Tess asks:
"Hey Melissa, I have a request. One of the things I'm worried about most when the baby arrives is how I'm going to find time to work out. I hear all the time that mommies are just crazy busy or exhausted. But you obviously have a good system down. Could you share either your schedule or any tricks you've discovered along your 4-baby journey? Does daddy help out and watch the kids when mommy is exercising? Do you have a nanny?"
This is a great question,one that I get quite often!
so,I guess the best place to start is with honesty.
YES,new mommies ARE tired,ARE busy and sometimes so exhausted,sleep sounds so much better than anything else in the world....even chocolate,sex,or the gym!!!! (yeah i said it!)
To answer a couple questions right off-No,we don't have a Nanny(oh how nice that would be! and,family doesn't live close at all -a few states away)
So at this point,I am relying on my husband to watch the baby while i get in exercise-at least until Elijah is 6 weeks old,after that he will be old enough to go to the gym child watch.
Even though I am feeling pretty tired these days,in some way fitting in exercise energizes me,and makes me feel better,physically and mentally.
So at this point,I am relying on my husband to watch the baby while i get in exercise-at least until Elijah is 6 weeks old,after that he will be old enough to go to the gym child watch.
Even though I am feeling pretty tired these days,in some way fitting in exercise energizes me,and makes me feel better,physically and mentally.
And to answer the question about schedules and tricks I've discovered along the way....
Making time to workout,do cardio (contest prep,marathon train,triathlon train,etc) AND be a mom and a wife (basically being everything to everyone)AND stay on top of chores and everything else....
well,isn't easy sometimes, it takes a little bit of work,but it can be done with a little help from learning a balancing act.
Another fellow blogger/competitor/mom/wife, Tenicia did a post about this very topic,and both of us have a very simular method tothe madness! be able to juggle it all.
Making time to workout,do cardio (contest prep,marathon train,triathlon train,etc) AND be a mom and a wife (basically being everything to everyone)AND stay on top of chores and everything else....
well,isn't easy sometimes, it takes a little bit of work,but it can be done with a little help from learning a balancing act.
Another fellow blogger/competitor/mom/wife, Tenicia did a post about this very topic,and both of us have a very simular method to
Like Tenicia,one big key factor that helped me,was having a schedule and sticking to it...
AND also realizing that not everything always runs according to schedule. Cars break down,children get sick,husbands have to go out of town....
Even the best laid plans can go awry sometimes (last minute diaper changes,someone getting carsick,someone jumping off the trampoline and breaking a leg,working late/early,etc,etc)so be sure to have a plan B AND plan C!(and sometimes plan D)
Even the best laid plans can go awry sometimes (last minute diaper changes,someone getting carsick,someone jumping off the trampoline and breaking a leg,working late/early,etc,etc)so be sure to have a plan B AND plan C!(and sometimes plan D)
When making a schedule,prioritizing is the most important factor.
To me,family always comes first,before the gym or running.
and also like Tenicia,most of "prep stuff" was done either before the kids were awake,or after bedtime.
To me,family always comes first,before the gym or running.
and also like Tenicia,most of "prep stuff" was done either before the kids were awake,or after bedtime.
Since i have been both a full time working mommy and a stay at home mommy,my schedules have become adaptable over the years.
when i worked full time,my cardio got done in the early morning,my workouts got done during lunch,more cardio was done after the kids bedtime (thanks to a home TM) and meal prep was also done after kids bedtime.
Now that i am able to be at home with the kids,cardio is still before the kids wake up,gym time is scheduled before or after nap time for the little ones,sometimes it is scheduled bright and early before dawn,or late at night-sometimes it is just a home workout with the DB's,exercise ball and TM during nap time....or even outside on the playground- (those are my plans B and C and D) and now that my son is interested,some running is done as a family affair.
more cardio is done after kids bedtime as well as any thing else that needs to be done.
And to be honest,some things DON'T get done.things that can wait to get done,wait.
some nights,the dishes stay in the sink,the floors don't get swept,the laundry never gets folded,but rather just put into piles labeled clean and dirty...
(however,now that the older 2 children are bigger,they help with the chores and i have a chore chart and daily schedule up on the wall to keep them accountable)
some nights,the dishes stay in the sink,the floors don't get swept,the laundry never gets folded,but rather just put into piles labeled clean and dirty...
(however,now that the older 2 children are bigger,they help with the chores and i have a chore chart and daily schedule up on the wall to keep them accountable)
One thing that always gets done,is my job as a mom,and having time spent and devoted to my babies...
