To ask how you fit in exercise?

[drspouse]

I currently work 4 days and so does DH but he commutes quite a long way so I do most of the drop offs and pick ups. He does WFH sometimes but not on a regular day.
I cycle to work mostly on the day he's at home and I try to cycle with DD who currently goes to my workplace nursery but a) she's 4 and heavy and b) often I have too much to carry as her seat only allows one small pannier.
She's starting school in Sept but I'll still be doing at least 75% of the school runs.
I have a horrible hamstring pain at the moment so I want to do some yoga but leaving aside that many of the local classes close for the summer, they are all at 8 am (useless for school run) or 5 pm (ditto after school club).
I also really need to do some aerobic exercise - I do 10K steps most days with school run/errands/dashing to meetings at work but it's not helping me lose weight sadly.
So do share your secrets!
I'm happy doing gym classes but the machines leave me cold.
I'm in the kind of job where I have a meeting at 12, 1 and 2 one day but then can take a bit over an hour the next but it's not massively regular. Not sure I could fit in a full gym class plus shower at lunchtime regularly.
Weekends are quite full on (two DC, older awaiting SEN diagnosis, we try to both have a breather away from the DCs but we do have to schedule them, and us therefore, to help them both feel like they know what's happening).
Pre DCs I cycled more, but also went for a lot of long walks that they can't do. I also have annoying chest infections most winters!

Well, I run around like mad with the kids at weekends, park, swimming, etc.

I get maybe two bike rides in per week in the summer. Winter I do nothing. Can't face spinning. Too hard. Too cold and uninviting.

I eat less to compensate for the lack of exercise.

I currently do Jillian Michaels workouts 4 or 5 times a week for 30-60 mins after the kids are in bed (starting anytime between 7 and 8) or even while they are still up and they join in or watch something on iPads or do something else. It’s made a massive difference. I don’t often feel like doing it (too tired!) but I make myself do it. I also have a step so if all else fails I stick that in front of the tv and do step for half an hour or so, it doesn’t matter if the kids are watching something then.

I think the things you mention in your summary are probably all you will manage for now as you freely admit that anything that requires much effort or hassle you will not stick too. Unfortunately fitness requires motivation and commitment so maybe it will have to be something that is on the back burner for now until you can reassess what you are prepared to put into it.

Hi there OP!

I have read your comments through the thread, but not the whole thing. My kids are 6 & 2. I work full time compressed over 4 days and quite a lot of travel, and lots of extra work/meetings from home. My DH is in the military and away a lot, or has very early/late duty times, so we don’t have anything like a schedule.

I don’t exercise nearly as much as I like (pre kids, I played my sport quite seriously, usually 5-6 days a week).

Right now, I run when I can, by myself - straight out the door and do 5k or 7k. I cycle when I can, too.

I prioritise my sport (a team game) and make a lot of sacrifices to get to it, at least two regular days a week in winter (I have been lucky enough to enlist MIL when DH is overseas, or I take the kids along and ask the team to help).

Recently I started horse riding again, which I love - every other week, at a lesson, booked for when DH is around.

And when I travel overseas, I take kit with me and run/swim/stretch or whatever I can do.

I am not fit, or fast, or slim, but I work really hard to keep up to it all! But the one thing I am doing right now which may particularly help you is HIIT training. I’m following the Body Coach 6 week training session. 4 times a week, in the evening, after the kids are in bed, I go out on the patio with a yoga mat and YouTube. The sessions are 15-25 minutes, no equipment. And I do what the Body Coach tells me. You may struggle a bit if you are carrying an injury, but there are modifications to reduce the impact.

I also do yoga with DVDs, or just ten minutes in my normal clothes doing my favourite stretches. With yoga, you don’t even need to get changed, or sweaty (which is sometimes the hurdle for me).

It is possible, I promise. And you’ll get endorphins and sleep better with regular exercise. Do try HIIT!

