When to Exercise?

WALK....Take the kids with you...the exercise is good for them...let the 9 and 7 year olds either walk with you or ride their bikes, push the 2 year old in the stroller. Exercise for you, Exercise for them, fresh air for everyone. Drag hubby along and you have quality family time that benefits everyone.

I know it is hard to start. most park have a side walk trail. we have one at quail ridge park. it is about 3 miles and you can do it in 45 mins. take the youngest in the stroller and let the other ones walk. it is good for them too.

I've been dealing with this same problem for years. Different things have worked for me at different times. I've always thought that the ideal situation would be to work out early in the morning before my husband leaves, but I'm just not a morning person and can't stick with it. Right now we have a membership at the YMCA, and I just take the kids every morning (they go to the nursery and kids club). It breaks up the day a little (especially in the summer when they're both home all day!) If I can't make it to the gym, I try to at least make sure that we go for a walk around the neighborhood or to the park. Another thing that has worked for me is joining a class at a fitness center or a local bootcamp,(the Y and lots of local community centers have them), that way you're sort of accountable to go everyday. That being said, it's never easy (at least not for me!). You just have to decide that it's something you HAVE to do for yourself, and make sure you do something active everyday. I still have to totally force myself everytime I work out, but I feel SO much better once I've done it! Best of luck to you!

I have 4 kids ranging from 4-11. My best option for exercising is before the kids wake up if my husband hasn't left for work yet. Usually we both go down to the basement where we have a treadmill and an elliptical trainer and we both exercise for about 30-40 minutes. Now that it's warmer and lighter earlier in the morning I take our dogs for a walk instead. I can only do it if he is home for the kids in case someone wakes up early. This means I may wake up at 5:30 so that I can exercise for a half hour then eat breakfast and shower before the kids get up at 7:00.

I found that if I tell myself, "Oh, I'll do it when they go to school" then it really doesn't happen. I should do this everyday but it ends up being maybe 3-4 times a week at most. My husband is much better about doing the treadmill or elliptical about 5 days a week, but sometimes I just can't pull myself out of bed that early. Good luck - you can do it.

I'm still trying to work in going somewhere to walk since our road is gravel and dusty. But just by cutting down the amounts I eat I have lost 10 lbs. recently, either that or I'm dying. :-) It's been years since I lost a pound. One of my daughters walks everyday with her twins in the twin stroller and takes her 4 yr.old along and it's good for him too. The kids all enjoy getting out and it's fun for all of them. Take the kids, they are not too old or too young to go on a fun walk. If you want to go to a park once a week with them you could do that too but just use your street otherwise. Now that I've advised you I need to do the same with more walking but will go to a mall to do that with our road situation.
Have fun.

I was in the same boat until I decided that exercising was something that would make my life better. It was a commitment to myself and my family because my health was important to all of us. As for missing time with your hubby i am sure he would be happy to give up a few eventing a week for you be healthy and happy. I am a sahm with 4 year old twins and a 3 year old. I have lost 30 pounds and have gone from a size 12 to a size 4 in the last year. I started out by walking 2 miles a day, 3 days a week. I also started keeping track of how many calories i ate each day. i found foods that I liked and that were filling but were low in calories. i also drank lots and lots of water. After i had lost some weight with the walking i joined a small gym that opened near our home. i would walk and jog on the treadmil a little to start and then use the weight machines. I can now run a mile and then do a 1/2 hour of weight training. It was hard to start but now i look forward to my gym time. i listen to my ipod and work off stress at the same time. im also in better shape than i have ever been. i normally go after my kids go to bed but recently i have been able to go after my hubby gets home from work. Now i can be home to see the kids before bedtime and spend time with my hubby after. I know how difficult it is to start and stick with an exercise plan. You just have to keep telling yourself that it is a commitment to your health and your family. Once you start and get on track it becomes part or your normal routine. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or need some workout tips. Good luck, I know you can do it.

Hi Stephanie!
After having my second child, I was about 32 lbs overweight. My friend gave me all her old weight watchers stuff. I followed those guidelines and have lost almost 20 lbs. I have to admit, it wasnt that hard. I really dont even exercise that much. Although I should. I do, do the tredmill at night sometimes. I also do understand with more than one child its hard to go on walks that you benefit you. But since I only have two, I put my baby in the baby bjorn and walked (slowly) with them for about a mile and a half. Even though I had to go a little slow because my daughters little legs can only go so fast, I did have a 20 lb baby strapped to me. =). But anyways I still have about 12 lbs to lose to get to my goal weight. I sort of got stuck here so I actually joined weight watchers myself. I have learned so much from the program just doing it by myself but I thought I could benefit even more from joining. I will go to the meetings and weigh in, which I have never done before. So the fact that I have to weigh in will always be in the back of head when I feel like being a hog...lol. I personally think its great. You learn what foods to eat and learn how bad some foods are that I had no clue about. If you are interested, I have a myspace with weight watchers on it and they sent me a special, if you join before Monday, they will give you your second month free. I will send you the link if you want it. 20 lbs might seem like a lot now, but once I started it, the weight just came off!

The best time to exercise is first thing in the morning. If you live on or near base check to see if they have a child area at the base gym, where you can use the treadmill and they check play. Most do and that's what kept me going. I would go as soon as I got up so I didn't have a chance to make up excuses. WhenI got to the point when I didn't feel like going my kids would bug me to go because they had so much fun there, so it kept me going.

Good lick.

