How much exercise do you actually do?

[whimsicalname]

That's it really. I think I've got in with the wrong crowd at my running club who all seem to workout 2 or more hours a day. Please tell me I'm not the only one not doing that.

I run and swim alternate days.

Run is 5-10 k, so 30-60 mins. Usually about 45 mins (7-8 k)

Swim is 24-30 lengths so about 15-25 mins. Did 32 lengths today and 7.2 k yesterday.

It works for me - and I think that is the key. What is manageable for you OP - I just don't have time to do 2hrs' exercise every day, but I do have time for a 40-min run.

(I work full time as a teacher and have marking to do most nights; plus wrangling my DC to their various activities and chores/cooking)

Suzannewithaplan - my resting pulse was far higher before I started doing regular exersise. Most of the people I know who compete at a high level have resting puse rates between about 36 and 55, which is far lower than the average person.

Having children who are old enough to be left unsupervised is the crux because from a scheduling POV it opens up so many more possibilities. If you have young kids, work FT and are either a lone parent or have a partner who travels a lot/ works nights etc, then it becomes much more difficult.

The only exercise I do is running after a 3-year-old and walking everywhere!

I aim to exercise most days, which means I usually do something around 4 or 5 times a week. I never jog or swim. I do yoga or pilates classes, and walking. The walks I do are quite tough and involve about 40 minutes of out-of-breath type activity up pretty steep hills. On a reasonably regular basis - say once a week or so, I'll head out for some hard core remote walking on pretty steep terrain for up to 5 hours.

I need to do more weights though.

It is difficult aggressive but realistically in the long term it is well worth making that time. Maybe not 2 hours a day but certainly 20-30 mins a few times a week.

I am a full time working lone parent to a 5 year old so I know how hard it is, but I also know (from the many years of no exercise!) that it is much better for both my future and my sons future that I try to make the time to fit exercise into life.

Don't get me wrong I fully understand why people don't and I'm not trying to do a "well I can so you can too" I am just highlighting the importance of attempting to if you can get in the right place to get up half an hour earlier or to give up 20 mins of your evening to exercise.

I exercise 6 days a week at the gym for around 1hr 15 min each session. I do spin classes or run on the treadmill. I have done this level of exercise for around 10 years now. I work FT and have two young children. I got at 6am, home by 7.15am. I have a short commute to work though.

I am a size 8. Low body fat but quite muscular because of the running. I have a very lowresting heart rate although I don't know what it is. I like being fit but sometimes it does take up a lot of time. Going early in the morning before the kids are awake is the only way I can fit it in.

Pre dc specific exercise daily
Post dc maybe 2hr week tops
Ft work main barrier when combined with drop off pick up bedtime routine
I did a marathon last year so can be done but was huge sacrifice of family time

sirzy I know what you're saying and I was mainly referring to the 2 hrs a day mentioned in the Op and which some other posters can achieve. I am v fortunate in that I live in a country where round the clock childcare is both the norm and very affordable, so despite having a nomadic Dh and 2 pre-schoolers, I can get close to the 2 hrs 6 days a week that the OP mentioned. If I was in the UK I wouldnt get close to that. I guess what I'm saying is that I get why people don't, and recognise that very few people with young kids in the UK would feasibly be able to do 2 hrs a day without making massive compromises elsewhere. Anyway, kudos to you for fitting it in, and you're right- it all counts.

To those of you who work FT & have children & manage typically 2 hours/day exercise, who minds your children while you exercise? How much does that cost? Who cooks meals & cleans your house?

I walk 30 minutes to work (equates to about 4000 steps) three times a week and do walk a fair bit at other times - I rarely get to my 10000 steps which is logged by my mobile phone. My job involves a fair bit of walking but still not enough to push the step count up far enough.

Infact the times in december when i did exceed my 10000 steps per days where when I had two days shopping for christmas presents

I do aim to go to spin four times per week and then am happy with three spin classes - I do another couple of classes per week and ride my bike at the weekends for social ride with a tea stop. So about 6 hours + an hour an a half of walking to work (I get a lift home)

I do 2 hours 5 tinmes a week. I am self- employdd though sobcan carve out that tine 3 days a week (and catch up on work in the evening) and twice a week we use gym creche.

I'm 44 and have an 8 yr old. I find that I don't have the inclination or time to exercise for as long periods as I used to, plus short and hard seems more effective for me.

