When Do You Find Time to Work Out?

4:45am. It kills me to get up that early that day... but I do it. If I don't I feel awful all day. I go to a gym about 5 minutes from home, and then am back home in the shower before the kids or hubby are up.

I have just started getting up 30 minutes earlier than normal and "running" on the treadmill with some of those wrist weights. My daughter is still sleeping then, so I don't feel guilty; and I don't put it off like I do in the evening!

I just started going again last week. I will drop my boys off at school and I have been going to the gym for about 30 minutes. It is easy only because the gym is 2 minutes from the school then our apartment is 30 seconds around the corner from the gym and my work is only 10 minutes from home. My kids have to be at school by 8 anyway and I don't have to be at work until 9 so I have been making work.

I work and go to school. Fun times. I have decided that since I spent two years devoted to my son, it was time for me now (with him mixed in too). After he goes to bed it's MY time. That is when I do whatever I feel like doing. Some days I exercise, someday I sit and watch tv. Others I pamper myself with facials and a self mani/pedi. On the weekends is when I get other stuff done. I do clean during the week, but I am not meticulous about it. If you feel like you are just to busy to say once his eye's are shut, then maybe pick two days out of the week and call them yours, or something like that.
Oh O and I go for walks all the time if the weather is decent, so there is something.

i"m a sahm of two and barely find any time. It seems impossible if you also work. That said, I did find a DVD, Gillina Micheals 30 day shred. it is intense 20 min work outs. It maximizes your twenty min by working out more than one muscle group at a time. for a short work out, its great. And better a short work out than none at all. I do it before breakfast even though my baby whines a bit. We all hang out on the living room floor together, so at least its time with them and not away from them. I do my own abbs to incorporate baby instead of the ones on the DVD and my three year old loves to mimic me and do the jumping jacks. Imperfect but better than nothing.

I work full time, as does hubby. I just had a baby a few months ago, so my situation is different now than it normally is. Currently I am only able to workout on the weekends. I run about 3-5 miles Sat and same on Sun - I really make it count on the weekends and get in all I can, sometimes doing light weights after a 4 mile run. It takes hours and hubby sometimes gets irritated that I leave him alone with the kids that long, but he gets his time doing what he wants, I get mine. If mama doesn't get her workout time, mama ain't happy.

I used to run one or two days during the week and also do a yoga DVD at home one day, but I have eliminated those until baby gets older.

If you run or walk, or have an at home workout system, it should be easier than making it to the gym. Going to a gym during the week just isn't realistic for my busy family. But, running out the door with my running shoes on for a 30 min 3 mile run is doable. You just have to MAKE yourself fit it in like you would any other priority.

Good luck!

My husband and I have "rotating 1:1 time" with our son. He gets "his 30 minutes" to workout while I get my "mommy-and-me" time and vice versa. Usually this all happens b/w 7-8:30 at night!

Hi S S I tucked my kids in at night, then did 2 hours on my bike and about 20 minutes on the stairs, i did this every night while they were growing up. J.

I now work part time so it is much easier, but when I worked full time I did the same as I did now.

I walk 45 minutes on my lunch breaks.
I go to the gym on Saturday/Sunday (if I don't work)
I used to go at 5:30 in the morning before everyone is up.

It all adds up. Whatever you can do. Even if it is only on the weekends. Or weekends plus one day during the week. Maybe you can do it after the babies go to bed?

Everything else my husband and I split up so it wasn't just me doing everything.

It is challenging, but will hopefully make you feel better so in turn helpful.

Im a SAHM to my 15 month old DD and I think with the amount of running around I do with her and all the daily household chores, I swear if I actually worked out on top of that I would wither away to nothing. I am exhausted at the end of the day. Not complaining at all. I love what I do, Im just saying that I get more than my fair share of work outs just living my life so I am happy with that.

