Be honest, how much exercise do you REALLY do?

[JMAngel1]

I think I need to up my exercise game - I'm 51 and noticing I can feel out of breath climbing four flights of stairs at work whereas I would skip up them a few years ago.
The exercise boards on here are really intimidating with everyone claiming to run followed by a swim or a HIIT class every day then yoga at night! I don't know anyone in real life like this so not sure what "normal" is I suppose.
So if you're a full time working mum like me, how much exercise do you really do each week? And how do you fit it into your days?

So I'm a couple of years older than you and was truly feeling unfit and dreadful after Christmas.

I work FT and in London 2-3 days a week, getting home between 6-7.

As part of my new year regime I signed up for HIIT classes x2 per week between 8-9pm. Am 7 weeks into that.

On the days I work in London I walk 2.5 miles from the train to the office. To build that in I am getting a 6.30 am train.

Also trying to do the 2 mile per day walking challenges on days I am not in the office.

Have agreed to a 10k in the Summer so about to kick off the c25k. I'll do that on days i don't go into London or do the Hiit.

I'm hoping I'll feel a lot better by the Summer.

I do none.

I work FT and manage to do around 10000 steps a day.

How does everyone on this thread have so much energy?! I feel terrible

I’m a FT working mum and get up at 6am to work out.

Here’s the real secret about exercise: going from 0-some exercise has the biggest effect on people’s health. So the good news is, if you currently do no exercise at all, adding ANYTHING will straight away start making you more healthy and adding healthy days to your life. It’s also the hardest part. Going from 0 hours of exercise to 1-3 hours a week is really hard. You feel tired, demoralised, out of breath and shit. For, like, 4 weeks. And this is when people give up. Because it’s hard and they’re tired. But they gave up just when it was going to start getting easier!

Because the other secret is, if you don’t want to exercise because you’re too tired, exercise is the number 1 thing that will give you back your energy. I sleep less as I get up earlier but oh my god I wish I’d started ten years ago. I get through a day without longing for a nap, I keep going and actually functioning well into the evening, it’s like a fucking miracle cure.

So I don’t want to be preachy but if you’re so tired you can’t even imagine going for a run, consider that it’s the best thing you could ever do for yourself. If someone offered you a pill to take to be less tired, you’d take it. If you could pay £1000 to be less tired you’d probably pay it. And yet the actual cure is right there and it’s free! Six months ago I was so exhausted after work I’d have to sleep before dinner. I’d yawn all day, people commented on it. I’d drag myself out of bed. So I know what it’s like and I know how I feel now and I know it’s working out that’s changed it for me.

I can barely walk. I can only use one are 'properly' and that's diminishing. I am well aware I don't have a very bright future, but it is what it is.

I'm very sorry to hear this, and my comments were not directed at you or anyone in this position. I was referring to any of us lucky enough to be healthy & with an option to exercise.

I hope there are some treatment options that can help.

I'm 43 with a full time job and teenage children. I fast walk twice a day with my dog, it's also quite hilly. I probably do 2 hours of walking each day.
I average 18-20k steps everyday and do this 7 days a week. I'd say I'm fit and active but I don't go to the gym or anything like that.

Um yes, fair point. I’m lucky enough to have the time to fit my workouts in when I want to, but I can see it’s not that simple for the OP.

Yes but a lot of us are also f/t working mums who fit in quite a lot of exercise

I brought my DS to a match at 8 am today; went for an 8k run while the team warmed up, and back to see their games. It's not always easy but it's possible to fit it in.

OP - I am older than you and only now, having dropped ro part-time can I fit in exercise. I swim x 3 each week, walk as much as I can and garden. Probably not enough (based on this thread) but my mantra is to keep moving.

So true. Exercising when you're unfit is demoralising and feels like shit. But exercising after you have built a little fitness is a whole different story. Also just getting through the warm up period to get into the zone. Exercising for 20 minutes feels a lot worse for me than going for 90 minutes because then your body switches properly into exercise mode and you feel so much stronger.

I have this really ridiculous mental block whereby I can't exercise unless I have done all my housework and chores. I feel too guilty. But the thing is I never ever finish all my housework and chores... therefore I never exercise. However I manage to watch TV and sit down when I have chores to do. It's absolutely stupid and holding me back. But I find when I do exercise I actually feel really depressed during it. I end up thinking loads during the actual exercise and it makes me feel down. I think I have never found an exercise I like. I don't like walking or the gym...that makes me think and I find it miserable. I love swimming but it's such a huge faff... getting changed and washing my hair afterwards. I love cycling but I don't own a bike and I'd never cycle on roads so there's nowhere to cycle anyway.

Age 50.

30 minute brisk walk plus 20 minutes of apple fitness plus online exercise classes every day. The apple classes are HIIT, weights, core, Pilates and yoga on various days - you programme a plan.

My health went horrendously downhill over lockdown and I’ve been trying to get fit.

This year I plan to take up wild swimming. Let me see how far I get!

