Hi everyone, just wanted to see how all you busy mom's fit in exercise. I work full time outside of the house and pick up DS at daycare around 4. In the summer and on nice days we go for a 3-5 mile walk around town, but in the winter getting out is a little harder. By the time DS gets settled in after I pick him up, make dinner, clean up, do laundry, shower and get things ready for the next day it's already time to sleep. I used to be a gym rat but that was before kids - now I can't seem to find any time. Any suggestions for good at home DVD's/exercises?

It is HARD, but doable. Part of it is organization. Cut out all the nonessential stuff (can laundry wait until the weekend?). Can you get up earlier? Walk on your lunch break? What time is his bedtime? Can you pop in a DVD at 8:30 if he goes to bed at 8? How about putting on some fun music and dancing around with him for 30 minutes? If you get up 15 minutes earlier to do some weights each day and do 45 minutes of cardio in the evenings, you will be in pretty good shape.

What are the essentials in life? Time with your boy----definitely. Work----yeah, gotta pay the bills. Cleaning----hmmm, how can you streamline that time for time for yourself. Your health-----super important or your boy and your work will be affected.

How old is he? He's a cutie by the way!

i am having the same issue! i work full time and have a little one that fills up my evenings! i don't get a lot of exercise in but am hoping to change that come february. i am going to begin walking during my lunch breaks, having my mom baby-sit so i can go spinning with a friend on tuesdays, and hopefully get up before baby and husband on saturdays to fit in some type of cardio in the mornings (probably an exercise video). i was hoping to be able to do something on thursdays, but i'm not sure i will be able to find a sitter. my husband works late so i can't rely on him to be home to stay with our daughter. anyhow, that is what i am going to attempt to start. i'm with you on the warm weather though, my daughter and i walk all over town when it's nice out! this darn cold weather keeps us locked up where it's warm and makes it harder to find time and ways to fit the exercise in (especially with dinner, baths, laundry, etc., etc.)

i was going to add that my favorite video's to work out to are tae-bo/kickboxing videos. they really get the heart rate up, work your whole body, and make you "feel the burn"!

Although I can't relate to being a busy mom, I recently bought a mini stepper for $40 at target and i love it! it's a challenging cardio workout (and nice for the legs ) and the stepper can be put in a closet or behind a chair to store it. If you look on amazon the brand i have is sportline if you want a picture so you know what i'm talking about. It's very sturdy (which makes it a little heavier than I thought it would but it's definitely not too heavy or anything) and isn't noisy. The step counter actually accurately counts steps as one for each complete step (left and right legs) and the timer pauses 3-4 seconds after you stop if you need to answer the phone and then come back (it turns off automatically eventually though. I was hesitant about getting one, but I'm glad i did. It's convenient and you can do it while you watch tv!

Have you ever tried denise austin's workout on lifetime? i used to tape them and do them later because i wasn't able to do them at 7am, but she does a different one every day designed for that week so you get a nice well rounded workout. The one bad thing is that sometimes she used equipment that i didn't ( a ball, resistant band, etc)

If you don't have much time and want to include your son, you could always just turn on some music and dance!

Good luck! It sounds like you're busy!

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! It's not currently in the budget but eventually I would like to purchase a treadmill or eliptical machine. Maybe that tax rebate I keep hearing about!

jmb1981-I'm in the same boat, my DH works late so I can't really depend on him to be home so I could go to the gym or take a class.

midwife - he's 14 mos old now. I'm assuming by your username that you're a midwife - I had Connor at a freestanding birth center with a CNM - wonderful experience!

How about a resistence band? You can get one for under $10 and you can work out your whole body. I also like the new Biggest Loser DVDs, one is cardio and one is sculpting. You can do as little as 10 min or as much as 40 min on each DVD.

I get up earlier and get my exercise in before the rest of the house gets up. I never thought that I would do that since I have never been an early bird, however, most days that is the only time I can get a 1/2hour solid to work up a sweat. Its hard to get up when its still dark out, but the extra energy really does make the rest of my day smoother. Can you work your son into your workout? Little kids usually don't know the difference between playing and exercising. Lay on the floor and play "airplane" to tone your arms. He can also add a little extra weight to leg lifts or crunchs and he'll probably think its way fun. Just some suggestions. Just do your best to find some "me" time, I know it makes me a better mom.

I get up about an hour earlier than I'd have to and walk on my treadmill or do a Walk Away the Pounds video. I love the 3 mile ones. They are just right for me. I didn't think I'd ever be getting up early to workout. But I love it. It's hard to get out of bed, but once I get going I'm so glad I did. I love the peace and quiet in the morning before my house turns into utter chaos (I do daycare in my home). It's been the best decision I made. Then anything else I get in the rest of the day is just bonus.

I am not a mom, but outside of my full-time job I am a full-time student. I end up spending my evenings doing homework, etc. So, I use my lunchbreak to walk. I work in an area full of hills, so I get a great workout for those 30 mins! I may start getting up 30 mins early to do a toning routine in the morning and then the cardio at lunch, that way I get both in, but don't have to find a whole 60 minute chunk at once.

I know the feeling. While mine are grown now with kids of their own, I can remember trying to find 1 or 2 seconds for myself a day, let alone an hour. I know the budget can be very tight when you have a little one. I would like to suggest that you go to your local library and look in the fitness section for some videos that are mom and baby exercising together. You might find a workout that you can do using that precious little one as your weight. Just Deb is right about them not knowing or even caring about the difference between exercise and playing.

I discovered the Walk Away The Pounds dvds at the library. I kept renting and renting them. Then I decided to go to Walmart and buy some. One of the ladies on the WATP exercise thread has gotten many of hers at garage sales for $2! Lucky her. I never find anything like that.

I really would like to suggest the library. If you don't live near one, maybe you could make use of the bookmobile.

Baby 'n me workout [Videorecording] / On the ball video productions is one. The call number is 613.71B11. Just look in the 613 section of the library.

Another thought. Look on Freecycle.org not com but org. You have to sign up. It's free. You have to give something away before you can get something for free. Sometimes people are ridding themselves of unused exercise equipment.

emiloots - I dug around and found an old article for a weight training program and posted it on my blog. I used this when my son was a toddler and it worked because I could start and stop as many times as I needed to. (Usually quite a bit- he was a very active little boy). It was very effective, too. Hope you find something that works for you!