Going to the Gym

There was a time when I went late at night after baby was in bed. It was wonderful. But in the end, a good quality elliptical trainer in the house was the best plan for me.

Hi There

I think the best time to work out is either ,First thing in the Morning or late at Night .
I have three girls and so I don't want to take time away from them....,I work out early in the Morning...

Good Luck !!!

Only time I fit it in is at night. My husband and I switch nights & the other person puts the children to bed (we have a 2 yr old & infant though so this could change). I usually leave for the gym between 8 & 8:30, sometimes not until 9pm.

I am not sure where you live but a 5:30am (or so) bootcamp would be a great option. I was not a morning person either, and my friends begged me to do it. I hadn't been up before 8am in three years, not to mention we started in Jan. when it was freezing out! I ended up being addicted to it and have been doing it since Jan. Takes a bit to get used to, but your accountability of being there sure makes a difference! (bought my first bikini since getting pregnant!)
These things are popping up all over, but you can check this one depending on where you live.
http://www.bestbootcamp.com/testimonials.html

http://kgtv.cityvoter.com/winners/best-of-10news-com-s-a-...

Based on the clan you have at home and your busy schedule it sounds like your lunch hour is the best bet. You don't even need a gym. A few co-workers and I do the following at lunch time: run stairs in the building for 15 min or so, to get the heart rate up, then power walk to our favorite food locations, usually about 2 miles round trip.

Good luck

Dear V.,
One more opinion. I work out in the morning, every morning, at least Monday thru Friday. It's not easy, but in the evenings too, too many things can get you off track. And it's very easy to find an excuse NOT to work out. When I leave at 4:45, no one knows I'm gone, except for my husband who watches me walk out the door. Yes, because I'm a big chicken walking out in the dark. He's so good about it. But they say that people who work out in the morning tend to stick with it far longer than those who work out in the evenings. And it's because, what's going to get in your way (aside from sleep depravation) at 5:00 in the morning? NOTHING! I've been doing this for about four years now, and I now have a little "family" that all work out together and help and ENCOURAGE each other. Yes, the same people everyday for years now. So that's a testament to working out at 5:00. And when you're not there, you have people who are asking others... Where's so and so? or the next day when you come in... Where were you yesterday? It's hard to get started, but once you get on a roll for three months... you've developed a habit and a LIFESTYLE that you can't quit. It's as much of a mental release as it is a physical release. And no one will ever know you've left the house, and you won't be missing a thing.
Take care, and good luck!

My best advise is for you to go after all your kids are sleeping. After work is always a madhouse at the gym. As soon as your last ild is sleeping, take off for an hour so when you get home you could shower and go to sleep. I absolutely HATE mornings so my thing was at night. Good luck and have fun!

Hi V.,
Well, I found a good diet that works for me. I have been on it for 5 weeks and lost 12 pounds... It's coming off slowly, but I haven't excercised yet. (haven't lost any in a week though and I know it's because of not moving enough) I have a girlfriend who has a very busy lifestyle and she gets up at 4:30am, at the gym by 5am and home by 6:15am. She takes her shower and gets kids ready and out to school by 7:30am. I have the similiar situation and I am thinking about a 4-day a week commitment to getting to the gym early. It's all in planning your day the night before... make lunches, pick out kids clothes, gas in car, gym shoes by front door, etc... Make it work for you!!

My answer... if you are not a morning person, is it because you have no energy? Excercise may be the answer to everything. Try it for a month... and see if it is right for you.
Otherwise, join a Curves for Women and go for an hour after dinner...
I have older kids with homework, so after school or evening doesn't work... and my kids want Mom home at night.

Hope it helped.. M.

Hi V.: Can you work out on your work lunchtime? I have been doing that for years, it is a great way to wake yourself up for the rest of the afternoon and no matter what happens before or after work you still get to fit your workout in. I only have half an hour for lunch so I do a half-hour workout at lunch then a half-hour workout right after work. Do you have a gym close to your job? Its worth looking into..

My vote is in the early morning. I've read that you are most likely to stick with the regimen if it is in the early morning, too. I know that is definitley the case for me. Once you get your "habit" formed (takes about 2-3 weeks), you will look forward to it and will feel guilty if you don't go. Too many excuses to not go in the evening time :)
Good luck!!

You've received lots of great advice. I am a sahm and find it hard at times to fit it in, so I can only imagine how tough it would be to have a job you have to go to outside of your home. That said, in my opinion, the early morning is the best. I'm a morning person so that is easy for me to say but you may find once you start, that you will become a morning person - maybe not though. But there is nothing like getting a great workout in first thing - it sets the tone for the rest of the day. The first few weeks will be tough but once you adjust you will have more energy throughout the day and sleep better at night.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best. you can do this!!
M.

Hi V.,

My recommendation is first thing in the morning. If you go at night, you will either miss valuable time with you hubby or be tempted to skip it because you're tired from your day. There are SO MANY great DVD's out - if you did it at home you'd save yourself at least 30 minutes (no driving, parking, finding your machine, etc)...you could be done! I'm doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred - it is 25 minutes or so. I've also done Tony Horton DVD's (Power 90 and 10 minutes Trainer) - great as well. There are Pilates DVDs - I like Windsor, but there's lots of options. You could mix it up for yourself GREAT at home, you just have to make sure you get up to do it. OR, maybe your hubby wants to workout with you? The Tony Horton ones have men in the DVD, too - might help. :)

Take care!
R.

