How and when should I exercise??

[MummyTheTramEngine]

I'm about six stone overweight and I really miss exercise- I need to do some as much for my mental health as physical!

I also have a baby and a preschooler, a dh who works long hours and very little free time- and plantar fasciitis (inflamed heels) which rules out running for the time being.

I need an exercise I can do with the baby, at home- so no weights or aerobics (too dangerous with crawling kiddo about), maybe yoga? But that doesn't feel like "real exercise " to me.
I am trying to do more walking but the baby cries in the pram.

Any ideas?

Cleaning and gardening burn loads of calories.

Hmm... I don't have a magical solution to your problem, but I think yoga could be an excellent place to start. It ticks so many of your boxes - low-impact, at home, etc.

I can see why it doesn't feel like 'real exercise' (but the Yoga For Beginners DVD I own nearly broke me! I think it's like ballet - it looks effortless but is anything but) but given the circumstances you describe I think it might be the best way forward until the dc are a bit bigger. And it could be a really worthwhile way to spend your time, building a habit of exercising and building a habit of enjoying it. Moreover, you'll sleep better, feel better. Your core strength and flexibility will improve, which will put you in a better place for doing different exercise in the future. And though it's not 5x a week doing HIIT with a personal trainer, it will help control your weight - you will be burning energy.

There's a free app called Daily Workout that I have for days I can't get to the gym, with timed moves for each part of the body. It's quite good, lots of the moves get you sweating and you can either do five minutes here and there though the day or one long session. That's what I'd be looking at!