I finally realized you just have to make time. There are never enough hours in the day. I just got back into the gym this week after over a year long hiatus. I work full time (a stressful Sr. Accounting position for a large retailer), about 10 hours away from home a day, as well as coming home to being Mommy to two boys, one who is involved in sports himself and the other a toddler. I spend what time I can with them in the evenings and once my toddler is in bed (usually about 8pm) I head out to the gym for at least an hour. After only being in the gym for 3 days, I already feel my energy level has increased, I have slept better the last few nights, and my don't feel as stressed. I have even implemented walking twice a day at work for 15 mins around our building. My hubby has been telling me to make the time, make the time, make the time. Now that I have, I feel great. Grab the kiddos and take them out walking for 30 minutes during the day, use a DVD or Wii Fit or something of that nature when they are in bed at night , or get up a little early to get in a quick workout. A short workout is better than no workout.

I'm a SAHM, but I find that I barely have time to fit in a workout some days :) Try getting up in the morning if you're a morning person. If you hate mornings, then do it at night after the kids are in bed. I'm in LOVE with Jillian Michaels work out videos. I did the 30 Day Shred religiously and lost a ton of inches. I'm doing her Ripped In 30 now and WOW! The workouts are only about 25 minutes from start to finish (including warm up and cool down). They will kick your butt the entire 25 minutes, but are well worth it. I'd rather bust my butt for a short amount of time and be done with it! Plus, I hate public gyms. By the time I get my stuff together, travel, change, work out, shower and come home I feel like I've been gone forever.

I just joined a gym for the first time in my life. I go between 8:30-9:30pm after I have put the kids to bed. It's working out better for me than doing it in the morning. After a long day with 2 little ones, I get an hour of me time.

I was getting up at 5:15 am to workout (which gives me 45 mins)- I alternate days between running on my treadmill and doing "Biggest Loser" on my Wii (most of these workouts are 30-35 mins, so I can snooze once :). I used 'was' because I'm 10 weeks preggo and haven't exercised since I hit 6 weeks and morning (rather all day) sickness set in . . . I'm hoping to get back to my workout routine any week now. I also used to drink a big glass of water before bed, this made sure when my alarm when off, I had a full bladder and needed to go to the bathroom, where my workout clothes were laying next to the toilet . . . getting out of bed is the battle for me.

S.S
I also work full time...Unlike the other answers, I am 100% with my kid so I cant go at lunch (since i work through lunches so I can get out early to go pick my kid up) cant trade off with dad because he works too late and I am not going to 'work out' at 9pm
I am looking into this right now. the only option I have is to go work out at 6am..that super sucks and I am not looking forward to it, but I am destined to lose this extra baby weight. my thought is if I am at the gym by 6am, I can work out til 645 and be back at home by 7 to get the baby ready for daycare ...If she wakes up between 6 and 7am...daddy is still sleeping so he can deal with her until I get home)
My baby just turned 2 and I am just getting in routine to figure out a time I can work out...any other time bleeds into the (very little) time I get to be with my kid each day...I chose to be with my kid while she is awake...once she goes to bed, that is my wife chores (laundry, pick up toys, dinner etc).
Its soo much harder to fit even 30 mins into a FTWM schedule..and if I do find that 30 mins...I want to be selfish and do NOTHING ..not go run on a treadmill. Good luck and thanks for the question. I will be intersted to see how other FTWM's do it.

Im a sahm which is a tad different, but i just pull out the workout mat, then put a blanket in front of it. I put on a video and my kiddos workout with me on the blanket. Right now im doing jillians shred, but ive done it for years with pilates, dance workout etc... My 8 year old is really into it and trys to do it right while my 2 year old kinda bounces around and smiles. Either way they are occupied. Also i have a racing stroller, i either jog, walk or rollerblade, while my youngest relaxes in the stroller and my oldest joins me(or is at school) Our destination is usually the park, so i will bring badminton raquets or a frisbee.

try to incorporate them into your workout, whatever it is, and it will more likely get done.

