Any parents here how do you find time to exercise?

[Florida2014]

You can watch TV while doing cardio if that is really that important to you. Otherwise there are 24 hours in a day, with 8 hours to sleep you still have another 16 hours to find time to workout. If you work 8 hours, that's 8 hours left. You really cannot find an hour out of those remaining 8 hours due to "cuddling/tv time?" At some point you have to find priorities in life and if exercise and your health aren't priorities then the rest might end up being fairly meaningless as your quality and quantity of life will be diminished to some level.

[wac_432]

Originally Posted by RunD1987

My schedule is usually 3 days one week and 4 days the following week have time off. Work nights so motivation to get up early on days off is minimal. On days off have till 630 the latest in the AM to workout if want a 30 min workout. Working out on nights off are the only time see the Misses so that's cuddles, movies, and TV time.

Just curious how do you find time?

Squeeze it in the cracks. Set a routine workout schedule on weekends or days you have a little extra time. The YMCA (or any family-friendly exercise club with a pool and a kids area) is a great resource. Prioritize exercise over some other time-consuming activity.

I go for a run or go surfing on my lunch break at work instead of eating. I have a flexible schedule, so this works out pretty well.

I also jump in the trampoline, play laser tag, or bike/run to the park to play tag/frisbee with the kids when we have time (30-60 min) on weekdays. Usually between their after-school activities and supper. Or after piano practice but before bed.

DW squeezes in a workout at the YMCA between dropping kids off for afterschool activities (ballet, swim team, etc) and cooking supper.

We run on the treadmills together on weekends while the kids swim in the YMCA pool.

We also go for bike rides, walk downtown, go kayaking, swim in the ocean, and do other active stuff as a family for a few hours every weekend.


That said, if you're a working adult, you will have to prioritize exercise and pick something to dump. We purposefully neglect housework and yardwork. I don't think they're important, so I just do the minimum. If I kept my yard trimmed and DW kept the house like Better Homes and Gardens, we wouldn't have time for it all.

Semi-Optional Daily Activities to Trade for Exercise:
-Yardwork
-Housework
-Extracurriculars
-Couch Potato Time
-Visiting Friends
-Meals
-Sleep

Back when we were slammed with schoolwork (graduate school), DW and I would hit the campus gym at 11PM to squeeze in a workout before they closed, before going back to studying.