Your HELP would be invaluable

F

fuzzyears

Member
Good day!

I am at my wit's end. I haven't been able to exercise since having my baby. That was 5 MONTHS ago. I don't have the time to do the Cathe workouts and miss exercising dearly. I haven't even tried the Hardcore series yet because I was 7 month's pregnant when I received them and didn't want to risk it.

So my questions are:
Has anyone devised a method to exercise in a short periord of time using the Cathe workouts?

Would the Slim Series and Power 90 workouts be or more use to me as I don't have the hour I once had before I had my baby? (I am interested in how they package the programs- food and exercise).

I need something that quick that will work with my pressed for time lifestyle and that will also help me get back into shape.

Thank you,
Donna
 
I found it impossible to stick to a regular fitness regime until my children were older toddlers. As babies their timetables were too unpredictable. If they woke up, they refused to be entertained by their expensive jungle gyms for more than 5 minutes while I tried to squeeze exercise in. As older babies and toddlers, they never napped. Never. It got so frustrating that I just gave up until they wer older, but.....

I did as much walking as I could. If you have the money, you could invest in a stroller made for this purpose, they have bigger wheels and can handle a veriety of terrains. I never drove to the stores, I walked, FAST, and walked around town and back again. I went out and walked no matter what the weather, with the babe all bundled up. And they sleep so there's no wailing to make you feel guilty.

You could do this for additional cardio. Remember that every step you take during the day contributes to helping you maintain a healthy weight, so walking is an excellent exercise.

You can also use the CTX series and achieve each day's exercise in 2 short sessions if baby accommodates this. The cardios are all 22 to 28 minutes long. So, you could fit that in during the babe's first nap. Ignore the housework that you feel you should do instead! It will still be there later. Then, if the baby naps again later or is happy playing for a while, you could then work a muscle group or two with the upper body mix on the CTX DVD. THis would take probably another 15-20 minutes per upper body part.

Don't forget Cathe also produced the Timesaver from the Body Blast series for this same purpose, so that will add variety for you.

If you want to lift very heavy, the Gym STyles and S&H series could both work for you. You just focus on one (S&H) or two (GS) muscle groups per day. It will clock in at a half hour or less and so, throughout the week, you can get your lifting in.

Then at the weekend, your hubby can take the baby out for a long walk, and leave you time for a longer casrdio session and a sustained leg training day.

If you split it up like this, making the most of all the baby's naps to sneak in a bout of exercise you will get it all done just as well as someone who devotes the full hour every day in one longer session. In fact, ther are articles that state that 2 shorter bouts of exercise may even be more beneficial than one sustained session, because you have to raise that heart rate and keep it up there twice and therefore, you may boost your metabolic rate for longer.

Since you have recently had a baby, remember to give yourself time to slowly work your fitness back up again, and if breast feeding, weight loss will be slow but sure. Life and exercise may be strange, with different schedules for a year or two or three, but as kids get older they are more able to tolerate your absence for an hour!

Clare
 
excellent, excellent answer, Clare.

You may also want to email Wendy "Fit Mom". She just had her first baby in May, so she is going through what you are and may have some things to share with you. The main thing is patience. It took a year both times for me to get my pre-pregnancy size back.
 
Donna,
Cathe's July Rotation was geared towards a shorter timetable for everyone (busy with vacations, families, life, etc;-) ) you might want to check it out as most of the segments are around 30 minutes and use more than just the CTX videos. Here is the link:
http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.phpaz=show_topic&forum=7&topic_id=3368&mesg_id=3368&page=
If it doesn't work just go to the Rotations message board and click on "Index for Cathe Rotations - 2"
Good luck!
Mattea
 
Thank you for your help!!

I forgot about the Body Blast Timesavers, all I could think of were the CTX videos and some of those run over an hour. But, like you said, break it down into smaller segments if I can.

I am laughing (and comforted as well) at the replies to my question because it seems like some of you have been watching me in my home!! I never saw this one coming- baby not sleeping to let me get a workout in. I fondly refer to him as my velcro baby. I do have a really good stroller but it is hit and miss when I try to use it because he sometimes screams murder and I can't handle having a screaming baby while I walk (yes, this is my first). I do as much walking as I can, but as I am sure you are aware, it is not the same as a good workout.

So, I have to be patient and wait till my son gets older... I do find comfort in knowing that others have been there. I know some women who can leave their baby anywhere and the baby stays content but not mine. I am also breastfeeding so I don't want to lose my milk supply either by being to extreme on my diet/exercise regimen.

Thanks again!!!

Donna
 
Don't forget about the premixes! If I am having a "I don't wanna work out day", I normally go for Step, Jump and Pump - the hi-lo premix (about 20 mins) always fits the bill and lifts my mood!

There are a ton of shorter options in Cathe's workouts.

Valerie
 
I feel quite lucky after reading this thread. My son is 3 months old. I have been working out regularly since he was a little over a month old and have had very few interruptions relatively speaking. He is very good as he will either nap or play with something (even his own hands/fingers are quite thrilling at this age!:)) to entertain himself while I work out. I have been able to work out for 90 mins interruption free! :) Makes me wonder if I want to push my luck by having another one. ;) :p ;)

Best of luck to you!
 
I would not recommend slim series as it is not easily broken down. I agree with ctx or circuit type w/o. I had an exercise bike with my 2 older ones and would just hop on it and do 10 or 20 min whenever I could. You can add in strength work a little at a time , too. Just keep the weights handy and do a few sets when the opportunity arises. I'm sure you've heard this a million times, but be sure to enjoy this time with your baby - it will be over so soon...Marnie
 
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