How do mom's with small kids workout?

when my daughter was that age i had to try to get up before she would. i would aim for at least 30-45 mins. workout. then i would try to steal some more time for yoga or pilates when she took an afternoon nap.

not sure if its a help but just sharing what i had to do. viola was not afraid of anything. one time when we were taking a nap she woke up and jumped out the bedroom window. had to be at least a 10 foot drop. i freaked b/c she ran into the woods and i just didn't know what was out there. she then comes running out laughing and playing like it was no big deal.

kassia



When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be
disappointed to discover they are not it -- Bernard Bailey
 
Hey, Ann! Like Kassia, I get up about an hour before my kids wake up to exercise, or I will wait until the little one goes down for a nap to do it. There is no way on Earth that I would be able to work out with DS up!!! He is a monster that gets into everything! :p

Missy
 
I work out after Sophie goes to bed. Although that's getting more difficult because she's getting older and doesn't necessarily want to go to bed as early. But definitely when she was little, it was after bedtime.
 
well my boy is almost 2.
i take him to gym babysitting.
or i w/o during naptime.
takes strategizing
but it works :)


"you miss 100% of the shots you never take"


Debbie
 
Please give these Mom's a round of applause! Hell, a standing ovation would be more like it :7
 
I have a 5 year old and a 2 1/2 year old and I work out as soon as they go to bed. I have been doing this since my youngest was 8 months old.
 
I work out before they wake up. My son is also a disaster waiting to happen. Some times on the weekend, I will get out a special toy and he will play for at least half an hour quietly while I work out. I have yelled at my kids while working out one too many times, though (those endorphins!!), so I try to only work out when they are still asleep!

Jenn
 
When my girls were little, I worked out when they went to bed. My husband traveled full time, so I would have to have one eye on the tape and one eye on the baby monitor. I fell down a lot! I was too fried to ever work out in the AM. I couldn't work out when they were up even when my husband was here because I am mom and all kids must know what Mom is going and get into whatever she is trying to do at all times. At least at my house!

Now that they are 5 and 6, I work out when they are at school, or at night. Sometimes when Dad is home I can indulge and they will come down and watch. Once in a while I will pop in a weight tape and they lift my little weights.

Melissa

Keep your head in line. Your butt will follow.

http://www.picturetrail.com/pellmel
 
During the week I work out before they are awake. I can't do it at night after they are in bed because then I can't fall asleep.

On the weekend I either put in a movie or DH keeps them occupied. At ages 5 and 3 they understand Mom's workout time means they have to leave me alone. I do let them do the stretch with me. It is quite humorous to see all of us "stretching" on the floor. Sometimes the dog is next to us for added laughter!
 
Kassia, that is the funniest thing I have ever heard!!!! I have a 3yr old and a 6 yr old, and I've been there, too. But, Holy Cow, that is the most hilarious thing I've heard in a long time! Bless you:)

Kelly
 
I can't motivate myself to work out at night, so naptime is my workout time. I feel your frustration. It definately takes commitment to figure it out :)

Kelly
 
I have a 4 year old. . .

. . And when he was smaller, it was hard to impossible to work-out when he was awake. As others have stated - if they are out of your sight, it's hard to tell WHAT will go on. If my DH is not there to watch my son, I will usually let him play a computer game or watch a video or something while I workout. Now he LOVES it when I work out because he knows he gets to do something HE likes to do while I'm doing something *I* like to do. I feel kind of guilty letting him suck on the "electronic teat", but we try to limit his TV to a certain extent, and I feel my health and well-being is important, too.
 
RE: I have a 4 year old. . .

>. . And when he was smaller, it was hard to impossible to
>work-out when he was awake. As others have stated - if they
>are out of your sight, it's hard to tell WHAT will go on. If
>my DH is not there to watch my son, I will usually let him
>play a computer game or watch a video or something while I
>workout. Now he LOVES it when I work out because he knows he
>gets to do something HE likes to do while I'm doing something
>*I* like to do. I feel kind of guilty letting him suck on the
>"electronic teat", but we try to limit his TV to a certain
>extent, and I feel my health and well-being is important,
>too.

i too sometimes do this. its mostly b/c viola wants the dvd player but then how would i workout. so i let her play on the computer. i only have jumpstart educational games for her but she loves the time she gets to play and i get my time. this is usually only on weekends or snow days so i don't make a big deal if i stick her on the computer for a bit.

kassia



When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be
disappointed to discover they are not it -- Bernard Bailey
 
RE: I have a 4 year old. . .

I get up at 5A to get my workout in before they get up. My two older children aren't a problem, but my little guy can get himself into trouble. He gets up 2 out of 5 times early with me, but will usually fall back asleep on the couch outside the workout room.

Melissa, I know what you mean about that baby monitor. Sometimes, I'm listening so hard to the monitor I'm tripping over my step.

Sometimes, I get my cardio out of the way early and then when the older kids get on the bus do weights. My workout room has enough room so that my little guy can play cars or whatever on the other side. The other day I had a barbell over my head and he was bringing me pretend food to eat! He said, "To keep you healthy mom." :7

I couldn't get up early when I was up a lot at night with them. I used the gym with the daycare then.

It does take some time to get a routine down.

Good luck!

Dallas

ETA: Kassia!! Holy cow!
 
I started working out when my son was 2. It was hard at first to get him used to the idea of "mom's workout time". I'd get all of his favorite toys and books and let him play on my bed. I'd tell him that the edge of my bed was "the edge of the world" and if he'd go over the edge, he might get hurt by my weights.

He's 5 now, and he's used to my working out almost every day. He occupies himself with his books, toys, dvd's, computer games, and sometimes he'll still sit on the bed and watch me work out. He likes it when I lift weights because I can take breaks between sets and we can chat. He doesn't like cardio (or what he calls "the fast one") because he knows he can't talk to me or I'll fall off the step.

Why don't you make a fort for your grandson using big, empty boxes and pillows? Boys like to roll on pillows and crawl into these big boxes. You could put his favorite toys in this fort and that could occupy him for a while. Just a thought.

Pinky
 
>Why don't you make a fort for your grandson using big, empty
>boxes and pillows? Boys like to roll on pillows and crawl into
>these big boxes. You could put his favorite toys in this fort
>and that could occupy him for a while. Just a thought.


Pinky, I love how your mind works. I would never think to do anything like that! Your son is a lucky one to have a mom like you! :)

Missy
 
Awwww Missy... thanks.:) But I take my cues from my boy himself. And I did grow up with three boys, so I learned from them as well. Like if you put a frog (or two) in the fort, it'd be even more fun and they'll most likely stay there 'til dinnertime.;-)

Pinky
 
My son is about to turn three and my daughter just turned four at the end of September. I have been exercising regularly since my daughter was born. She would sit in her little bouncy seat or the swing. When it came to them getting a little older, it would get frustrating because they are so close in age so I would have to watch after two babies but I would just put up gates for the steps and locks on the doors so the kids could only go in their room or in the living room with me. They would play with their toys or put on a movie for them. Now they are so used to it from me doing it since birth. One of my friends only has one kid at home who is three and says she can't exercise because she has to wait till he starts kindergarden. I tell her she is just making excuses because I have done it since both of mine were born and I have two to worry about. Yeah you might have to push pause a couple of times but at least it is better than not working out at all is what I say. And like Pinky said, the kids will get used to it after a while and they will even come to expect it. My kids even sometimes come and join me and act like they are doing push-ups and sit-ups which I think is so cute. And by seeing me workout, then they start to see that exercise is important at a young age and that it is fun.

Toni
 
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