Do I have time to exercise or am I being lazy?

[Mindful86]

In need of some critical advise here…
I have put on a tonne of weight and desperately need to shift some asap. We have a Peloton tread that’s gathering dust in the garage but I just can’t find the time to use it. This is my Mon-Fri schedule:
5.45am wake up, shower, get ready for work, feed cats, get 4 year old up and ready for school
6.50-6.55am leave for work/school (I work at DDs school)
7.45 start work/school breakfast club
4-4.15pm finish work/school
5-5.15pm get home, sort out cats, clean, make DDs dinner
6pm bath time
6.45pm upstairs for bed
7.15pm other half is home, I cook dinner
7.45pmish eat dinner then clear up
8.15-8.30pm finally sit down
10pm bed

Can I find time somewhere other than getting up at 5am? I’m at a loss with how other mums do it!!

Weekends for my more intense work outs. I manage to do 1 per week at lunch time on my wfh day. Otherwise just make sure I get my 10k steps in per day, even if it means a half hour walk while dh puts dc to bed, or I step while listening to audio book to get those last few k in

I wouldn’t have time for the gym / classes.
But I walk everywhere. Is that an option?

That sounds like a full on day!

You are cooking twice every day though - is there anyway you could do something for all of you a couple of days a week when you make DDs dinner? Then DH could reheat whilst you squeeze a 20-30 min workout in at 7:15? If you have the energy then!

8.30-9.00. Yeah it's not as fun as doing it earlier in the day, but if you want it enough you can do it.
Or do it 7.00-7.30 and delay dinner for half an hour.
Alternatively how old is DD? Can she bath with the door open whilst you peloton in the bedroom for example?

I feel like weekends are my only options. With DP getting home at 7.15pm or later sometimes it’s not really an option for him to do bedtime as it’s too late for DD, she’s shattered by 6.30! Roll on summer and lighter evenings when I might have more energy to do things post 7pm!

Not an option unfortunately. We moved further away from my school/work so have to drive now

You said to be critical so I'm going to say that you can do it. I go out cycling around 8pm because that's the only time I can. It's dark and usually raining but if I don't do it three times a week I get podgy. I choose rain and dark.
Your choice.

You are making and cleaning up 2 meals every day. Eat early with your child, let your partner cook and clean up for themselves. That would give you an hour 7:15-8:15 every day to exercise and you’d not lose your relax time at all.

Cut down on the cooking - eat with your DD, let your husband take care of himself and exercise while he's cooking and eating.

@deepsea9 this would be ideal but I feel like sitting down with DP is the only time we get to talk during the day.
@Eggless I think the 8.30-9 is begrudgingly the only option 😫

Your partner needs to do some of the cooking in the evening and/or he eats the same thing you've made DD but when he gets home. It would give you an hour or so in the evening to exercise. You could do a class (at home or at the gym) twice a week and then do another at the weekend.

Genuinely if you want to find the time you will. Start small, can you go for a 10 min walk on your break in work. Can you park further away from the school and walk a bit to get kids? Can you do some squats while cooking the dinner? Can you use some resistance bands while watching TV. Can you march on spot while watching TV? Whole kids in bath can you lift some dumbells.
Don't try and find a 2 hour window to exercise, start with finding 5/10 mins.

I think your only option is to think if you can do a non-tea-tea (so very limited to no intervention) one night a week and then squeeze something in at the weekend. Would that work? Soup from a supermarket pot or cook stuff that reheats as leftovers etc? Or put your OH in charge of dinner once or twice a week (he commits to being home by 7:15 latest)?

I could neither force myself to get up at 5am nor to do cycling at 8:30 pm having been up for nearly 15 hours by then.

Could one day a week DD have left over in the microwave. You could put it in as you get in whilst feeding the cats, skip the cleaning so your done my 5:30. We force DS in the bath every other day and he's fine even as a smelly preteen. That gives you until 6:45 to fit in a work out whilst DD plays. Do that two day a week and your at 90minutes.

DS is 10 and I know it's hard but this year I've really come to appreciate I need to prioritise myself over how clean the house is or whether he has a perfect routine everyday

Cook one meal and eat with your child a few nights a week. And your OH can warm his up. Then when he comes in head out to exercise.
I work 13 hour shifts so a 2-3 nights per week i eat later than my husband and daughter (or not at all if I'm too tired and eat it the next day)
Cooking x2 meals in an evening would be too much for us.

I do get up at 5 to do my exercise twice in the week, then one at the weekend.

alternatively, you could exercise before dinner and have something simple in front of the TV after your workout? It is hard though, thing is you wait for summer and that’s temporary, but all in all it comes down to diet for weight loss. You don’t need to exercise to lose weight it helps and has other big benefits.

I am trying to do couch to 5k and can only go out once the kids are in bed, so from about 8.15 - 8.45pm. It sounds brutal but actually I’m enjoying that sliver of time just to myself. However… you have to get up a good hour before me so not sure I’d have the energy in your shoes.

Your choice, but you can definitely fit it in once your DD is in bed and before dinner if you want to. Batch cook if needed so you can just heat something up after.

Personally I don't want to put on weight so I choose exercise over sitting around of an evening. It's very rare I sit on the sofa as I'm juggling full on job, small child and exercise. But those things are more important to me than watching TV or whatever so that's the choice I make.

Thank you all, some really useful answers. I think my best option would be to exercise from 8pm ish. DD is sorted, DP is sorted and I can focus on me

Most of losing weight is about what you eat not the exercise you do/don’t do. Use the peloton at the weekend and work on your food intake.

Also, why do you have to do all the parenting during the week? Can’t your DP deal with your DD and the cats in the mornings?

@Prawncow DP is up and out earlier than me most mornings, he has a long commute to work. I take on most of the household stuff as he tends to be out of the house for much longer than me

Trouble is if you so so it at 8pm you'll be exercising on a full stomach. Or will you eat with your DD and your DP can sort themselves out?

Could you and dh exercise together for half an hour when he gets home before you have tea? You can fit it in but you'll be shattered and I don't think I could maintain it with your daily schedule. Unless it was something i absolutely loved. The best option from my point of view is to eat with your dd and then do it once she's in bed. The swimming pool/gym near me does classes 8-9 which would work for you and you could have an hour watching TV with dh after - I struggle with motivation in the evening but with a class I'm more likely to go as I feel a commitment.

Move the tread into the lounge - walk on it whilst dinner is in the oven or you're watching TV. Set a steps target and hit it every day - start with an achievable amount eg if you currently manage 2000 steps a day, have your target as 4000 for that month then when you manage to do that every day, next month aim for 5000.

Secondly, track what you are eating - weight loss is calories deficit and unless you're already eating at your TDEE it'll be easier to cut 500 cals a day from food intake than to earn that through exercise.

Look on exercise as getting fitter and stronger rather than losing weight.

Eat with DD a couple of evenings a week and exercise once she's in bed and both days of the weekends.