I only read about a third of the way through but I saw a PP said it all depends on how much you want to exercise. If you can go out for a jog at 6:15 and be back at 6:45 that would fit in with being back and available before your DH leaves for work at 7am. I have friends (male and female) who do a local indoor exercise class. The first class is at 5:30am and they run at different times to suit different people’s timetables.

A dvd can be done at any time you are home and the kids can watch tv for half an hour. At the weekend even if you tag team looking after the kids you could hopefully find half an hour each day to fit in whatever exercise you enjoy most.

Gosh you guys would be surprised about the amount of people in the gym at 6am.

Granted these are all likely young people without commitments but there are a few people who are not.

Also I’ve been doing early starts since last year and survived winter so it can be done.

anything that requires much effort or hassle you will not stick too

I think that's rather unfair. Anything that requires me to be in two places at once, to go to bed before my DCs, or that doesn't actually lead to me doing any more exercise than I'm already doing, I won't stick to.

And anything that doesn't exist I definitely won't stick to!

I'm up running at 5am or at an F45 class at 5.30, back him by 6.30 and I do 40 mins yoga on my down dog app (best app ever!)

I work full time and have 2 kids but thankfully have a 5 minute drive to the office so that makes life easier.

Sorry but that was the inference I got from this statement...

"Ah those who say the gym membership/getting up at 5.30/having a treadmill at home is often a fad that won't carry on... how right you are.
Again, I know myself, and if it isn't reasonably easy to do - it's not going to happen."
Sorry

I get up at 5 to fit it in - I do some kettle bells and stretching and also run 10k before work.

If I get time to have a lunch break I go for a walk or a swim.

It's the only way to do it.

No thanks to the postcode, I gave you some ideas, you asked me what i did, that’s what I do.

Local friends and local groups/listings are more useful - try Facebook or twitter. Local events listings. Parents groups. If all else fails meet up with some friends at the park every week and take it in turns in the middle to watch tends whilst one of you runs. If it doesn’t exist, make it exist.

I put my dc in for swimming lessons in a pool that didn’t close the whole pool for them so I could swim for half an hour whilst they had their lesson. That was good.

Yes, badminton for a 4yo. Why not? It’s a prime favourite round here as a garden game (along with the sticky pads and Velcro balls) but they run it at the sports hall on a Thursday evening for any age and have tea and coffee with biscuits after. They do have to be told not to hit each other with sticks sometimes. Ha. There’s a dancing in the dark with glowsticks group. Yes, family yoga.

I’d still carry my young ones at 4 on long walks if they were really in need of it and that was exercise too of course.

I know you are finding it difficult but it’s hard from this perspective when your question is how did I manage it, I tell you and you say it isn’t possible. It is, because I did it, do it, and that’s what you asked.

I'm so out of shape. I've got adhesions from an old Caesarean section. I avoid anything that might set the pain off. Which includes jumping about, lying on or near my front, walking long distances. I need to start swimming, it's the only activity I can think of that doesn't give me days/weeks of pain as a consequence.

Jillian Michaels app. 25 mins a day with great results. I do it early in the morning. If my DD is up then I use Bluetooth headphones whilst she watches tv. I work full time and my OH works erratic hours/is often away so it's the only way I can fit in exercise.

I dream of 4 days a week.

Take the kids swimming and each parent takes it turns to do some lengths/keep an eye on the kids.

Or as PP stated get them in a class that allows you to swim at the same time.

Family bike ride. Might be round and round the duck pond till they get better but they only get better through practice. After 1 summer of going up and down the park DS is happy on a mountain bike trail. It's about the only sport he's mastered.

Wii fit/dance games. Take in turns with children. You can do yoga on Wii and it will tell you if you're doing it correctly. Our Wii was free second hand.

We did family martial arts for a while before moving away, but would do it again. Little kids up to adults in one class. The instructors told the parents to let them manage the children. The kids had fun and it was a brilliant work out. Properly aching for days. We used to do that, go for lunch and then swimming in the afternoon.

