when do you workout?

L

lizbar

Member
I have a 12 month old and am expecting #2 in Feb. My question is when do you all find the time to work out? My DD only naps for about 1 hr during the day. I usually squeeze a quick workout when she is napping, but when the new one comes I have no idea where I will find the time. She is also an early riser usually 5:45-6am. I'm trying to get myself prepared for all this and I am totally stressed about when I will get my Cathe in.
Any suggestions would be great!
Thanks,
Lizzie
 
I have a 4 year old and a 15 month old.I workout almost every day. I try to workout when the baby naps. Sometimes though, she doesn't nap or nap long enough. I usually either put her in the pac and play or let her play around my exercise area. Sometimes this is challenging but I try to keep fun, special toys down the basement where I exercise. My other question for you thopugh is can your infant nap longer. A 1 hour nap seems short for a 1 year old. Have you tried putting her for a second nap during the day? Either way if you prioritize working out, you will work out!
 
Thanks for your reply. Sometimes she will go down for an afternoon nap, but only for about 1/2 hour. I have been struggling with her naps almost since the day she was born.lol! I keep waiting for those 2 hour naps I keep hearing about, but she won't have it! Maybe I will try to have her play in my workout room when she wakes up. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
My little one isn't quite here yet (due date is Sept. 6th), but my husband has already agreed to help me out by making my workout time his "daddy time." He knows that working out is important to me, so he's very willing to help out here.

Another option: have you looked into programs like Stroller Strides, Stroller Fit or Baby Bootcamp? They are classes held around at parks in your community where you workout with your kids/babies. You can usually do an internet search for them.

Chrissy
 
I have two children, 18 months apart. They are 6 and 7 now, but I was always able to work out 5 days a week in the morning when they were babies. They were both usually up by 7:00, but I did not work out before they woke up since I was nursing and tired, so I slept when they slept! It helped to have a goal to be exercising by 8:00, so I had an hour to feed them and get them dressed and settled. Then the next hour was MINE. I will now let you in on my secret method. Are you excited? :)

Don't wait for the naps since they rarely come at convenient times, or, let's face it, EVER. Make sure they are both fed, dry and clothed. Get the toddler busy, put the baby in the swing or the playpen where you can see him and he can see you. Remember how you just fed, clothed and made them happy, and how this is only one hour for just you? Okay, that's important because here's the clincher:

UNLESS SOMEONE NEEDS TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, OR IS BLEEDING, OR HAS THROWN UP, OR HAS DEVELOPED EXPLOSIVE DIARRHEA, DO NOT STOP YOUR WORKOUT!!!

Yes, the baby may cry and your toddler will want your attention when you first start this little routine, but don't stop! You can calmly explain to the toddler that you will be done in a little while (don't stop, keep exercising), and with your baby in view, you can calm him by just talking and reassuring him you're still there. He may still scream his head off, and your toddler will undoubtedly pitch a huge fit now and again, but BELIEVE ME, in a week or two this will be the morning routine to them, and they will expect it and be okay with it. Let the crying and fit-throwing just roll off your back unil then.

Again, remember how you took care of all their immediate needs right before you started. They will be fine, crying and all, until they become accustomed to it. I should add here that I am not a mother that believes in letting her children "cry it out" and not responding to their cries of distress. There will be a time or two when the baby needs a little sweaty snuggle during workout time to get him feeling okay about things. However, again, their needs were met before I began my personal time, and it made me a better mother to have that hour for just me. Plus getting it done in the morning gave me my whole day to get other work and errands done.

It's absolutely doable, but you've got to commit to a schedule so your children become used to it and you can plan your day around it, or you will probably struggle with finding the time. I also think it's really important for children to know from a very early age that mom needs time for herself. Best of luck!
 
I have the same fear and close to the same situation. I have an 18 month old and I am due in early December and I work full-time. And my toddler doesn't sleep well at all (we are usually up at 3am to go potty, then up for at least 20 minutes to get back down and the alarm goes off at 5:30 and she won't go down until 8:30pm). So I struggle big time to either get up early to work out or stay up after she is asleep, which I do not forsee this getting better adding a second. And with working full-time I feel extremely guilty taking time while she is up. So I do workouts on Saturday and Sunday and try to force myself to get up or stay up one or two days a week. It isn't as much as I would like to work out, but it is what I can do, which I think is all I can hold myself to right now. I am just hoping that we get through the 3am wakings after potty training is complete!
 
I have a 3 year old (who does not nap anymore) and a 12 week old. Finding time to exercise is definately a challenge. For now, I have resorted to doing 30 minutes of my Cathe video a day. I will do half a workout and then the other half the next day. I have been doing it at 9 pm at night when the 2 girls are down for the night.

Also, I have the Squeeze workout and that one really works well. I can do 2 or 3 sections and then pause it and do another part when I get to it and not feel like I am interupting my workout. The workout is designed in 3-5 minute sections, so it is easy to stop and go with that workout (although it is more muscle work than cardio).

I like the idea of having special toys in the basement for your little one while you workout. I would give that one a try as well.
And don't feel bad....when my daughter turned one, she went to one nap a day that was only an hour or less. She has always been one of the babies that doesn't need a lot of sleep. My second is the complete opposite and she is at the other side of the spectrum and she sleeps ALL the time. (I actually took her to the doctor because she was sleeping so much. He said she is just one of those babies who loves to sleep and I should enjoy it! I definately do since my first was the complete opposite!)

Good Luck!
 
That is GREAT advice!! I have 10 month old twins and I workout anytime I can...I cannot do too many 90 minute workouts anymore, but I can always do 30 minutes somewhere in my day...I try to do two 30 minutes workouts a day! And, when I cannot do anything - I don't mind...I just know I have to work harder on another day.
 
"UNLESS SOMEONE NEEDS TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, OR IS BLEEDING, OR HAS THROWN UP, OR HAS DEVELOPED EXPLOSIVE DIARRHEA, DO NOT STOP YOUR WORKOUT!!!"

Just had to say I love this...LOL. I am having SUCH a hard time with my son. He's just turned 2, and can not stand that I am working out.I am a SAHM, and he has my attention ALL day long; I feel I deserve an hour to myself. It drives me nuts, because he let me work out every day of his life up until his sister arrived (she's 3 1/2 months). He runs around my step (as close as possible) as fast as he can; sometimes he pushes or throws toys at me. Of course he is only doing this to get me to stop, even if it is to punish him.

Now I find myself not wanting to deal with it, and trying to squeeze in a workout whenever (which we all know doesn't always work!!), like nap time. Well, I need a nap too! GRRRR! Just had to vent. I am going to try this Natalie, I just have to muster up some energy...
 
krystalb,

From one SAHM to another: Honey, it works!! It's really horrible for the first 10 days to 2 weeks, and then it's great.

I had to set "imaginary" perimeters around my workout area so that my toddler wouldn't get in my way, and she was usually good about it, but if she threw anything at me, that particular toy now belonged to me. I explained the rules to her very clearly beforehand so she was aware that she chose the consequence of losing the toy when she chose to throw it at me. However, there was NO discussion about it during my workout. She would throw, I picked it up quickly and put it out of her reach (on top of the tv) and gave her no attention about it. They learn fast.

YOU DESERVE THAT NAP!! Don't use that time for a workout, especially with an infant. You can't muster that energy if you're sleep deprived. That's my opinion anyway. :)
 
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