work out which part of the day you'll have the most energy/willpower and do it then. Prioritise exercise over everything else.

Like a pp I work out my exercise times/classes at the beginning of the week based on unmoveable things (work or kids) and then everything else fits around them.

And yes, presumably your H can do his fair share of kid ferrying/cooking etc.

I usually eat around 7.30 to 8.

When do you eat, @WhisperingTree? I usually get in from work at 6.30ish and immediately cook and eat (have kids to feed), so am trying to work out how to manage eating vs exercise in the evenings. I worry a 9pm exercise class would be too soon after food or make me too buzzed to go to sleep...

I exercise six days a week. I am at the gym when it opens at six am. I am there for an hour. And it is done. I am an early riser though so I am up at 5 anyway. But would rather now be at the gym than sitting on my arse staring at my phone. If u want it enough. U will make time

I do Les Mills on demand three evenings a week at home. I can't fit going to the gym with full time work and teenagers. They need taxing around in weeknights too. I mostly starts after 9pm, and do either a 30min or 55min class. I think you need something flexible to fit around you, instead of you around it (eg spin classes).

I exercise both days at the weekends and start work late a couple of days a week, and DC or DH cook that evening.

If driving DC somewhere I split it with DH and if there is outdoor space near where am going I walk or run.

I find getting up before 7 tricky but try to get ip then as do find it hard to exercise if I don’t do it first thing.

I am working on shrugging off some things that DH or DC could do

I get up at 5 and am at work by 7. There is zero chance of me doing anything in the mornings! I may occasionally fit something in on a weekday evening but have essentially resigned myself to weekend exercise only, plus extra in school hols.

The standard response to this is to get up earlier. Doing the import thing first will mean it doesn't get squeezed out later in the day. BUT sleep is at least as important for good health if not more important, so unless you can go to bed and get to sleep earlier its inadvisable.

I have sen dc, it takes hours to get them to sleep and to get them ready in the morning . I get 6 hours sleep at best.

When I am prioritising exercise I make it a solid booking in my calendar. I find straight after work so that I don't go home is best for me. Mon/Wed/Fri 5-6 class then just being 'active' at the weekend.

When I am not prioritising it I have a non negotiable 'you must do something each day' moto and have been known to do 10 mins on the bike or some press ups and sit ups just before bed if necessary.

Someone upthread asked why your dh isn't running the teens round. Does he? How much free time to himself does he have?

When I worked FT I either did gym at lunch or ran about 7k home

Harder if you’re rural though

I found it easy to say I don’t have time until I have myself a time slot to do it. Sometimes it’s about prioritising yourself for a change.

When my DD was younger I’d exercise in the living room while she was around me drawing or watching a film.

Get the teens to take the bus and help out with chores and the dog walking.

If your teens are okd enough to have Saturday jobs then they are old enough to get the bus there and back (or travel to/from the local gym you drive to instead of running round after them(.

Have you got a DP? If so tell him/her that you need to exercise and work out a time best for both of you

Active commuting is good if you can walk or cycle some or all of your journey to work and school runs.

Running is a very efficient use of time as you don't need to go anywhere else to do it, exercise time starts straight out of the front door.

I've never done YouTube yoga but that seems like a good one.

Could you aim for one exercise session during the week and one at the weekend initially? With a view to increasing one weekday or one weekend or both over time? I have a treadmill at home and run on that twice during the week and once at the weekends. Plus I aim to go to the gym once during the week and once at the weekends. Don’t always manage all of the above. I used to swim too but that isn’t happening at the moment. I also have demanding teens and a parent who needs care and a very full on full time job. It’s aboht figuring out what and when in advance and sticking to it. You can do it!

Evenings for me - I go to a 6:30 class on a WFH day, and 7:15 classes twice a week where I literally get home, changed and run out the door again. It does mean I feel like I'm out every weeknight though (as there will usually be something on the other evening), and come Friday, I'm pooped!

I wfh a few times a week so I exercise on my lunch breaks - either a run or the gym. Sometimes I get up early and do the gym.
Honestly, I also prioritise it over cleaning on the weekends. Exercise is scheduled in first.

I also try and make use of any hanging around for teens time - if my youngest is at an activity where there is no point going home then I go for a run.

What has also helped at times is to have a very strict exercise schedule, when it feels like my needs are coming last in the family. Making a time slot that is sacrosanct and sticking to it - anyone who needs a lift will have to wait or find another way. If you're a runner could that be parkrun or a local running club?

Can you run with the dog? Kill 2 birds...

There's some great short workout routines to get back into it. Caroline Girvan has a 20 minute no repeat weights and a kettlebell one for example. Could you do these as soon as you get in from work?

I loathe early mornings but I do exercise after work at least 3 times a week. Running or strength workouts, or something from YouTube.
The advantage of the indoor workouts is that I can pause them v briefly to run and put something in the oven or brief my teens to turn something on/get something out in preparation for dinner!
But we do eat fairly late which doesn't suit everyone.

Aim to do two or three 45-minute sessions a week. Preferably first thing in the morning.

The rest of the week, try to fit in 2-3 short (10-20 minute) sessions whenever you have a 'window'. One weight-bearing/pilates, the other HIIT/cardio. Some exercise can be done while watching TV. Do a plank or some squats while waiting for the kettle to boil.

Walk as much as possible, at a fair pace. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Especially effective if wearing ankle and/or wrist weights.

Utilize your time wisely and focus on resistance based exercises. I have a collection of short YouTube videos that target different areas - Caroline Girvan, Growingannanas, Rebecca Louise, Lucy Wyndham Read, the Bowflex 3-minute plank.....

I used to get up early to go for a run - before 7am so I'd ran by the time I needed to get everyone up for school. I loved it - only don't do it now because of knee issues.

I do a workout now at home at the end of my working day (wfh).

I now do a yoga class first thing on weekend mornings - so before dogs and kids are up.