Exercise that is. What did you think I was talking about?
I don’t know if I shared it with y’all or not, but a couple of weeks ago I followed through on my plan to get up early in the morning to exercise. I followed through for three whole days before Jodi and David were talking about calling an intervention.
Day one I got up at four AM and walked around my neighborhood with a flashlight and a bottle of wasp spray (for wild dogs that might decided to attack me, and no we don’t have any wild dogs in our neighborhood). It was fine until I almost fell asleep at my desk later. Oh and that night I had a horrible nightmare about wolves stepping out of the darkness and staring at me.
Day two I got up at four AM and decided it was a good idea to do a DVD so that I wouldn’t be attacked by wolves. Don’t laugh, it was a really bad dream y’all. So anyway I did the DVD, got dressed, went to work and almost fell asleep again.
Day three I got up at four AM and did my work out DVD. By this time I was so exhausted that I thought I would pass out. I felt like I did when the kids were newborns and I was waking up every couple of hours to take care of them and wasn’t getting any sleep during the day. I could barely function. This is when the almost intervention started being talked about.
Day four I slept in until my normal time and I felt like a million bucks.
I think the point of all of this is that (a) I’m not a morning person, (b) getting up early is NOT going to work for me, and (c) I need to come up with another plan.
Which brings me to the whole point of this post. If you work out, when do you manage the time? What activities do you do? How do you fit it into your schedule around your kids? I would especially like to know if you work. No offense to SAHM’s, but if you work it is next to impossible to fit anything else into your schedule. Seriously. AND because I work I don’t want to take any more time away from my kids.
So, comments people. Lay it on me. Let me have it. Share your secrets. I’m all ears… or eyes or whatever.
{ 14 comments }
I don't know how you do all you do. My complicating factor, even though I am a SAHM (not offended) is that I don't want anyone to see me exercise. I like Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds, but I have to get up early enough that no one will be waking up and coming downstairs. I don't get to it much.
I get up at 4:00 am and work out on my Wii Fit for at least 30 minutes. It really sucks getting up this early, but I have a full time job and 2 kids (3 & 5) and a husband that works offshore.
If I oversleep, I work out on the Wii Fit after I put the kids in bed.
I, like you, cannot get up at that time. It's just not possible.
Hubby wants to join the community center/gym by our house. It's only like $30 a month, which isn't bad, but the ONLY time I have to do anything is after the kids go to bed, so we're talking about 8 pm or later. Umm, no thanks.
When I used to work out I found that nighttime worked best for me. Some people say working out releases endorphins and gives you energy. It just makes me tired, so working out right before bed (well, right before a shower and then bed) worked for me.
I'm a WAHM, but my husband has the same problem. He doesn't enjoy early morning workouts. He doesn't get home until 6:30p and is hungry so doesn't want to work out when he first gets home. Then needs time to digest food. And goes to be around 9p-10p to get up at 5 the next morning (so no late evening workouts either).
My suggestion to him was to workout during his lunch break. Would that work for you? You could eat a quick/easy prep lunch as soon as you're done working out.
(Back when I worked, but before having a child, I would workout in the early mornings. I am NOT a morning person, but once I got used to the morning workouts I really started enjoying them. It made the rest of my day better. Sounds weird, but true)
I'm laughing at the image of you walking around the neighborhood with a flashlight and wasp spray! I have a hard time fitting it in too and I am a SAHM! Hubbie leaves at 6:15am and doesn't get home until almost 8pm. By 8, I'm too exhausted to do anything. The only thing I have ever been able to manage to do, is exercise WITH them. Meaning…. swim with them, run with them. Take then on walks and bike rides. It isn't as effective as if I were to walk or ride a bike without them, but at least I'm out and moving and it's a start.
Okay, my only comment is, I totally agree. If I worked full-time, like you, I probably wouldn't even make dinner. I'd do take out every night. I did work while being a mom for about 3 months. It was an AWFUL adjustment that I never quite embraced. I think one way to do it is to just do workouts a couple times during the week, and go to the gym on the way home from work. I don't know how you do it if you don't have a gym membership!!
Good for you though. I like the *idea* of working out but I can never quite get my ass off the couch (or off the office chair in front of the computer).
I'm sorta with KeLi on this one. I use the Wii Fit but I have to do it with the kids. It's not as affective, but if I didn't it would be too late after work, dinner, and getting the kids to bed. So most nights I get it out and we all play. I know that doesn't work for most.
Do you have to get up at 4am? That's kind of early. Can you go to bed a little earlier to make up for it?
Last year, I was getting up at 5:30am and walking outside for 30ish minutes. I normally get up at 6am so it wasn't a big deal.
If i don't do it in the AM…I don't do it.
Good for you! I've been trying to be good on vaycay, but it's so hard…
Jennifer, I am a first-time visitor to your site. I saw a comment you made on the Hope Studios blog and decided to click through. I enjoy reading parenting blogs.
Anyway, just like everyone else, I certainly wasn't thinking of working out when I read the "get it on" statement. LOL.
I'm the guy who works out at 11 p.m. Seriously. I just ran in the Cleveland Marathon and I did most of my training after 9 p.m. First, because I hate getting up early. Second, because I just don't have time in the morning. Believe it or not, I can work out or drink a pop and then go right to bed. So there's hope for all of you night owls out there.
I'm new to your site and I'm glad I found you. But seriously, 4 AM??? You're making all of us look bad. I set my alarm for 5:45 to go bike riding and I hit snooze-three times. Ugh.
I've just recently started getting up early on days my dh is at home so I can exercise, yet still be at home in the evening for supper. Sometimes I do great… others, like today, the snooze button wins. The important thing is to not be hard on yourself, cause then you'll never want to do it!
Baby steps…
I would love to know HOW I can find time to work out. I get up at 5:15 am, leave for work about 6:15am, work 7am to 4pm, get home, grab a kid, run that kid to whatever practice, event, program, lesson they have that night. Dinner is normally drive thru or a restaurant. Bedtime is sometime around 11pm. Laundry is done on the fly and when I wake up to pee in the middle of the night. Then weekends are filled with family stuff, the lake, the deer lease, softball tournaments, etc. My kids are 17 and 13, so I can tell you the older they get, the more busy they get. I would LOVE to join the gym and have time to work out and lose weight and just be healthier in general…but I've never been able to physically fit it in…NEVER…
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