Any moving is better than none, even if it's throwing a Frisbee or flying a kite.

If the aim is to lose weight, what you eat will have more impact than exercise.

It will get easier as they get older and before high school. Mine goes to drama for 2.5 hours every Saturday morning. Plenty of time for a swim. When DH has a day off during the week he books into a class at the council gym that's 15 minutes walk from school and goes straight after drop off.

I get up at 6am (go to bed at 10 which I don't think is remotely early) and can fit in 30 minutes every day. Loads of stuff on you tube so you can change it around, go for a very brisk walk or cycle, yoga or dancercise in front of TV. Then shower and get ready for the day.

What time do you go to bed and get up usually?

I found a 6am workout class. I start work at 715 but it’s the only way I fit it in

I work from home two days a week and at an office three times a week
I attend a 6.15- 6:45 am spin class twice a week. Classes are often packed
A body pump class twice a week ( 7:30- 8:15pm)
Sat morning I take a spin class and body pump 8:40am -10am)
If I cannot go to the gym , I will do a couple of 30 mins insanity workouts and some Callanetics ( which is fantastic for toning) . I wake up at 4:30 am to do these

The reality is OP that if you want to exercise you will find the time . If you really don’t want to exercise you will find an excuse.

I hate these sorts of threads.

OP: How do you do xyz?
Mumsnet: like this
OP: nah, won’t work for me
Mumsnet: or this
OP: no
Mumsnet: sometimes I do this
OP: excuses

I work longer hours than you, have similar aged children (one with SEN), a husband who works away part of the week, busy weekends, etc, etc... and I manage to exercise at least three times a week. My approach is a mixture of the following:

1. pay for childcare at a regular time each week so that I know I can go to a particular group
2. get up early on the mornings DH is here so that I can run (yes - I’m home before 7am)
3. go out the second he gets in to dash to classes (and yes, my kids moan about that, but DH deals with it)
4. exercise videos on amazon/YouTube etc

I think that the key is you need to make time to do it, and have DH’s support in doing so.

OP has young DC with SEN/SN and her DH works long hours with a commute. Some of the responses on this thread are really harsh, given her circumstances. Lots of the things suggested, whilst they work really well for other posters which is great, simply will not work for her. Its not that she doesn't want to, she just cant. Her circumstances will not allow for it, I think is what she is saying.

But so do I WellTidy. So do loads of people on here. We’re making suggestions and being criticised for them. It’s infuriating.

The reality is OP that if you want to exercise you will find the time . If you really don’t want to exercise you will find an excuse.

I used to exercise. A lot. I used to cycle to work most days a week and then, when DS was a baby and slept well, I used to run. I used to go to yoga every week at 6pm, and on another day I would stay late to go swimming. I already said that when DD was small and napped I did Shred at home while she napped. I even used to do a lunchtime class occasionally and then work late.

I still want to exercise. That hasn't changed. My life has changed a lot.

If anyone wants to find me some family exercise classes near me, please PM me and I'll send you my postcode. I have never heard of these nor of anyone doing them in my area.

MsJane
Alternatively
OP: I want to do X, here are my limitations.
Rest of thread: Why not do Y? I don't have your limitations and I do Z.
OP: erm have you read my OP?

And so do I MsJaneAusten. And I realise that my difficulties are not the same as anyone else's difficulties. All DC with SEN/SN are different, with different demands, and those demands can be very high and super exhausting and time consuming and mean different things for their parents. And they can change from day to day. Some DC cope with childcare better than others. And we all want our DC to be the happiest that they can be, and often we make that to our own detriment. I'm not saying that we should, but we often do.

I don't know the OP. But I do understand how difficult it is to juggle your own job, DH's job with long hours, young DC, the additional demands of SN/SEN, activities, a home, normal day to day stuff and everything else that life throws at us and just staying sane, with wanting to carve out some time for exercise.

Not criticising any one poster's response at all.

But loads of the suggestions you won’t do meet your op!

Cross post with the OP.