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!!

Eat with your child and don’t cook twice. You’re eating late, making more work - also what does your partner do either end of the day?

Are you a safe (after dark) brisk walk from a supermarket? Can you do that and get a few items every other evening?

On days when you don't have an after-school meeting, a 30-min jog while DD is still in ASC, then do that work when she's in bed

Husband can come home and cook tea and have it ready when you've finished exercising. That's how we do it so I can do an evening gym class. I'm also up in the 5ams.

lots of good advice on here already

some observations about what's eating into your time:

-your commute seems long
-no need to bath child every day: you could cut out doing this 2/week
-you're cooking twice/day- this is totally unnecessary

• your partner could cook or even jjust have something super quick like an omelette
• exercise at 8pm

You're lucky to have a peleton and only need to find 30 minutes two days mid week (plus weekends). It comes down to whether it's a priority or not for you

I mean, you DO have time, it;s whether or not you can be arsed to include workout time.

Batch cook at weekends, for DD too. Exercise when DD has gone to bed and let DH prep dinner when he gets in, which should really just be warming food up?
30 mins strength workout or something equally as efficient should be enough.
Cardio at weekends

Do you get a lunch hour & would nipping out for a quick run at lunch be an option?
I have a similar schedule - 2 kids under, leave house at 6am for work and back 5.30pm. Never fancy working out alone in evenings so do a long run on the weekend and then once or twice a week will fit a quick 25 min run in during my lunch hour. Easier when WFH as doesn't matter if I look a mess later in the day, but still doable when in the office.
Other option - are there any local sports clubs nearby you could join? I have found it easier to motivate myself to exercise in evenings if heading to local running / netball / badminton group etc - really sociable so doesn't feel as much of a effort! often they wouldn't start until 7.30/8pm so time for DH to sort kids etc.

Can DP do some of the morning stuff? If you took 15/20 mins in the morning to.do.some exercise that would be a good start !

Observations:
Do you sit in the car for 2 hours per day?
Do you get a lunchbreak?
Does your DP do any parenting during the week? (Out of interest does he exercise?)

You only need 15-20 mins a day to make a difference (plus washing hair). If I were not exercising I wouldn't always need to wash my hair and could get up, showered, dressed for work and made up in 30 mins.
Do you need a whole hour to get ready in the morning/could you fit in 15-20 minutes there?
Does it take an hour to get your daughter ready? Could her father do some or all of that?

Lunch break? Can you switch the getting child up with your partner a couple days a week?
A friend of mine with three kids used to swap with her husband doing the kids in the morning so each of them could have a run for half an hour, then on weekends she took a couple hours at the gym (or at the park etc) for exercise and her husband did the next day. So that meant she got at least three workout sessions a week, and if she got a lunch break could do something then too.

Just came on to say that there is no way a teacher is exercising at lunchtime in their ‘break’. Firstly, we don’t get an hour, sure, you’re meant to, but in my experience you never do. You MIGHT get half an hour on a very good day, but you need to eat, catch up with colleagues, SLT often grab you for ‘a chat’ etc etc. Not a chance a lunch time run is happening. Possibly a very short walk occasionally.

Other than that, some good advice- definitely cooking once at least twice a week is a good one, and/or also your partner cooking a couple of times a week so you exercise in that slot.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say, no you would be hard pushed to fit daily exercise in with that schedule. I know many do, but most normal people would not get up at 5am. If you're a teacher, your day is so full on. It's a completely different role than a WFH position (which I have experience of) with not much interaction with others. It is emotionally and mentally draining.

Losing weight is 80% food. What are you doing in the hour to get out the door - could you cut this to 30mins ( or get dp to do some) and get back some time.

I get up at 5 3 times a week to exercise. It’s me time when everyone else is asleep and I know that I wouldn’t do it after a day’s work, I would think of excuses.

@Thehamsterthatcametotea don't they wake up?

So your partner is doing none of the cooking and also not clearing up after you've cooked your second meal of the day?

He batch cooks at weekends, he clears up as you've already spent ages cleaning and cooking.

There's your time.

Cook one meal - heat it up if you want to eat later. Means the kitchen is cleaned up and closed down by 6pm.

You can do 30 mins after daughter sleeps. (home exercise).Before your OH comes home.

I agree with others, don't cook twice. Cook once and reheat food once OH is home.

Do twice a week and work out on weekend.

Don’t cook twice.
I exercise in the evening. I do a class at home, no time for going to the gym. I recommend doing a structured class, so you will have to push yourself and get tired. This helps to release endorphins and makes exercise addictive, so you will want to make time for it.
I train 6 times a week, this is my time to relax and focus on myself. I alternate cardio, strength training and stretching/yoga. 30 minutes is a day is enough to start. I have Les Mills On Demand but there are plenty to free classes on YouTube.

Training “with others” helps to keep at it, it’s a psychological trick based on the fact that humans are herd animals and it doesn’t matter that those others are on tv/mobile screen.

Change it up so a couple of nights you are not cooking twice, so either DP has a portion of whatever you made DD or Dd has a portion of what you made DP the night before. He could also cook once or twice a week. If you can do a couple of sessions in the week and one at the weekend that's good.

You said be critical - people make time for their priorities. So a priority for you has to be finding time for exercise x 2 in the week.

You're wasting time with cooking ten times during the weekday evenings! Batchcook at weekends so you've got healthy meals ready.
You could do a half hour workout while DH decompresses then both sit and eat together

No wonder why are you getting her up at 5:45? Surely if you work in breakfast club she has breakfast there and you can get her up and dressed ten minutes before you leave?

Are you a teacher? That’s fairly active in itself, focus on fitting something in at weekends and then just fit in other incidental exercise in the rest of the time, squats whilst doing your teeth, jogging up and down the stairs for a minute etc.

Like other people have said but you’ve not addressed, exercise won’t really help you lose weight anyway, you have to get your diet right. Exercise is just to make you feel good and stay healthy.

You come home from work and carry on working through to late. Your DH comes home and presumably rests.

Why can't he come home and cook dinner half the week and you squeeze in a 30 min session?

You've done the typical woman thing of thinking because you finish 'work' earlier it's your job to carry on 'working' in the home. Whereas your DH comes in from his very important job and stops working.

Unless of course he comes in and does other work around the house when he gets in.