How do you find the time????

elliemom

elliemom

Cathlete
Hi Ladies,

I recently restarted my Cathe journey and have hit soooooo many roadblocks along the way. I can't seem to find the TIME for my workouts. :(

I have friend and family obligations, VP of PTA, 2 boys aged 6 and 8. Homework, sports, weddings, showers, Holidays, birthdays, events at school, a ringing telephone, knocks on my door, laundry, cleaning etc etc etc.

I have a wonderful life. I love my friends and family more than words can say, but sometimes I just want to say NO, I need to get my exercise in. Sometimes I feel like a lot of these things are such a huge time suck.

I am learning to say NO, but it is very hard for me. It's also hard because i tend to be a perfectionist and Type A personality.

I WANT some time to myself. Is that selfish???? :eek::eek::eek:

Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated!!! I NEED HELP
 
First thing in the morning!!!! I now get up at 4:15 every weekday morning to make sure I get my work out done b/c otherwise it will not happen! Tough to do but sooooo worth it!
 
I feel for ya, Ellie!!! It's hard to say no, especially when you actually WANT to do some of those things. But, once you realize you NEED to say no, and you begin to pick and choose the things to pull away from, it starts to feel good. Those involved will eventually get the idea and the important thing to remember is that there are ALWAYS other people around who WILL actually and FINALLY step up to do their part.

You know I was PTA Pres last year, and you certainly know my family life, so you KNOW I understand. Saying NO is THE #1 thing that has saved me and my sanity!!!

Just pick ONE THING to pull away from. Then find some space if your house (even if it's just the garage, lol) and make it YOURS!!! My workout area is in my Unfinished basement, where it gets as low at 48 degrees in mid-winter. But you know what??? It makes me happy and the kids (and now other adult) in the house KNOW it's "Gayle's space" and it's sacred!

HUGS!

Oh, and if all else fails, just invite me over for a week and I'll take care of your DH and the boys, I'll turn all sales people away, answer ALL the phone calls, and tell the PTA you're taking a mental health break! :D
 
Hi Ellie

I don't know if you work outside the house as well. I'm lucky, I work at home so I do my workouts during the day while everyone's out of the house. I only tend to work out during the week as weekends are usually pretty busy. Oh and I always choose exercise over cleaning! I only tend to workout for between 30–60 mins at a time as any longer just takes up too much of my day. And I don't give myself a hard time about not getting it done.

that's probably of no help whatsoever!
 
Ellie - I honestly don't know how you folks with kids do it. I'm in awe! I agree with Gayle about picking some stuff to say "no" to, and carving out your sacred space and time, even if it's just 30 minutes day.

Another strategy that I've used during crazy times (Christmas Eve comes to mind) where I couldn't carve out a big chunk of workout time are my "kettlebell commercial breaks" (for lack of a better term). I'll keep one of my kettlebells in a convenient spot. If I'm cleaning, I'll dust a couple of things, then do 50 swings, sweep the floor, do 50 swings, peel potatoes, do 50 swings, yadda, yadda, yadda. 50 swings take less than 90 seconds. By the end of the day, it's not hard to end up with 500 or so swings, which is a pretty good workout!

You could sub the 50 swings with 50 jumping jacks, 10 burpees, 10 push ups, whatever your heart desires. :)
 
I wake up at about 5:30 am. This gives me an hour to workout before I have to wake up the kids for school. This is pretty much the only time that I get to workout..............
 
Gayle said:
Another strategy that I've used during crazy times (Christmas Eve comes to mind) where I couldn't carve out a big chunk of workout time are my "kettlebell commercial breaks" (for lack of a better term). I'll keep one of my kettlebells in a convenient spot. If I'm cleaning, I'll dust a couple of things, then do 50 swings, sweep the floor, do 50 swings, peel potatoes, do 50 swings, yadda, yadda, yadda. 50 swings take less than 90 seconds. By the end of the day, it's not hard to end up with 500 or so swings, which is a pretty good workout!

You could sub the 50 swings with 50 jumping jacks, 10 burpees, 10 push ups, whatever your heart desires. :)
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What a great idea, Gayle!
 