I go to metafit - 30 mins intensive exercise 1-2 times per week (not over Christmas hols) and/or run 2 x per week for about 25 mins outside. I try to do something weight based either gym or bodypump once per week and also walk to and from work to pick up DS 2x per week at 1.5 miles each way.

I use a pedometer and try to achieve an average of over 10,000 steps per day, which I usually manage.

I am 47 with an 8 year old and a husband who works away. It is very hard for parents who don't have anyone to look after help with their children, I didn't/don't. I think you have to find something to do at home and find the time to do it which is hard if you are knackered.

Six years ago we walked for a min of 90 mins a day (DD in a bob) and I was amazingly fit and struggling to keep size 8 clothes on my body - walking is amazing.

Now I walk on school days and DD manages a brisk walk of up to an hour each day in the hols. I bought a cross trainer too which meant I could snatch 30 mins in the evenings. Also, putting my bike on a turbo trainer is a good option for a change sometimes.

I don't think it has to be hardcore.

?
I don't think it 'has' to be anything

depends why you are exercising

certainly you don't have to be 'hardcore' to get some health benefits.
There may be diminishing returns on that score as training becomes more intense and / or prolonged.
My children are grown up and I although I do work I can arrange my schedule to suit myself.
I have always been very into both strength and endurance training although when my children were young I wasn't able to indulge myself as much. ?

I run for 39-40mins three times a week, one strenuous (ashtanga) yoga class of an hour and one 2-3hr bike ride at the weekend.
I have a one year old and cannot spend more time than I do on a weekday.
However I also cycle to nursery and work but with ds on the bike that's not strenuous.
I think 2hrs a day is quite a luxury - I did that pre ds but wouldn't want to now as I would have to give up spending any time with my ds and dh in the week.

When not recovering. From surgery as I am at the moment, I walk everywhere (can't drive) and have a fairly active job as a teacher who rarely sits down - stand to teach all lessons, walk between classes etc.

I also run 1-3 times per week, usually minimum of 5k each time. At my best, a hard 5k run would take me 24 mins. I try to work in hill runs etc too.

I used to do ashtanga for 2 hrs three times a week but have moved house and can't find a new class, it's one of my NY goals to sort this as I really miss it.

I used to do a lot of ballet dancing, then nothing (apart from having three children). Now, I have a reasonably active life chasing after them/pushing the pram - we walk everywhere possible instead of taking the car. I've just started running for 20 minutes four times a week, and I also do the odd bit of ballet and tai chi.

So I fit mine in with a combination of early starts, gym creche and my husband looking after the boys. Typically i run for 50 minutes while my older 2 do tae kwon do on a monday evening, use the gym creche for my 2 year old tues and Thursday, get up at 5 on wWednesday and either go to spin or the running track, if it's not too cold or hot Friday i run 4 miles with the 2 & 4 year olds in a running buggy and Saturday or Sunday i meet friends and run 10-15 miles. But I don't do all of those every week!

My 2hours friends tend to run for an hour at 5 am then go to work and then do a gym class or swim in the evening. I have no idea how they fit everything in but I suspect they don't cook from scratch a lot and they never see their partners except on 'dates'

I do 2-3 Spinning classes per week, 2 Body Pump, 1 Body Combat, 1-2 karate classes, 1 Swimercise and a couple of runs. So often two classes/types of exercise in one day so some days are 1 hour, some two. But I'm currently between jobs so I have more time. Once I'm at work again, it will probably be an hour max per day, 4-5 days per week.

I do nothing. I work full time, have two dc and make sure we all get out for a walk at the weekend. I also walk rather than drive when I can.

Not sure what my bmi is but I wear either a size 10 or 12. I don't weigh myself but if I had to guess I would say a few pounds shy of 10 stone. I'm 5 foot 6.

I used to exercise using a cross trainer but I have a spinal condition and never knew whether I was doing more harm than good.

I guess I'm relying on being fairly active.

I walk a couple of miles a day but it's not really exercise I'm walking to get to places rather than for the health benefits and I don't build up a sweat.

I was doing the shred 5 days a weeks for 20 minutes a day but I haven't done any for ages so it's no exercise at all for me .

I'm on my own with 2 dc and no free help. I work part/time so run 3 times a week outside in the free hour before pick up.
The other day I do a yoga class. Once a month I go rock climbing for a hour and have a baby sitter.

Other than that, housework, callentics at home before the dc get up so 6.30-7 and I try and do stretches when cooking.

I might bung on a shred dvd or something if I can't run due to child sickness, but school hols are impossible to exercise properly, ie go running as then I work from home.