I am training for a triathlon (believe me, I'm not as athletic as that makes me sound lol). I go to the gym at 6 AM most weekdays, 5:45 AM one of those days for a spin class. I'm back home at 7 and then get all of the kids out the door and head out to work at 9. I am kind of lucky that the school day here starts ridiculously late (9 AM for the youngest kids) so I don't have to be in the office until 9:30 or 10. I'm a night owl so the early mornings are hard but I sometimes teach or tutor after work for SAT prep so I can't work out at night.

During the summer, when SAT season is over, I try to bike or run after dinner - my little guys can scooter or bike while I jog but biking is solo for me. We also have a pool at our house so I can get my swim time in with the kids. When I'm done with the tri in June, I'll go back to taking cross fit with a friend a couple of nights a week after work.

Things are definitely easier now that the kids are older (the youngest is 5). When they were all small, it was very hard to get any exercise time in, so I bought a treadmill and used to just jog in the basement for a half hour before they woke up. I also have a pilates DVD that I like to do and I'll sometimes do a workout from exercise TV late at night after they're in bed. The biggest thing for me was realizing that it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Even 20 minutes of walking with your kids is better than nothing, and we can all find 20 minutes a day.

i am a work at home mom.....i do it while cleaning. I hace weights i wear around wrists and ankles. i stretch while dinner is cooking. lunges outside while kids play. or running in place in shower or stretching in shower. I just do it when i feel i have a bit of time...sometimes the boys join me and it becomes a exersize game.

I get up at 5 a.m., work out until about 6:10 (so total of about 50-55 minutes when all is said and done, including driving to the gym), rush in from my run or home from the gym, get my kids dressed, get the 3 year old and my husband off to work/daycare (he gets himself ready, but you know what I mean!), then deal with my kindergartner. By then, she has dressed herself and needs breakfast fixed for her. She usually plays a computer game or just plays while I shower and get dressed, etc. By now it is 7:40, and I rush downstairs, get a little food for myself, pack us both up, throw in some laundry, and get her to the neighbor's to drop off at school, or sometimes drop her off myself. I feel as if I have run a marathon by the time I get to work.

I am a teacher, so I CANNOT be late or the kids will be left unattended! I'm on my feet all day, and it's a wonder that between that and the workouts I am not thinner, but hey! Anyway, I absolutely hate getting up at 5, I feel tired most days, but I don't have time or energy after school to deal with working out, plus, I need to see my own kids at some point! It sucks and it's draining, but it makes me feel good usually, and I would gain weight if I did not work out, so I do it. I wish I had a better scenario for you. Good luck!

I work part-time and will go after picking up our daughter at preschool after work maybe one or two days a week, then go to the gym both days on the weekend.

If I worked full-time, I'd be fitting it in during my lunch break. That's the only possible time I would see it working into a day that busy.

When my kids were young, I generally worked out during my lunch hour and on weekends. Now that they are older it is a little easier....I work out around the corner during my sons Karate class on some days, or just go on my way home if I worked through my lunch hour and can leave early. Other things I have done in the past....run around the soccer fields during soccer practice. Riding bikes with the kids, stopping at the monkey bars and working on arms...riding some more. You have to creative sometimes, but you can do it.

I work full time and have two kids.

I work out for several reasons, but the most important ones are because I know the wonderful health benefits of regular exercise and I want to be a good role model for my sons.

Daily exercise, in my opinion, should be looked at like sleep or brushing your teeth. Both are essential to living a healthy life. You wouldn't skip brushing your teeth because you would get cavities and other health issues. You wouldn't regularly skip sleep because it is during that time that you recharge, refresh, repair, and regrow. To me, exercise is an essential element in the promotion of my health and should be done on most days.

To that end, I work out from 6:15 - 7:45 daily at work. I'm lucky because I teach at a high school so I essentially have a fully loaded 'gym' in which I can workout and I also have a locker and shower facilities so I can get ready at work. I love working out in the morning because I can't get too tired as the day wears on and lose my motivation. I do both strength training and cardio sessions daily

On the weekends, I will work out on one of those mornings but it will be either a 60-minute steady state cardio session or a 30 minute HIIT cardio session, depending on how much time I have.