How do you exercise if you have babies/children?

[lovemydog301]

My DH and I are considering having kids. We both love our careers and our hobbies. In particular, I love exercising regularly.

Just wondering how people stay fit when they have kids? How do you fit it in?

Thanks!

I’m a big fan of the Les Mills on Demand App. I alternate Pump/The Trip (spin) on weekdays and do a Body Balance on weekends.

You can go to buggy fit classes, often run in the local park. Or near me there’s a company who run lots of different exercise classes which you take the baby to - obviously if they kick off you can’t really join in but if they’re happy lying with a toy or whatever you can exercise. I play a team sport and my husband has the baby one evening a week for training and for matches which are Saturdays (not every week). He goes out running some evenings, I could do the same but can’t be bothered, I hate running in the dark! Maybe once it’s light in the evenings...

Me and my friend have plan nd routine with our partners so Monday Tuesday Thursday we take our eldests to nursery and our partners watch the babys we go to the gym then pick up our kids and go home then Friday Saturday we go on a night time when kids are in bed partners watch kids , wednesday Sunday are our days off xx

Fitnessblender (youtube) workouts at home 3 times a week when DD is in bed. I resumed my exercise routine shortly after DD's birth and it definitely helped me keep my sanity.

I don’t. Tried going to gym (David Lloyd as per pp above) but DH and I did an experiment. I dropped DC off. DH picked them up. He was not asked who he was, they didn’t check ID, didn’t ask child if they knew him, nothing. They literally let a men they’d never seen before walk out with a kid. Needless to say I cancelled my membership.

Loads of options but just be prepared to be flexible- ie some weeks you'll manage loads as things will be settled, then you can get thrown and end up doing very little for weeks on end.

We have a dog and that always meant I had to go outside everyday, regardless of what might be going on with babies / children- it's a good motivator.

When very young, I used a gym with a crèche and did 1/2 classes a week

When at pre-school, I'd be in gym kit for the drop off, and do a run immediately having dropped them off for as long as I could manage, work depending.

Now all are at school, I do a couple of evening classes around work.

I've always had basic gym equipment at home like mats & weights to do YouTube videos

You'll make it work, you just have to sometimes be creative and very flexible!

I'm lucky in that there is buggyfit where I am. 4 sessions a week available. Then the local gym does a mums on Maternity gym session 4 times a week that you can talk your baby to.

I'll do one of the above Then walking. Lots and lots of walking or Running with the buggy. When DH gets home I go for a run 2-3 nights a week and parkrun at a weekend.

my mum has my youngest for an hour in the afternoon a couple of times a week whilst my older two are at school so i can go running or go to a class. then me and boyfriend take it in turns to go to the gym in the evening - one goes to the gym, the other does bedtimes.

When my husband is at home I go for a run a couple of times a week and he goes to the gym a couple of times too. When my eldest is at nursery I walk for about an hour with baby in the pram each day. There are exercise classes you can take kids too if childcare is an issue, you can do exercise videos at home around nap times. Definitely still very doable, even if you have to adapt slightly

I run early in the morning, or occasionally late at night if DH is home. We both work FT. But I actually found I was very fit on maternity leave — I walked everywhere with his pushchair.

With small babies, walking. Goes a bit wrong when they get to the age they’re no longer happy to be pushed in the pram for hours but can’t do any distance/speed themselves though
When my older ones were school and preschool age I did you tube workouts at home while they were at preschool.

At the moment I just walk daily and go to yoga once a week.

My friend gets up at 5.30 every morning to run, her husband then gets up at 6.30 and goes to the gym before work.

I think if you’ve enjoyed it and it’s been a normal part of your life pre-kids, you will find a way. I’ve always resented it to be honest (apart from walking the dog!) so have really struggled to do any since having DD. But that’s me, not making it a priority.

A few people here mention exercising in pregnancy. I had severe sickness so it was impossible.

Also with a baby - mine never napped longer than 30 minutes, so too little time for exercise. Before I had the baby I planned to do my exercise bike at home while baby napped .... it never happened.

So although I did still exercise once baby born (returned to cycling 6 weeks post birth) it had to be when DH was around to look after baby.

Newborn to 6 months, lots and lots of walking (DH took only car to work), exercise vids whilst she napped, mum & baby fitness classes. 6 months onwards when she could go longer between feeds I went back to my team sport so DH looked after her 1 evening per week & few hours on a Saturday. Once we stopped bf it was easy, we just do what we did pre baby whilst the other one has DD. It does mean that we're often getting up early, or not spending every evening together, or not having a lie in at the weekend but we manage to juggle full time work, exercise & family/couple time quite easily. I think we each appreciate how beneficial it is to have 'alone time' for exercising in terms of both mental and physical health so no resentment for looking after DD solo whilst the other one works out.

I imagine it will get harder with multiple children and when they have hobbies/parties etc to attend. I grew up in a family where all 4 of us (parents and children) played regular sports so weekends were heavily focussed around them so I've experienced that it can work.

Go for a walk every day with the buggy or sling, rain or shine.
Little exercise workouts on the yoga mat next to them on the playmat or when they're sleeping. This will mean you prioritise it over cooking, cleaning, potentially showering etc . Takes time to get into but is possible.