Another thing i try to do with my family,(especially now with so many children),is to set aside one day a week where i spend one on one time with each child. sometimes its a trip to the movies,sometimes its to the toy store,sometimes its to their favorite place for lunch...and even if its just a trip to the grocery store or running errands, i do try to get that time individually with each of them.
sometimes its the little things in life,eh?
I made the choice a long time ago that the gym would not dominate my life over my children. i had babies to raise and every minute between when i got home from work until the babies bed time was like gold-- because that was my time to be supermom!
When i first became a mom,i was so worried i would never get back in shape. i worked full time,had a husband who worked the night shift (so we never saw each other-which translates into not having an extra pair of hands to help),and was away from any family. it was just me and a new baby....
so what did i do back then with just one baby?
The good part is that at the time, i managed a wellness complex so i could workout during my lunch,and i would do my long runs with the baby in the jogging stroller. when he was little,his late nap would coincide with the time i got off work,so every pretty day to be running outdoors,i had the jogger in my trunk and would dress in my running clothes before i left work.by the time i got the baby from the sitter,he was ready for a nap,so i would go to the park,give him his blankie and run for a good 1-2hours....
everything else got done after he went to bed (laundry,dishes,bills,etc)
.
NOW when the 2nd baby came along.....things changed dramtically,largely in part due to a career change,and location change,we moved!
(clip taken from this blogpost
http://melissacunninghamifpapro.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-figure-adventure-from-start-part-1.html)
The new schedule went something like this:
when my daughter was 10 weeks old,i went back to work full time and my schedule changed big time. i no longer had the freedom of an 8'0clock AM workout or even a 4o'clock PM workout (based around child care hours at the gym) in fact, i would only have time for the gym 1 or 2x a week.....
the gym with child care,that is....
since i worked in a orthopedic outpatient rehab setting,i had access to a very small collection of weight machines and some dumbbells (which only went up to 30lbs)
so that's when i knew i had to find the balance between fitness and family and make the most of what i had available to me in order to get back in shape and hit the stage. there was no way i was going to be able to go to the gym before work. my husband worked nights at the time,so no one would be there to watch the kids at 4AM while i worked out,did cardio and got ready before 6AM. there was no way i would hit the gym after work,because from 5-8,well, that was the only time i would have with my kids before they went to bed. the gym would not dominate my life over my children. so i decided i had to use the equipment at work and make the best of it.
my schedule went something like this:
4:30 AM-wake up and hit the el'cheapo treadmill for 30 minutes (did not go fast enough to run-i had to walk at 4.5mph)
5:05 in the shower and get ready for work
5:30 baby girl awake and ready to eat and play
5:35-6:15 get both kids ready and myself fed,and be out the door no later than 6:20
6:35-6:40-drop kids off at day care
7:20-7:30 at work with my happy face on
LUNCH-1 hour power workout-usually broken up by 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights
workout plan:
work each major muscle groups 2x per week-back/bis/abs, then chest/tris, then legs/shoulders/abs. 3-4 sets of 15 and HAD TO super set and giant set all the way due to time constraints.
3x a week i would pyramid weights and lift as heavy as i could. 15,12,10,8 reps,increase weight each set until failure.
1x a week HIIT on TM
4 weeks before the show i went to 2x a week for a HIIT
4:30PM-leave work to pick kids up
5:15-get kids
5:40-get home
6:00-get dinner going for self and kids (baby still nursing so she was attached to me until she went to bed,and every 2 hours afterwards)
6:30 dinner
play time!!!
8:00 bed time for kids,nurse the baby..
8:15-9:30 house work,nurse the baby again
9:45-10:30 more cardio,nurse the baby again
bed before midnight.....and waking up every 2 hours to nurse....
then start all over again.
(clip taken from this blogpost
http://melissacunninghamifpapro.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-figure-adventure-from-start-part-1.html)
The new schedule went something like this:
when my daughter was 10 weeks old,i went back to work full time and my schedule changed big time. i no longer had the freedom of an 8'0clock AM workout or even a 4o'clock PM workout (based around child care hours at the gym) in fact, i would only have time for the gym 1 or 2x a week.....
the gym with child care,that is....
since i worked in a orthopedic outpatient rehab setting,i had access to a very small collection of weight machines and some dumbbells (which only went up to 30lbs)
so that's when i knew i had to find the balance between fitness and family and make the most of what i had available to me in order to get back in shape and hit the stage. there was no way i was going to be able to go to the gym before work. my husband worked nights at the time,so no one would be there to watch the kids at 4AM while i worked out,did cardio and got ready before 6AM. there was no way i would hit the gym after work,because from 5-8,well, that was the only time i would have with my kids before they went to bed. the gym would not dominate my life over my children. so i decided i had to use the equipment at work and make the best of it.