I work full time but the difference is my kids are grown even if still at home.

i do 3 spin classes a week and between 1.5 and 3 hrs of weightlifting a week. I try and get at least one long cycle ride in at a weekend. If I cycle both days at a weekend then the second ride is instead of one of the spin classes.

I also cycle commute to work a couple of times a week (14 mile round trip). The other days I wfh and the gym is very close so I will try to do weights at lunchtime.

@SirChenjins

It is & it isn't (the same on these threads). I'm not saying everyone has to make the same choices as me - people must work out what suits them best - but if you really want to exercise, you'll make it work.

When mine were very small, my ex had left & I used the very short amount of time the youngest was in creche to run; I ran with him in a buggy; and at weekends, I'd go to a very large park, they'd be in the centre of a field / grassy area, and I'd run loops, stopping to do burpees & push-ups; I ran in my lunch hour.

It wasn't ideal - you're then trying to juggle something else. But it's possible. And for me, something I felt I had to do.

Aged 54, no kids at home. I do 2-3 spin classes a week (45mins) and 2-3 half hour swims per week. Should do weights at my age but it bores me.

I work full time, but I train (CrossFit ) 5-6 times a week consistently. I have always trained before work , luckily I don’t work shifts anymore, but if I waited till the evening I would feel as though I’d been out the house too long! And by doing stuff early doors it means I have time at home every evening . My son still lives at home but is of an independent age. I make sure everything is ready for the morning , lunch for work, etc so all I need to do is get up and head to the gym.

I do a 5k walk every morning with the dog and try to get another shorter walk in later, 3-4 peloton cycling classes a week about 40 mins each and if I can a couple of strength classes

FWIW I work full time (when WFH, I cycle and swim at lunchtime, and do weights/Pilates before or after work)
when I have to go to the office, I walk at lunchtime

I'm mid 30s with a full-time job and two primary aged kids, too young to be left alone. I work from home so I can put more time into the school run. We ride to the school, takes 10 minutes, I drop them off, then I'll do a 6 km ish loop instead of going straight home if the weather's OK. That's not far on a bike so it doesn't take long. Then same in reverse for pick up. It's little bits but it adds up over the day. Does mean I do less when it's blowing a gale.

There's more time at the weekend obviously and I'm not a single parent so I can easily leave DH with the kids then. We sometimes do active things as a family but I need to go by myself to exercise properly as they are much slower than me.

When they were very little I would ride with them in the trailer - now that's a workout! I think I was fitter when I was lugging two preschool kids up and down hills on a regular basis. It's less fun, though.

Following

If yours were in a crèche and you were exercising I’m guessing you weren’t working at that time?

I know what you mean, it’s possible to fit in some exercise at some point, but it’s very difficult to fit a large amount of regular exercise into f/t work, looking after young children, commuting, house stuff, other hobbies, keeping up with friends etc - if you can do a small amount then great, but some of the posts on here are just not achievable for everyone. Set yourself up to succeed by setting realistic goals and it’s far more likely you’ll achieve them.

I can't describe how many times I have started and stopped with exercise. It is always 2 good months followed by 4 months of nothing. I also have an all or nothing mentality so once on that downward spiral, I stop bothering.

Luckily I walk a lot and this has kept my fitness at a reasonable level - I don't aim for anything specific, it just happens through school run and walking around whilst children are doing activities. Recently, I have started doing crossfit sessions locally and it works much better than aiming to do something at home, missing the window then just not bothering. I go there, 45 min and I am done for the day. Much more enjoyable with others too so I have decided to just pay for it rather than have a Les Mills subscription at the fraction of the cost but is barely used.

I now do cross-fit 4-5 times each week plus keep up with walking as much as I can

I used to do 20-30 minutes exercise every morning with those switch exercise games (ringfit, fitness boxing, lets get fit) but I got out of the habit when I became a student again last autumn. Now my exercise is limited to walking (to school every day but its only 15 minutes, and around school. I usually get a lift home so don't even get another 15 minutes but I get at least 8000 steps a day from this).
I'm going to start taking DS to nursery on our bikes once all the snow has gone as then I'll be cycling 16km a day (though half of that with the electric assist on, on the half that my son isn't with me) at least some days of the week (probably not on the days I start at 8) and I want to start doing morning workouts again in the summer when I have no school. Just need to push myself to start because I know once I get into the habit I'll feel so much better.

Getting a dog has been a game changer for me. I don't have a choice anymore to get out and do a big walk and it's really easy to get my 20k steps in a day even in the winter.
I walk her 5.30am-6.30am and then around 7.30pm-8.30pm in the week and then longer walks on a weekend.
I was really unfit before the dog and would be out of breath walking up stairs. I walked up Snowden with her at the weekend and felt great for the whole walk. I've also lost around 3 stone just from walking everyday.

I'm 45 and sea swim twice a week (in winter this is only 15mins but in summer 40-60 mins). I also do weights at the gym for an hour, three times a week. I fit it in by getting up early. At the weekend, I'll be up at 7am and swim and be back before the family are up. During the week, I take a long lunch hour to fit in the gym or go after school run but before work.