What does your average day look like? When do you fit in exercise?!

[Rainydays55]

Just that really… what does your average weekday look like?! All I seem to do is work! What do you do after work? What exercise do you fit in and when?

Op I could have written your post 3 months ago. Have you got a gym buddy? It's the only thing that works for me. I am stressed at the moment but decided I needed to start exercising so i roll out of bed at 8ish eat wash coffee, work through until 6 then go to gym with a friend come back have dinner and some wine.

I've had to get my oh to do the cleaning and walk the dogs as I am too tired. At the weekend I'll book a class for one of the days but always make sure I have one lie and relaxing day in a week but I do also clean and walk the dogs.

I am currently doing classes as I want to get my fitness up and they push you harder than I would push myself would definitely recommend.

Once I am a bit fitter the plan is to get up earlier to excerise/clean and to cut out the wine during the week and add 2 dogs walks a day but one thing at a time!

@burritofan

5am toddler drop-kicks me in the head 5.01am toddler breastfeeds for nine hours yet it’s still only 5.30am when we get up 5.30-8am a blur of peanut butter, Peppa Pig and propping eyes open with matchsticks 8.01-8.25am “exercise” by carrying toddler to nursery then walking home 8.30am work Midday ish lunch break, slog guts out in garden which feels exercisey 1pm-5.30 work 5.30-9pm batshit toddler bedtime meltdowns FML 9.01pm consider exercising, reading a book, enjoying life, think better of it and go to bed

I think we have the same toddler.

I walk everywhere possible and only drive if it’s not possible to walk. Push the baby in the buggy, two different schools to drop out which is 3 miles in total. Kids cycle. I either walk back home or go to work. Either way another 3 miles is done. After school, it’s either cycle home or a play in the park.
No other exercise as no time as kids are small. I also prioritise fresh home cooking as that’s what I grew up on so I wake up early to do this.

@TiddleTaddleTat

In awe of all the early risers here. I need to get my act together. I know exercising early would work for me but the following barriers have prevented me doing so for the past few years (pre-DC, I suppose):

• waking DH early (he's a light sleeper in the early hours/morning). He gets very grumpy about me waking him early.
• waking DC early, also light sleeper, then DH having to deal with it.
• dark mornings in the cooler months meaning running is out of the equation.
• needing to drive to go to the gym or pool due to the above. Seems a bit wasteful?!

I'm probably just looking for excuses but the waking family up issue is a big one for me.

Will be trying to do swimming and Pilates on each of my days off but fitting in anything beyond a lunchtime walk while WFH has been a struggle so far.

Why is dark mornings a reason not to run? Do you mean because you feel unsafe? I run in all weathers, and Always feel safe regardless of time of day. If you use Strava you can turn on a Feature that allows one-two of your contacts track your location, I use this for added reassurance.

@countrytown

how do people get up at 5 or 6am 😱

I am genuinely wondering this as well. Never in my life have I been up at that time unless I'm travelling somewhere.

5am alarm, out by 5:15 and run anything from half and hour to 90 minutes 3 morning a week. Shower, breakfast work. Every other week I’ll go training with my running club for a Tuesday evening session as well as this works around my partners shifts. Once a week I’ll get up at 6am for a stretch or kettlebell session.

One child goes to breakfast club every other week so we leave at 8 and the older one is dropped off in town to walk to school with her friends. Arrive at work for 8:20 start at 8:35 and will be on the go all day.

Get children, drive home, walk dog, cook tea and bed by 9.

I also get up early on a Saturday and Sunday to run as it means it doesn’t impact on the family too much. I also try to cycle with the youngest 3 times a week as she wants to be a triathlete 🙄😂

@Mindyourbusiness22 yes it's about safety for me. I wouldnt feel safe running when there's barely anyone about and especially in the dark.

Do people who wake a 5/6 have partners that do the same? How do you avoid waking others at that hour?

@countrytown

how do people get up at 5 or 6am 😱

I’m an early riser, prefer to get up and on with the day, but I’m also usually in bed by 9.30/10pm.

I wouldn't run in the dark tbh

@TiddleTaddleTat

Do people who wake a 5/6 have partners that do the same? How do you avoid waking others at that hour?

I have a partner, he is not an early riser 😂 I just have all my stuff looked out night before ready to go 😄

[quote TiddleTaddleTat]@Mindyourbusiness22 yes it's about safety for me. I wouldnt feel safe running when there's barely anyone about and especially in the dark. [/quote]
Strava is a great reassurance, mind you I’m not running about in the dark on country lanes, when it’s dark I stick to lit up pavements.

I plan my exercise for the week on a Sunday so I know I'll fit it in.

I run 6-7am, shower then start work at 8am (2-3 times a week) then go to the gym for an hour at 5.30pm after work (2-3 times a week).

I try and do 5 sessions of exercise a week, a mixture of the above and walks on the other days. I hate not being to run or get to the gym and will sacrifice other things to get there (sleep mainly!)

• I’m an early riser, prefer to get up and on with the day, but I’m also usually in bed by 9.30/10pm.*

My kids are generally asleep by 7.30pm but I still struggle to get stuff done & unwind so now way could I be in bed so early. A phone chat with a friend or family could easily be an hour

I find it a huge struggle honestly and only manage it on my days off or during the outdoor part of my job. On office days I get home, do tea, do household admin stuff , chivvy kids and then - if I'm lucky- flop onto the sofa for an hour before bed. Exercise before 8am or after 9pm just isnt for me.

@WineGetsMeThroughIt yep!

I work 9-5 now and so I swim in the morning before work (say7-8.15 inc getting there and back) and try to do short yoga session in the am as well (before swim if poss). I swim 3-4 x a week.

I run every day, just 20-30 mins, either before work if not swimming or in the evening after work. I am wfh mostly atm so sometimes go for run at lunchtime.

My DC are big tho and need no attention. When they were smaller and did it was harder, but I used to run when they were in bed or swim at the weekend.

I currently work from home from 8am to 5:30pm, sometimes later. I see a personal trainer twice a week at lunchtime - I take an extended lunch 11:30am to 1pm to do this and make up the time at the end of the day. I also have a 30 min brisk walk twice a day, usually at 7am and 8pm after putting DD to bed.

Exercise video after work when I get in before relaxing or doing other stuff

Also of DH & I did a hour exercise each day to fit around dc & work I don't think we would have much 1:1 time.

As a single FT working mum, I used to think there was never enough time to exercise. Then I discovered a local fitness studio with 30 min classes at 05.45 and 06.30. I just started getting up earlier! Horrific at first but your body clock soon gets used to it. I go Monday, Wednesday and Friday religiously and have kept off the 2 stone I lost.

It sets me up for the day and still means I have enough time to get kids ready for school and be out the door for work by 08.00.

Home at 18.30. Dinner (whilst nagging kids to do homework, clear up, walk dog, watch tv in bed. Asleep by 10.00.

I save laundry and housework for the weekend.

@PinotPony who looks after the kids whilst you do that? (Genuine question, not being goady - I need ideas!)

Teenage kids so easier these days; alternate days it's a 30min dog walk at 7am, every day a 30min dog walk at 1pm, a YouTube workout a few times a week (weights/high impact/abs) after work, 20/40mins depending on free time. Then another quick 20 min dog walk late evening.
I couldn't have done this amount of exercise with a young family though.

I do not exercise. I have no time to fit it in. No idea how people do.

I get up at 5.30/45 and go the gym early. I go for a long walk in the evening