Learn to multitask!
For laundry specifically, I throw it in just before my workout, and it's done when I'm finished.
And you have to ignore the phone. It's just about prioritizing. Where do your workouts fall on your list of to-do's? Mine is near the top, so for an hour/day, everything else takes a backseat.

Do it in the morning or before the kids get home from school. You just have to make it a priority, and then you'll find that you're managing to work everything else around it.
 
Yes, I agree Melissa! Make it a priority or it won't happen and DO NOT FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!! It's one hour a day. That's it! You deserve atleast that much!
 
No, you are not selfish for wanting some *you* time! You need and you deserve it, and it makes you a better person for taking it. You cannot be the person you need to be for everyone else until you take care of yourself. That was a lesson I had to learn too. I thought I had to be everything to everyone except little ol' me - thought that was the stellar thing to do but I got lost in the shuffle, I was tired, bitter at times, got sick too much etc. Now, I come first (and I don't mean that I am selfish, like if DD needs something, I don't say no dear, I have not had my workout so I'm not going to help you with that!) But I mean that my family understands that I need my workout time and that I am much nicer when I have that time. And I know how much better I feel when I work out. It is a process but now, it isn't an issue at all. I love me time - it is energizing, invigorating, and brings me peace. You will learn to love and appreciate that time too, and the guilt for taking it will go away. I wish you bon voyage on the journey to finding Ellie Time;)
 
meowracer said:
No, you are not selfish for wanting some *you* time! You need and you deserve it, and it makes you a better person for taking it. You cannot be the person you need to be for everyone else until you take care of yourself.
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ITA!! Make it known to all who demand some of your time that you are unavailable between ? and ? then make that your workout time. Put your workout clothes on in the morning and as soon as the boys are at school, you start your workout. Ignore the phone, don't make appointments or offer to help/volunteer until AFTER your workout time is over.

I understand it is hard and can be frustrating when unexpected things arise that cause us to bag our workouts but you can at least control those things that are routine and fit those around your workouts.

Good luck, my friend. YOU can do this....I have complete faith in you:)
 
Okay, now I am on a mission!!! I need to truly prioritize AND learn to say no.

I spend a lot of time with my boys. I read with them, play with them, make things with them etc. We do "word of the day" every morning at breakfast and read a book every night before bed. I am all about education. So none of that can go. BUT>>>>>>>>>>>>

I need to stop answering the phone, answering the door and saying yes to time suck things like "helping out with this' and "doing another little favor" because they always end up eating up my day.

Thanks everyone for great advice. keep it coming so I can find a way to balance all this stuff!!!!
 
Ellie,

I agree with everything that has been said - you should NOT feel guilty, not only do you deserve some time for you, you NEED some time for you. I get up an hour early to get my workout in every morning, and on the weekend I do my workout before I do anything else. When I'm working out I don't answer the phone or the door and everyone knows that they don't disturb me unless it's an emergency.
It sounds like you are a fantastic mom btw!

Pam
 
The only phone call i answer when i am working out is from my dh otherwise i ignore it but since I have caller id and an answering machine i rarely answer my phone anyway cause most calls are ones I don't want! I also rarely answer the door unless I am expecting company....or the UPS man! :p
 
Every night when DH gets home from work, I hand him the kids and go workout. He knows it. He expects it. The kids expect it. They enjoy buddy time together. I know DH is exhausted when he gets home. I know that sometimes he doesn't want to do it, but he knows that as lame as it sounds, "happy wife happy life" is sooooo true. :p I ignore the phone during that time, and if my mom or sister call me, they know that if the machine picks up, I'm working out. DH also ignores the phone during that time so he can have uninterrupted buddy time. I gave up rest days for Lent so I've been getting my hour EVERY day since the week of Ash Wednesday. I'm loving it. It calms me, reboots me and makes me a better mom and wife. Think of it as your mommy improvement hour, not being selfish... Everyone has an extra hour in the day somewhere. You just have to find it and put YOUR name on it!! :)
 
I agree that first thing in the morning workouts tend to be more consistent. I moved my workouts the evenings (the time change through me for a loop) but I just went back to mornings because its so easy to miss workouts at night. Things just always get in the way.

