To think I don't have time to exercise?

[puglife15]

I really struggle to see when I'd fit it in. Typical day looks like this:

6.30 wake up
7 DH goes to work
7-8 get DC and myself ready for school/nursery/work
8-9 commute/drop off
9-5 work (30 mins lunchbreak)
Get home by 6
6-7.30 play and do bedtime, DH back from work
7.30-8.30 cook and eat
8.30-10.30 clear up, chores, admin, often extra work etc
11 bed

What exercise do you do at weekends OP?

I don't think it's possible for people to walk without engaging their core. I do 10 miles a day in 5 mile blocks or all together. I time myself per mile and can walk faster than most people jog (my time is 4-4.5 miles an hour). I build strength by walking with a 10-20kg backpack.

Get up earlier twice a week and fit it in twice on the weekend.

Before I had dc I used to walk everywhere (didn't drive back then) and clocked up at least 10 miles a day just by 'commuting'. I did no other exercise but had a strong core with (lightly) defined abs. You do work your core, just by holding yourself upright and the gentle twisting you do as you walk! I did a 10k cancer research run without any training, so had clearly become fairly fit just by walking. It's not a Joe Wicks level of muscle tone and fitness admittedly, but hardly a cop out for the unfit either!

Cross post genghi!

One weekend morning then go out while DH cooks two nights a week.

OP I think you have had some harsh responses. There is no way I would miss out on precious sleep to get up & go for a run, this isn't likely to be sustainable I would think either if you aren't someone who enjoys running. I did some training thought work recently which really changed my mindset. It's sitting down for too long which is killing us all, even if you go & do some exercise if you have sat at a desk for 8 hours straight it doesn't compensate for the damage done by that sitting. This changed my mind set & I am now trying to build activity into my lifestyle rather than planning a big block of exercise. I have recently for example started doing 10 press ups every night when I do the kids bedtime. It doesn't take long but I can actually see a difference with my arms getting more toned. If you work at a desk getting a standing desk so you can spend some of the day standing is beneficial. I have also got a bike now and am trying to cycle on weekends & with a kid on the back that is definitely good exercise!

Bollocks to getting up before the crack (unless you love early mornings/hardly any sleep in which case knock yourself out)
Plan to go one exercise class/gym session/swimming class per week at 7/7.30 back for 9, DH does the end of bedtime and sorts out his own supper, you eat with the kids.
Or, whilst evenings are still light go for brisk walk or run for half an hour at 7.30 whilst DH makes dinnner - twice per week.
Then an hour each day at the weekend.

I agree re pressups -I did that charity 22 pressups for 22 days last year and the speed of toning up and strengthening was surprising. Just started 20 a day again. Dh does weights in the kitchen 5 mins 3 x a week.

I quite like the 30 day challenges you can find on Pinterest etc

I've done the run every day in May challenge

Squat challenge and Russian twist challenge

Quite fancy the skipping challenge next

It's where you do s bit every day and build up your stamina slowly. Different entry levels too. Takes 20 mins per day tops

8.30-10.30 chores?

No, 8.30-10.30 relax time.

You're both working full-time, so get a cleaner. Life's too short to clean at night.

Exercise then.

And weekends.

Just find something you enjoy doing and do it; if you loved dance, you'd dance, if you loved football, you'd play football. You'd make the time.

If you're all out of the house all day, what chores do you need to do that are taking 2 hours every night?

Aeviternity there's lots of stuff I love doing, but between work and a four year old who won't go to sleep without me and even with me there can stay awake until 10 or later I don't have time to fit everything in.

There are times when however much we want to do something it has to be put on hold for a bit.

I found I had to commit to doing a particular class (with a cancellation penalty) and block the time off, otherwise my good intentions would be overtaken by other stuff. Took a few weeks to bed in but now DH and kids know I'll be out on X from YY-ZZ.

OP, what are your typical weekends like?

I am a morning exerciser - not by nature, if I had my way I wouldn't ever get up until after 8am. However, if I plan to exercise in the evening it rarely happens - there is undoubtably something that crops up e.g. A present to buy, an extra thing for school, just life admin that I find builds up during the day.

