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moms who work from home AND exercise

mommaoftripsmommaoftrips member
edited February 2014 in Working Moms
I am having a super hard time finding time to exercise. With DH having to leave by 8:20 and me still needing to help the nanny with getting the LOS ready and clean-up. I kind of start most work days 10-30 minutes late. My schedule varies (I do travel for work - roughly 2 days/week, although my base is at home). I also feel stuck because I am also the one usually having to run any baby related errands during the day as DHs work is really busy. I than end my work day about 10 minutes early so that I can prep the supper before the nanny leaves :(

What I have tried. I tried the morning thing - actually prefer this but some mornings I am so exhausted that I can't pull myself out of bed. Tried after LOS go to sleep - but same thing, I am exhausted and if I exercise too late, I am up all night.

So my question - when do you ladies who work from home do your exercise routine?

TIA
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Re: moms who work from home AND exercise

  • brachysirabrachysira member
    I don't work full time but I take a class once/week during lunch when the nanny is here.  Then I take a class on Sunday afternoons too.  If it's nice, we do a family hike on Saturdays if we are not too busy.  Instead of classes in the summer I play tennis a couple times per week.  For that, DH comes home from work a little bit early and feeds the baby and we eat something easy ourselves after she's in bed. Sometimes I play Saturday mornings too.  I hope DH will get more competent and be able to take the LOs places on Saturdays when I do this, but right now he just stays home with LO1 (LO2 on the way). It's not perfect, but tennis is free.
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  • shannmshannm member

    With that schedule, I would workout before your DH leaves for work.  Even if you wake at 6, you should be able to get a work out in.  There are some hard core people here who wake at 4:30 to work out so they would kill to have till 8!  (I am not one of them, lol.)

    Also, as a side note, I think you are trying to do too much by helping the nanny and running baby related errands during the day.  Other than an occasional doctor's appointment, most working parents aren't doing those kind of errands during the day.  And why do you have to prep dinner before the nanny leaves?

    Sounds like your LO is really young.  Don't beat yourself too much about getting that workout in right now.  You are likely in survival mode and not sleeping through the night.  
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  • mommaoftripsmommaoftrips member
    I have 18 month old triplets. This is why do so much. Ie prepping for supper before the nanny leaves - they are a handful and my DH sometimes gets off from work late leaving my to do supper on my own. Therefore, there is NO time during the meal to be 'doing meal related things'.
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  • laurakaz13laurakaz13 member

    I would also work out before your DH leaves for work or go during your lunch break.   Oh wait, TRIPLETS!!!!  Yes, make time to work out but cut yourself some slack!  I can't even imagine how busy you must be.  :-) 

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  • SunAndRainSunAndRain member
    Can your dinner prep be simplified? Maybe DH can bring home a healthier take out option Wednesday or Thursday nights and on Friday could he cut out of work a bit early to cook dinner? Can you make big meals three times per week and have left overs that only need to be reheated? 

    Remember that exercise.doesn't have to be high intensity to be advantageous for your health. Try taking a few 20 minute walk breaks throughout your work day. I promise you will.feel the difference.  Heck you could even try to time one with the nanny and babies if the nanny can get them ready.to go without your.help.

    All these errands... if they are shopping then can Amazon.com and grocery delivery  help?
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  • mommaoftripsmommaoftrips member
    Thanks ladies for the suggestions - we are in the deep of the cold region right now BUT I am hoping for spring and getting back into our routine of walking with the babies before bed. Never thought of home delivery, this could help. The errands are always fruit related - the LOs LOVE fruit but they only last so long so every 3 days or so, I need to buy more. For example, I wouldn't be able to get by with green bananas, so some of these things need to be shopped for so that my LOs will eat.
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  • Virgo17Virgo17 member
    I would get up early in the morning to workout.  

    Can you prep anything the night before?  Have dinner ready to go in the crockpot?  Lay out breakfast and sippy cups?  TBH, the nanny should be able to get the kids up and fed without your help.  Do they sit in highchairs?  I would put them in a safe play area and change them one at a time and then put them up in their chairs.  I get that it might feel weird not to help since you are there, but if you are starting work late and ending early, then I think something needs to change. 

    I agree with other suggestions about not cooking every night during the week.  Cook a large meal on the weekends so that leftovers are available.  Fix something easy for the kids and eat after they go to bed.  A "proper" dinner from scratch every night is not necessary. 
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  • snicksnacksnicksnack member
    We use to have someone watch the  kids in our home and I work from home once sometimes twice a week.  I found it way harder to work when someone is there because I felt I needed to help too much such as getting them ready, meals etc.  First piece of advice let the nanny get them dressed and ready that is the perk of having a nanny when you work outside of the home so think of yourself working outside the home. I know easier said than done but get up, do what you have to do and start work on time.   As for diner we try to plan at least two crock pot meals a week, one really easy meal such as spaghetti squash and meat sauce as the sauce can be made the night before if I choose to, and baked chicken with left over sides from earlier in the week.  We usually do leftovers on Wednesdays.  I am mainly eating clean so when we use the crock pot we make pot roast cooking only in water, chicken breasts, pork roast etc.. so it is healthy.  Now that my kids are in daycare my work from home days are way less stressful.  I drop them off at daycare and work away.  I am able to go to the gym at lunch time, start work early and pop dinner in the oven before getting the kids.  I found eliminating the kids being watched at home lowered my stress and made my workload with them less.   I work out Wednesday night, lunch on Fridays my work from home day, and on the weekend.  Once we move my new gym is right near the house and has better hours so I will more than likely workout before work except on Fridays and Wednesdays. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

     

    I LOVE Amazon subscribe and save and my food store has an app where I can do my list and it tells me where everything is located makes shopping a lot faster and I know about how much I am spending so helps with budget.

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  • 2-Step2-Step member
    When I'm working I do a 30 minute intense workout DVD at home. I'm starting T25 next week, but I also like a lot of the Jillian Michaels workouts. T25 is only 25 minutes, so it is easy to fit in on my lunch break and even have time to eat. Technically workers in my state are required to have two 10 minute breaks for every four hours worked, in addition to my unpaid lunch break, so doing a 25 minute workout fits within that, even if I do use some of my lunch break for errands once in awhile. As long as I get in my 8 hours I am good. That being said, my job is super flexible so no one is trying to get ahold of me most days and I can work whenever. Sometimes I make up time in the evenings too. I used to do the morning thing, but I just can't anymore.

    I also save time by putting on my workout gear first thing in the morning and then I drive the kids to daycare and sometimes don't workout until 2pm and then sometimes pick them up sweaty and shower at night. It's not ideal, but if I have nothing else on my schedule then I prioritize my workout over looking put together at preschool pick up. 
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  • 2-Step2-Step member
    Oh and I agree about automating anything you can errand wise. We have organic produce delivery once a week from Full Circle, they bring all of our fresh fruit and veggies, I hit Costco once a month for everything else so I don't have to do grocery runs. I save everything else for the weekend and set aside a couple hours sat or sun morning to get a coffee and run errands alone. Also, ask your DH to grab fruit on his way home once a week probably wouldn't be a huge imposition. 
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  • *sparky**sparky* member
    I do it early in the AM, before DS gets up, whether it is a day in the office, a WAH day, or a weekend.  It is the only time I can motivate myself.  I will occasionally exercise while DH reads to DS at night, but now that I am PG I am usually too tired by then.  We have a bike in the basement and I will sometimes take my laptop down there and ride while I am working, but I can really only do that if I am just reading a document or clearing out emails.

     

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