To think you can't fit in exercise around work/children?

[PostmanPatisacrappostman]

If you manage to, how do you do it?

I'm looking for inspiration, I'm working albeit part time and have two young children. Desperately need to do some exercises to tone up.

I've got exercise DVDs but have no motivation to do them. I really want to get out in the fresh air.

Are you a member of a gym? Does it offer personal training? If your budget allows for it, may be worth booking some sessions with a trainer. I loathe exercise but I have a personal trainer and I find that it very motivating, not least becuase if I cancel a session I forfeit the money paid. That alone forces me to get up and go to the gym and work the session. So i do one session a week with my trainer and one session on my own usjng a routine he has worked out for me. He tweaks that rountine ever so often based on my gains or change in diet. I feel with a trainer i have some sort of obligation and I feel guilty if I don't make my sessions or able to report progress in terms of increased times, reps or weight levels. is expensive but I managed it by cutting down on takeaways and I don't really do nights out. I wish I could be one of those people who are just able to fit in gym as part of their lifestyle and do it regularly. But without the pain of paying the money for training sessions, I know I would let my gym membership gather dust.

Exercise with a friend.

It is hard isn't it. Did someone say up thread they leave their kids in the car while they horse ride?!

I have a flexible (ish) work, and supportive husband, but I do early morning runs (drive to work, run, get showered and dressed at work), lunchtime runs (ditto re shower), lunchtime conditioning sessions (light hand weights, squats etc), evening runs, and lots on the weekend. I try to walk as much as I can as well.

Key is organisation. If I'm doing a later run I bring a healthy snack to work (nuts, oats etc), and take on plenty of fluids. On a weekend I ge up early, or go when the kids are otherwise engaged. Dh does loads of excercise too so we sit down each Sunday to work out who does what when.

YouTube, literally millions of videos, you could do a different workout everyday. Short videos that are 10mins to 2hour work outs.

Could dh drop the dc at childcare?

The key is habit. Motivation is a flakey motherfucker but habit has your back.

Also don't try to go from 0-60 in a week. Just do one session a week, create that habit, then a month later make it two.

Sorry, but I think it's a motivation problem too...

How did you fit exercise in before kids, presumably you worked FT so only had evenings then as well? So that's kind of the same situation you're in now?

Not meaning to be rude, I struggle to find motivation to exercise too. In fact I am currently on the sofa eating cake when I had planned to go for a run tonight

It is motivation coleslaw I'm interested to hear how others work it because it might give me a bit of inspiration.

Yes I have a dh, we tend to fall asleep on the sofa by 9pm so I guess we just grab that hour or so watching tv together.

Children are toddler and school age.

My routine goes like this, 6am up to leave at 7.30. Get home at 5, cook dinner, eat at 6, dh home between 6-7pm, get kids to bed by 8, then watch tv.

My days off are more relaxed but then I do have my toddler with me at home. I could do more like walking, or exercise DVD while he naps, but I usually end up doing housework and I must admit sometimes I doze off because he's quite full on.

Need to make exercise a priority.

I get up at 6 and do couch to 5k 3 times a week.
It's not too bad to be honest. I have to be out the door by 8am weekdays.
If it was a full on gym session, swimming or yoga class I think I'd struggle.
I do yoga anf ballet on YouTube, dd joins in and loves it

It's bloody hard. I've been a gym buddy from my teens until pregnancy at 38 (complicated, so had to stop a few weeks in). I work full time in a full on job (don't take lunch) and have an hour and a quarter commute each way. It's just so hard to fit in.

I do YouTube workouts while my toddler is in her high chair having breakfast and walk as much of my commute as possible. I went for my first run since last summer yesterday! But I miss being having the time to exercise regularly.

I run a good twenty miles most weeks and bike another 30-60 around two children but I have two days off work so train while they are in school and run once my husband is home and settled and they are in bed. I'm not sure if you're on your own with them which obviously makes it harder. Could you get hold of a treadmill / spin bike for the evenings?

I struggle too. I have to do school run every day and pick up. My husband gets home much later than me and by the time I've done tea baths bed etc I'm exhausted. I need to exercise for my mental health but currently have a mental block about it. Not sure what to do.

Not saying this is necessarily the case with you op, but for me it's all in my head.

I change the sentence 'I don't have time to...' to 'it is not a priority for me to....' and that usually irks me enough to make it happen.
There is always time, if it's high enough in your priorities!

If you can afford it, buy a cargo bike and instead of driving your kids to school/nursery and yourself to work, cycle.

It will make a world of difference, and depending where you live, could even be quicker than driving.

And my message above sounds very unsympathetic- I am definitely sympathetic to your cause! It's bloody hard to do all the things you need to/ are expected to/ want to when kids are young, I feel your pain!

Yoga during naps, and I swim or walk when dh is home, at about 7. I walk a lot with ds in buggy, surely this would be a good option at some stage of the day as it's exercise and minding dc all in one? I'm self-employed at home so often naps and evenings are taken up with that or chores but when I get the chance I go. What about weekends, cant dh mind them then while you do something?

Exercise DVD's.
Go for a walk on your lunch break, or walk to/from work.
Gym on your days off, and put the toddler in a creche.
Go out on the weekend for a bit while DH has the kids - gym, swimming.
Make family time exercise time - could you go for a bike ride, or a walk along the beach, or go the pool and one of you watch the kids while the other uses the gym, then one sits with them in the cafe/does the supermarket shop while the other gyms, for example?

Motivation does seem to be your issue OP, and as a pp said, you need to get into a good habit. My routine is similar to yours in that I'm up at 6am every morning, I work till 3, pick the DC up from school, do tea time, housework etc. When DH gets home at 6.30 I am ready in my gym kit to go out, he does bedtimes and then when I get back from the gym around 8 we have an hour or so to watch tv together. It's full on but I feel so much better for getting the regular exercise.

It's not really practical for dh to do the childcare drop off because of timing/location/longer commute.

To the person who asked, I didn't really exercise much pre dc either to be honest.

Dh and I alternate bedtime duties with the other one going for a run - gives us 2-3 runs each mon to Friday then we each run or bike an hour or so at the weekend (me sat morning parkrun, him Sunday morning).

Definitely HIIT workouts. NO ONE doesn't have 20 mins spare three times a week!

It is bloody hard but the best piece of advice I can give (which I don't always take myself) is to book exercise time into your diary in advance. If you approach it as an afterthought it'll never happen.

long walks with the pushchair?
What about the weekends? dp is rubbish at getting up so I often do the parkrun & am back just he's getting up!! I have also run around the field whilst dp supervises the kids in the park.

Or swimming as a family & you can fit a few lengths in.