Staying Motivated to Exercise

I put it in my calendar. Can you do a family cook day on Sunday and make a week's worth of meals? There are lots of great recipes out there of how to combine different things into meals that don't look the same! You and your husband can/should switch off nights. Consider whether the kids need baths every single night. After summer days in the sand and mud, yes - but maybe not all year round. Maybe just a damp rag??!! Really!

Can you squeeze in some exercise each morning when it's quiet? What time do the kids get up? I used to work out and my husband dealt with our son from whenever he work up. It was great time for them, and they didn't come into my area unless someone was on fire or bleeding! My son learned that exercise was important, and that Mommy deserved her own time.

Can you combine any activities? Run while walking the dog, read the paper while on a treadmill, listen to recorded meetings while working on a balance ball or doing bicep curls? You can do slow weights while watching TV, and do cardio maybe 3-4 days a week under other circumstances.

And, what can you cut out? What are you doing from 5:30 to 8:30 that doesn't have to be done? If someone's relaxing and watching TV, that's a good time to fold laundry, obviously. I do grocery lists and cut coupons during commercials, and I have my laptop there and answer emails.

My husband and I unload the dishwasher together - we each stand on one side and unload whatever goes in the cabinets closest to us. We also tag team on the groceries - I do the big shopping and call him when I'm 5 minutes away so he's ready to unload & put away. He does the "fill in" grocery trips for milk or fruit, and puts everything away. He does more of the laundry since he's a runner and needs to get that stinky stuff done more frequently.

I think it's fine if the kids know that tonight is Dad's night and tomorrow is Mom's night, or tonight is sandwiches.

Speaking of which, do you make a week's worth of lunches and then freeze the sandwiches? My mom did that 1000 years ago, and I did it too. Lay out 20 slices of bread for 2 kids x 5 sandwiches, layer on the turkey and cheese or the PB and J, put the "lids" on, and wrap & freeze. Each morning, pop out 2 sandwiches for 2 kids. I pre-packed snack sized containers of fruit, carrots, granola, whatever - Ziploc makes some little containers about 1/2 cup in size. I lined those up, put cheese cubes or mini carrots or raisins or berries or whatever in them, and stacked them in the fridge. Easy to grab & go in the morning. I also pre-mixed drink bottles so as to save on the junk sugar drinks - using reusable metal bottles or BPA-free plastic was great.

Good luck! Take care of yourself and everyone will be better off!

Try to get yourself into a routine that you can do everyday or every other day. With your work schedule and kids, it doesn't seem practical to do 1 hour work out sessions. Try doing 20 to 30 minutes each night or every other night after the kids go to bed. The consistency is better than the duration. Try getting a yoga ball or exercise bands and do some exercises while watching TV in the evening. Take an evening to yourself and sign up for a kickboxing or dance class at a local Rec-center.

Want quicker results with LESS exercise.. Try a spin class........ That will sweat off a few lbs and tone your legs and your stomach (many don't realize this) but when you are on the bike, you have to keep controls of your abs.. Due to foot injuries, Spinning is my new go to exercise.. the first class was killer............. but then by the third, I thought, ok I can do this.. in fact, I really like it..

good luck to you!!

I agree with the other responders ... an hour is a LONG period of time, and that's making it easier for you to get off track. Try for at least 15 minutes 6 days a week ... it will still help, and will be easier to fit in. If you can do an hour 4 days a week, even better, but if for some reason you can't get an hour in, force yourself to do 15 minutes. If you have Wii, I really like "My fitness Coach". Good luck!

I have the same challenges. In addition to what everyone else has said, I found it helpful to remember that each day is a new day, new week, new month, etc. In the past, I would think "since it's Wednesday and I haven't exercised this week, I'll start fresh next Monday". And of course something would come up or happen and I wouldn't make it. I now say "I haven't made it this week but tomorrow/today is a new day so I'm going to exercise this morning/tonight." Someone asked me a couple of years ago, "why do you have to wait until next Monday?" Of course I didn't have a good answer and realized I had to change my perspective. So now it doesn't matter that i haven't exercised all week ... I'll get it in. This means sometimes I only exercise 2 times a week or sometimes 4 times a week ... But it helps to keep me in the groove.

The other thing I've started doing recently is exercising during my kids nap time on the weekend and/or a group class 1 evening a week. As a career working mom, I have to fight all the feelings of guilt whenever I'm not with the kids in the evenings or weekends. But I also know that if I'm not healthy I will struggle to be the mom and wife I want to be.

Wishing you the best!

What about using your lunch at work to well, work out? What about while your hubbie is bathing the kids?

Me, personally. I like to get exercise out of the way first thing in the morning before anyone is awake.

Good luck.

You have a busy schedule, so it's understandable that you get off track.

The way I personally stay motivated, is that my motivation isn't to lose weight or tone (although I'm fairly fit), but to get that endorphin high and feel strong and emotionally positive. Also, my face starts to look about 10 years older if I don't work out for a few days. Exercise keeps your skin rosy and glowing.

So don't exercise because you expect to come out looking like a model. Do it for the short-term rewards. 4 times a week for one hour is great, but if you don't have time, even a half-hour can be enough. Work out longer on the weekends, and do 1/2 hour a couple of days during the week.

I've been spinning lately too, it's awesome.