What works for us is having set days where DH and I exercise - then I know if I miss that slot I have to wait a few days.

As others have said, regular vigourous exercise really does give you more energy, even if you have to get up earlier. It's tough in the winter but you never regret a session.

If you are short on time, the best is intervals ie HIIT, Joe Wicks or Fitness Blender style, videoes done at home so no travelling time etc. Make sure you stretch tho else knees etc will start to complain .

I run, swim, cycle and do pilates. The running and swimming are early morning, before DH and I are off to works. Cycling is on a day off or at the weekend. Again we agree in advance who has which slot. Takes a degree of planning but for us it's the best way to make sure we both get to do what we like and are training for.

BTW, my 25-year old self would think I were talking about a different person. But getting older and having a family have changed my perspective. And all the above goes out the window when I've been to the pub on a school night!

YABU. As countless pps have pointed out, you could actually exercise everyday with a combination of morning/evening 1/2 hr sessions if you wanted to. But that's the key isn't it - if you want to? If you don't want to exercise then that's you're prerogative, but I don't think you can use lack of time as an excuse.

your*!!

I find that excercise helps me cope better with a busy life (2 young kids, working, house crap etc) but the only way I fit it in is by not doing as much cleaning as probably ideal and sharing chores with DH. And easy meals.

Tentativesteps133 I just don't think that is necessarily true. There's lots of things I want to do that I don't have time for at the moment.

Wow so many responses!

I agree if I really prioritised it I could do it. I am worried about implications on my health having not exercised a huge amount since having children and I'm currently feeling quite unfit. I'm not overweight and don't care about my appearance much.

I guess a big part of my issue is that I am woken between 5-10 times by my children at night so permanently fucking exhausted. Also it's quite common to be up at 5.30 anyway with one or both children. There's no way I can get up earlier to exercise. If I wasn't so exhausted maybe I'd be more able to see how to fit it in.

To answer other questions:
DH gets himself ready shock horror, usually when I get up I'm either showering or looking after kids so he has ten mins to get his shit together
Kids eat at childcare
DH does cooking and cleaning too, we batch cook sometimes but are usually chasing our tail or making food for the next few days etc when we have batch cooked, we make everything from scratch. I'm starving by dinner time so don't want to eat any later, and thought exercise straight after eating was a no no?. We both often have extra work to do in evening. It's not all chores!
I walk about twenty minutes as part of my commute each way. Would like to walk the whole way but it would take too long.
A 30 min lunch break is my contracted time.
I only work 4 days a week but have the kids all day on the 5th day so it's no different, weekends we are often away or have guests, certainly over the summer. If we are around DH will usually exercise once at weekend but not in week. I could certainly do something then but I am looking for regular exercise not just weekends.

I like the sound of 15-20 min workout at home and think I could fit it in maybe while the kids play at 7am. But is this really enough, I thought it should be at least 30 mins a day ? And is it suitable for beginners? I've not exercised for a few years really. There are some exercise classes locally I like the sound of but they all start at 6.30 or 7 which is useless for me.

Op I feel for you and have been in similar situations.

I could not exercise whilst my dc were getting me up at night - so I tackled that first and sleep trained them. Wish I'd done it earlier it gave me my life back.

Your day is already busy, to add in exercise you need actual unbroken sleep to recuperate. That's the first step, then everything else gets easier when you have a full nights sleep.

Second step is a home workout. Don't try to go out to the gym if you are short in time.

Third step is a short but effective workout just 2-3x weekly.

Oh and yes it should be 30min 5 x weekly or equivalent (I think, been a while since I looked it up) - but that's almost irrelevant. The only salient point is what can you actually do within your own life/work boundaries

I use my son to exercise with. He has me on the trampoline as soon as I get home. We go for walks circa 4 miles. I do squats with him on my shoulders or lift him right up above my head. Sometimes we just race around in the garden. If you look on YouTube theres all sorts of stuff you can use your kids for.

I sympathise as I know it's tough going. I've lost 3 stone this way. I still have much more to lose but I just take it one day at a time.