my schedule went something like this:
4:30 AM-wake up and hit the el'cheapo treadmill for 30 minutes (did not go fast enough to run-i had to walk at 4.5mph)
5:05 in the shower and get ready for work
5:30 baby girl awake and ready to eat and play
5:35-6:15 get both kids ready and myself fed,and be out the door no later than 6:20
6:35-6:40-drop kids off at day care
7:20-7:30 at work with my happy face on
LUNCH-1 hour power workout-usually broken up by 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights
workout plan:
work each major muscle groups 2x per week-back/bis/abs, then chest/tris, then legs/shoulders/abs. 3-4 sets of 15 and HAD TO super set and giant set all the way due to time constraints.
3x a week i would pyramid weights and lift as heavy as i could. 15,12,10,8 reps,increase weight each set until failure.
1x a week HIIT on TM
4 weeks before the show i went to 2x a week for a HIIT
4:30PM-leave work to pick kids up
5:15-get kids
5:40-get home
6:00-get dinner going for self and kids (baby still nursing so she was attached to me until she went to bed,and every 2 hours afterwards)
6:30 dinner
play time!!!
8:00 bed time for kids,nurse the baby..
8:15-9:30 house work,nurse the baby again
9:45-10:30 more cardio,nurse the baby again
bed before midnight.....and waking up every 2 hours to nurse....
then start all over again.
So that is what life with 2 small children under 3 looked like!!!
And then when i became pregnant with the 3rd child,things changed even more,due to yet another move out of state due to a job opportunity for my husband.
When we moved,i put my career on hold and became a stay at home mom....
While being at home allowed more flexibility with gym time,it also allowed for obviously more time with my children!
And let me tell ya,making that transition from working full time to being at home was HARD.
But what really helped,was finding that golden schedule AND making time for me to workout in order to stay sane...
And now that baby #4 is here,i am in the process of finding that golden schedule again,one that works for everyone,one that allows for mommy to get her training done without sacrificing family time.
So,there you go Tess,i hope you find this information helpful!
I'm sure that once you have your baby,things wont be as daunting as they first appeared.
Being a mom is the best thing ever,and making time for you will only make you feel better...a healthy mom is a happy mom-and when mommy is happy,everyone is happy,right?lol!!
Just remember the keys of finding balance
1)schedules
having a new baby and making a schedule is tough! the good news is that babies will eventually fall into a routine with some guidance from mommy...once the baby's routine is down,its easier to plan ahead,.
2) prioritizing daily tasks
whether you plan to take 6wks or 12wks off from work,or even planning on not returning to work for a while after having a baby,when planning a daily schedule,prioritize daily tasks. also,when making a schedule,do allow for back up plans,and understand not every day will run like clockwork!
3)making the most of family time
find some creative way to be in the moment with family. set aside a weeknight for family home evening,make a special outing every year,make a new tradition,or keep up with the old ones,find something special to do with your family that you all enjoy..
4)making the most of down time
down time=nap time or bedtime for the kids so its a little bit extra time for yourself or to get some things done...for me,down time is used to catch up on chores,blogs,bills,laundry or even sneaking in a quick home workout.on rare occasion, i can get a power nap!
5)making the most of exercise time
get it done when you can,where you can.
when in the gym,have a plan and get it done.
if you feel hesitant about taking your new little one to the gym,then make the most of exercise by combining family and fitness!go for a run with your baby in the jogger,use your baby as your own personal free weight and do a workout session!
6)dont be afraid of asking for or accepting help
every supermom needs a little extra help sometimes....after all,even batman called on robin,and its ok to have a sidekick when you need it!
if your mom/husband/friend/family member volunteers to watch the baby so you can exercise,run errands,clean the house,etc..then take up the offer!
if you need to call on your husband for diaper duty or for discipline action...go for it!
if you need to hire a babysitter so you can have a date with your husband,(or even a date with the gym....)
its ok to enlist in the extra help when needed!
Becoming a mother is amazing,and finding the time to do it all is quite the great balancing act!
however,just because you are a mom does not mean you wont ever find time for yourself again,or to get back in shape after having children.
with some careful planning,a golden schedule can be made,which will make finding the balance in life a little bit easier!!!
so,to those moms out there,how do YOU find the balance??
please share your tips and tricks!!!!
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