I tried going to the gym and it was hard. SO I bought several Beachbody workouts and now workout at my house. :)

A.

if i get any gym time at all its after work and before i get home to the familly. sometimes this involves me going into work super early (flexible work hours) and, therefore, getting home the same time I normally would around5:30-6:00pm. i'm also not a morning person so that wouldn't work for me plus there just isn't time in the am. good luck!

so that you don't take any more time away from your kids, I would suggest either early morning or after your kids are asleep. But the true answer would be to rearrange your lifestyle so that you can be a stay at home mom and have time for both your kids, your workouts, and your husband. We only live once.

that depends on what your schedules like. LVAC is open 24 hrs so. I go there and drop my children off at their day care center. Came with my membership

I can only seem to fit it in early in the a.m. before everyone wakes up, workl... if you wait till after there are too many excuses not to go, things come up, you're tired, you want to be w/your family... Also, it will wire you and not allow you to go to sleep as quickly. You also burn more calories if you do it first thing in the a.m. You burn calories for about 4hrs after your workout when you're eating throughout the day. If you do it at night and go to sleep you miss that.

Either time of day that you mentioned is rather crowed at the gym, so there really isn't much advantage of one time over the other. If you are not a morning person, then you may actually get a better work out going at night. However, it's possible that working out may rev up your system which can serve to get you energized to start your day. Conversely, working out at night may make it difficult to fall a sleep. Depending on your job: location to the Gym and time of day and amount of time you have for lunch, lunch time can be a good time to work out for some people. If you have a lunch around 2pm. the gym is usually pretty empty and you maybe able to get more exercise in less time. The most important thing is that you fit the gym in a way that is the most enjoyable or the least irritating that you can make it. Don't forget other types of exercise too, for those times when you can't make it or don't want to go to the Gym. some of the best advice I ever got concerning working out is: the optimum exercise for anyone is the one they like the most, because that is the one they are most likely to do consistently. So I wish you the best.

I am not traditionally a morning person either. But both my kids get up early. I am a SAHM so I don't get a "lunch break" and I am too pooped by the end of the day to go to the gym. So when I am healthy enough to work out (I have some medical issues that prevent me from working out at this time. Nothing too bad, but if I work out too much I pay for it dearly with lots of pain for several days.), I get up at 6am, am at the gym by 630am. I alternate full cardio days and strength training days. On full cardio days I will do 30 mins on the elliptor and 30 mins on the bike/or 30 mins on the treadmill jogging. On strength training days I will do 20 mins on the elliptor or bike, then 40 mins on the weight machines. I do a modified Body for Life strength training workout.

But for now, I either bounce for 10 minutes on the exerball while watching tv, or do a lot of walking throughout the week. I will take my kids to the zoo or Wild Animal Park and walk all over the place.

My hubby works full time and joined the YMCA since there is one a couple blocks from his office. They have all the normal gym equipment, plus a basketball court, and swimming pool. He meets his buddies there 3 times a week for an hour of full court basketball. And when he has time he takes walks around his office building area.

So maybe you start off small and slow. Take 2 15 minute walks around the parking lot of your office/workplace carrying a water bottle in each hand.

If you can find a gym near your office, you can work out at lunch. If the gym in on your route to work, you can get up an hour earlier, and hit the gym before going to work.

Even though I don't like getting up in the morning, I do like the "runners high" that I get after a workout. That energy carries me through the morning and into the afternoon.

And if you can find a work out partner/friend even better. My best friend and I used to meet up at a local park at 630 in the morning 3 days a week and jog/walk for about an hour. We would chit chat and walk at a normal pace for the first half mile. Then we would run/walk at our own pace for 1-2 miles. THen chit chat and walk normally for the last half mile. If we had time afterward we would stop at Starbucks for some coffee and fruit.

Good luck and go for it :)!

I also work full time with a large family to come home to. Though not a morning person, I find this is the only consistent way to work out as there are too many afternoon/evening commitments. It takes a few weeks to get used to, but then that alarm just becomes part of the day. I meet with a group of 3 other ladies every morning at 5:15 to run and that has become our social time... couldn't do my day without them, now. Good luck to you! I know you can do it!

Personally I prefer to work out first thing in the morning. That way my workout doesn't get canceled or shortened when things come up later in the day that I don't expect or when I get too tired. But I'm a morning person. Really you just have to find a time that's reasonably managable for you and stick with it. Write it in your calendar because it's an appointment with yourself, and DO NOT cancel that appointment for any reason short of illness or true emergency. If there's not a certain time that's free every day or every other day you'll have to mix up your times -- maybe hit the gym at least once during the weekend at whatever time makes sense for you, then add at least one workout during the workweek that's in the morning, one on your lunch hour and one at night. Good for you. Good luck and enjoy it. Also ... don't feel you have to spend a full hour (or whatever) on a workout. If it's too difficult to get to the gym for an hour or 90 min. or whatever, just go for 20 or 30 minutes (of actual sweating, not including time changing/showering/talking with friends) and then at some other point during the day add another 20-30 minute exercise -- maybe a walk or jog, bike ride, lift weights while watching TV, etc. Have fun!

I force myself to go. To often I'm just to tired and recently have been to hurt to go but as soon as my dr releases me I'll get back to my routine... I usually go Mondays after I drop my son off at school so 930am Tuesday the same. Then Wed-Fri usually around noon or 1 before I pick him up from school. I take Saturday and sunday off. Depending on which gym you go to mine is really busy after 5 pm and on weekends so I Try to
stear clear. Goodluck!

depending on your job, sometimes after work is best. You have a chance to wind-down after work, relax and focus on you and release stress that you may have. Then when you get home you can focus on your family, stress-free. That worked for me and help with relationships between all members of the family! I am not a morning person either, so morning was OUT of the questions for me!

Mornings are the best because it gives you energy. It may help you become a morning person. : )

V.,

I have a busy life too, working full time and taking care of my daughter, but I have managed something that works for me very well, I go to the gym during my lunch hour. Try to find a Gym close to your job and just go there during your lunch break. Even if you only manage to get 30 mins of exercise is better than nothing. Good luck.