On another note, if your super busy why not give yourself a bit of a break? Instead of 5-6 days a week working out, cut down to 3-4? Just make the most of the time you workout and push yourself to the limit.
 
ITA with first thing in the morning. I have 3 boys, work 10 hour days, then come home to homework, dinner, showers, bedtime stories, etc. I wake up at 4-4:30 a.m. knowing that if left for the evening, it might not happen for me. 4 am sounds crazy to some, but working out is something I enjoy so much, that I make sure I make the time. Every day when I am done working out, I can safely say I have never felt like "I really should have slept in." I absolutely know that if I choose not to wake up early to work out, I will definitely regret it later.
 
Hi Ellie,

I can really relate to your story. I have 5 kids ages 11, 8, 6, 4 and 1. My 6-year-old has special needs, so included in my schedule are numerous doctor appointments along with all the sports and activities.

About a year ago I decided to leave my gym membership and work out from home. I was terrified of giving up my gym membership in fear of "my plan" not working out. I had to rearrange my sleep schedule (I used to be a night owl) so that I could wake up early. I now get up at around 5am and eventually start my workouts by 6ish. If someone would've told me that it would become a habit I never would've believed them! My workouts are important to me for the health benefits, but also because I need them to help me cope with all the stress in my life.

Pick a time that you think would work for you each day and try it for a week or so. You may find that you want the workouts so much that a quick hour is easier than you thought. :) Also, pick out your absolute favorite workouts so it will motivate you to stick with it.

You deserve the time to yourself (in addition to your wo's)! If it means asking your kids or husband to understand then ask for their help too. My husband knows I can't be interrupted during my wo's and my kids know too. Sometimes they will join me, but it's only for a few minutes and I don't mind because I feel like it will hopefully rub off on them!

Good Luck!

Julie
 
noraw said:
ITA with first thing in the morning. I have 3 boys, work 10 hour days, then come home to homework, dinner, showers, bedtime stories, etc. I wake up at 4-4:30 a.m. knowing that if left for the evening, it might not happen for me. 4 am sounds crazy to some, but working out is something I enjoy so much, that I make sure I make the time. Every day when I am done working out, I can safely say I have never felt like "I really should have slept in." I absolutely know that if I choose not to wake up early to work out, I will definitely regret it later.
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I honestly have no idea how you do that!!! Aren't you exhausted??? Now I just feel like a lazy slob!!!! I am a SAHM and still don't have that kind of energy. Can I borrow some of yours!!! You are amazing
 
jewels5 said:
Hi Ellie,

I can really relate to your story. I have 5 kids ages 11, 8, 6, 4 and 1. My 6-year-old has special needs, so included in my schedule are numerous doctor appointments along with all the sports and activities.

About a year ago I decided to leave my gym membership and work out from home. I was terrified of giving up my gym membership in fear of "my plan" not working out. I had to rearrange my sleep schedule (I used to be a night owl) so that I could wake up early. I now get up at around 5am and eventually start my workouts by 6ish. If someone would've told me that it would become a habit I never would've believed them! My workouts are important to me for the health benefits, but also because I need them to help me cope with all the stress in my life.

Pick a time that you think would work for you each day and try it for a week or so. You may find that you want the workouts so much that a quick hour is easier than you thought. :) Also, pick out your absolute favorite workouts so it will motivate you to stick with it.

You deserve the time to yourself (in addition to your wo's)! If it means asking your kids or husband to understand then ask for their help too. My husband knows I can't be interrupted during my wo's and my kids know too. Sometimes they will join me, but it's only for a few minutes and I don't mind because I feel like it will hopefully rub off on them!

Good Luck!

Julie
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You too are amazing!!! Both of my boys have medical issues that require multipe specialists and appointments galore!!! All that added in makes my time even more limited. You are doing an awesome job!!! I am going to try the first thing in the morning deal. Thanks. And keep up the good work.
 
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