I feel your pain!!! People think because you stay home, you should have time, but you don't!!! My youngest is 4 and I am just now able to start a routine. I have my shoes on and ready to walk out the door when my husband gets home. I've already started dinner and the kids are semi-occupied. I go to zumba class or walk on the track/stairs at the highschool. Leaving when he gets home helps, because he has some alone time with the kids, he is still getting settled from work and I get a break. This has been the only time that is working for me on a consistent basis. Good luck and you are not alone :0)

Have you tried a DVD? There is a new one out there called Tone and Tune (www.toneandtune.com) where you can exercise with your baby (in conjunction with older kids too who enjoy pretending their doll is their baby) and teach them early learning concepts at the same time. Then, you can relax when the kids are in bed or napping. It is fun to play with your baby and exercise at the same time.

Do you like to dance? See jazzercise.com.
I go to Jazzercise in Independence. There are classes all over the metro. (no contracts, no mirrors)

There is baby sitting available during some classes. Most centers offer discounted classes if you are a baby sitter.

I've been going for several years and love it. I'm just not able to go as often as I'd like.
Good luck.
T. H
Raytown

Hi S., I'm in the same boat as you and I'm trying to loose 20 lbs (we got all kinds of stuff in common!). I walk at night. I work and have to be at work at 7:15 am, this works great wtih the kids, hubby and school (I get off work in time to pick them up from school), but I can't excersize in the morning (which is my prefered time). I have a treadmill and I also use the Walk Away the Pounds excersize tapes. My sister, who stays at home and has the problem that you do also uses the tapes since she can walk at home anytime she needs too. You can get some of the tapes at home, but there are a bunch on the Walk Away the Pounds web-site (Leslie Sanson makes them). My sister lost a bunch of weight with the help of the tapes and so did a friend of mine. I'm doing pretty good (9 lbs to go!). Good Luck! And tell you hubby thanks for his service! And thank you for your support of him. My dad is an Office in the Army, being depolyed in the next month. I can at least say that I know how your kids feel having a dad in the military.

you might want to check into your local community center. We have a nice one in our town and it's around 47.00 a month for family membership, has workout equipment, gym, and pool. There are also classes for the kids and daycare available for 1.00 an hour for the little one. I would look at the schedule available for kids activities and workout while they are at their activity which are usually 45 min-1 hour sessions. The kids activities are usually fun like going outside to play kickball, soccer or something like that or even playing in the park. They also have kids aerobics and other classes like that but also have some fun type classes where they are playing and having fun while exercising but not called an exercise class. Or you can take the kids swimming as a family outing and get exercise that way or you probably have access on base to the rec centers which you can go to free and usually have free swimming pools as well for military but if you want a more family friendly atmosphere or have activities for your kids while you workout then you would enjoy the community center.

It took me about 2 weeks to stop hating it, but I get up early, early every morning and exercise. I switch between walking tapes, step aerobics without the step so it's quieter, and regular aerobics tapes. I just know that as a busy mom, if I don't do it first thing, it won't get done. Good luck to you.

I am also about 25 over weight from having a baby, she is two months now and I am ready to exercise it off. Today I just signed up for Bikini Boot Camp. It is with Lin-Z at the Anytime Fitness center and she has a group of people to meet up at the park for a riggerous hike and finish with 15 minutes of Yoga. I signed up for the 9am Saturday slot for June, which is full now with possibly one more person can sign up for. or you can sign up on a different day she does it on. Anytime fitness is in Ballwin off of Manchester and Sulpher Springs, by Smoothie King and Dierburgs.

Would your husband be up to exercising with you? You could even include the kids. I got a membership to the YMCA. They have a kidzone where I can take the kids while I workout. There is also a woman that made up her own videos for military wives at www.nikkifitness.com .

You sound a lot like me (I have 3 boys 5, 7, and 9)! I try two things--some days I get up early--5:30 or so, and take the dog for a nice long walk. It's peaceful to have some time to myself and gives me energy to keep up with my 3 boys all day. Last summer, we scheduled in 30 min. to an hour each day of gross motor time--playing soccer or baseball in the backyard together, playing on the playground (I actually played with them, instead of just watching:)), playing tag, the kids riding bikes and me walking along beside. We all enjoyed. Go to the pool and swim with the kids. There are lots of ways to keep active--so even if it isn't specifically exercise, your getting more activity in during the day.

I'm in the same boat and I am currently trying The Flat Belly Diet. I got this book at Costco. It's by Liz Vaccariello. It helps a lot with the eating problem - and it actually offers realistic plans and lots and lots of detailed menus/recipes. I've only been cutting back on my calorie intake for about 5 days but I've already dropped 3-4 pounds. The downside is, I am hungry a lot of the time. I think that might be unavoidable.

As for exercise, I can't find the time either - except on weekends when my husband is free. I imagine I could get up at 6am before anyone else wakes up and get on the treadmill then. BUT...will I actually do that? I'm not sure...

I don't understand why walking up and down your street isn't an option? Why not just take the kids for a stroll around your neighborhood every day. Is there a park nearby where you can walk? The 9 & 7 year old are old enough to walk with you and the 2 year old you can push in a stroller, which adds excellent resistance! It's an easy and fun way to get exercise as a family. Maybe take a walk after your husband gets home from work & after dinner in the evenings? I like walking the in the morning before it's too hot, plus you get it out of the way early and have less of a chance of procrastinating about it later. You might not be able to go quite as far or as fast with the kids in tow, but at least it's a start.

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