To find my morning routine difficult?

[Cherryhun]

I'm sure others will have it tougher but I'm finding my mornings before work so tricky to get through and am looking for advice.

DH has an early start and takes the car to work at 5.30. I'm up at 5.15 and try to do a half hour workout. I then have 45 minutes to get ready and eat a big bowl of fruit, yoghurt and seeds. I then get 2 Y/O up at 6.30 who is tired and reluctant to get up. Eventually, I get him up and ready and feed him a snack (breakfast provided at nursery) We then set off at 7.15 for my one hour walk, dropping DS at nursery en route.
By the time I get to work, I am already exhausted.

Am I just super lazy and not capable of this or is there a way of making it all a bit easier? Would also be great to hear about your own morning routine so I don't feel like I'm going it alone every day!

A big bowl of fruit and yogurt is not the way to either lose weight or get energy for a long walk and workout.

If the 2 year old is tired and reluctant to get up, do they need to go to bed earlier? A well rested toddler would normally be absolutely raring to go. I also think a workout every day is too much, you’ll just burn out at this rate, it doesn’t sound like a sustainable lifestyle change.

Get up at 6am, eat a bigger breakfast (vary it), get ready. Get toddler up at 7am, wash and dress whilst talking to them/singing, wake them up with a happy good morning cuddle and leave at 7.15am. Snack in the pushchair. Vary your exercise types and timings so it’s different for your body every day. Eat well, sleep well, take the bus once a week if you can and want to?

If your 2 y/o is reluctant to get up abd you’re always waking him I think you should put him to bed a bit earlier, even if it’s just by 15 minutes at first

Crikey. You've done more by 9am than I do in an entire day. No wonder your knackered. You need to cut something out. Can you drive to nursery/work?

When I was fit! I worked out early evening before dinner, can’t you fit that in. When does DH get home?
If you are tired, you will eat more and the stress will make you not lose weight. Sleep is important.

Your doctor, in my opinion, has got this wrong. Working out (I’m guessing HIIT or strength) plus 2 hours of cardio (assuming you walk home) is a lot if you’re on a journey to lose weight. You don’t go from zero to all
out effort. Drop the workout and put it in a couple of times a week in the evening. Work on the cardio, gradually speed the walk up and consider (as you get fitter and lose weight) something like couch to 5k becoming part of your commute. Going from obese (your word) on a journey is about gradual progression.

Skip the exercise routine and cycle to work with a baby seat on the rear.

take a packed breakfast for your self (overnight oats and a green smoothie) to have at worh when you arrive

Bags packed and ready the night before. 2 year old should be in bed between 6:30-8pm depending on your routines and timings.

With those changes I think you could be out of bed at 6:45am and still have ample time.

hot shower followed by a cold BLAST will help you wake up.

fantastic to hear you’re taking steps to be healthier. That’s awesome with a young family and a hectic schedule. Food is the key! Keep on trucking mama!

Food
big healthy breakfast

good snaking (nuts, berries, cottage cheese)

massive lunch

small dinner.

3lt of water. No alcohol. No processed foods. Real food, mainly plants not too much.

Another vote for bike. Transport and exercise in one. Take the yogurty seeds in a Tupperware and eat it at work. Do not get up before 6 for the love of god.

Going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume this isn’t made up - given what you’ve said about being obese, your walking is the error. Huge time waster if it’s two hours a day. One intense (minimum 700 calories, so Jack to the intensity so you can do it in less that an hour) cardio AND WEIGHTS every day will be the key. You can do that in an hour and a half and you’ll already save about an hour net, during which you can sleep.

Exercise smarter, and drive (or bus etc) to work.

You’re the opposite of lazy. I’d save the morning workouts for days off as you’re walking an hour to work. Showered night before, bathed baby night before, get up at 6:15 and dressed, makeup, bowl of fruit. Get 2 year old up at 6:45 and dressed with snack, leave to walk to nursery and work at 7:15.

Any way to cut back on work, Op?

big bowl of fruit, yoghurt and seeds.

That’s got to be the MN of all the MN breakfasts. Save time and get a bacon butty from Gregg’s.

If you need more energy and you need to lose weight, focus on cutting back on carbs. Limit how much fruit you have with the yoghurt, but make sure it’s full fat yoghurt, for a start.

A small packet of seeds can be a thousand calories.

Do you actually like the taste? Why are you adding them to your yogurt? Because it 'looks healthy'

Are you counting calories?

This x2

Weight loss will be down to what you eat 80% of the time.

Not read whole thread but I think you need more protein / carb at breakfast

Can't the walk be your workout? Have breakfast at work so you don't have to get up so early.

and you need some carbs for energy

walk faster? 2 hours work is decent exercise I think.

Bed earlier for child.

First do 20 minutes stretches/weights/resistance.

Then cycle or jog to work.

Breakfast/change at work after quick flannel down or shower.

Get your toddler up 5 minutes before you need to leave, get him dressed and give him a snack in the pram on the walk. Then you can move your whole routine forward by 40 minutes. But I wouldn’t be bothering with a work out. Get up, get dressed, get toddler dressed, power walk to work, as fast as you can.