Fitting in exercise with a wee one around

[DebbieJ]

Hey mommas,

How do you find the time to exercise with a wee one around all day? I think chasing after my 16 mo qualifies as exercise, but I'd love to find 30 minutes to really focus and get a good work out. We already take lots of walks, but I don't feel like I really get my heart pumping. Plus, I'd love to do some weights (we have a set up in the basement).

What do you do? Nap time? Evening when DH is home? Stick your dc in the pack n play while you work out?

I'd love to join a gym with childcare, but it's not in the budget. :(

~ deb
DS 12/03

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

[gatorsmom]

Starting last spring when my DS was 9 months old ( and the weather was finally nice enough here in Minnesota), I walked everyday with DS in his stroller. I started doing a mile, then slowly pushed my walks up to close to 5 miles daily. I absolutely HATE to run but I even started running during the first part of the walk (only worked up to half a mile of running but HEY, that's something!). I started to feel so good that by the end of the summer, when DS was 13 months old, we bought a bike trailer and in addition to the walking I added biking 7 miles with DS twice/three times per week. I started counting calories and by September I dropped from a size 12 to a size 6!

Then it got cold and things got more difficult. We had a membership to a gym that had childcare but it was such a production getting everything ready to go there that I eventually stopped going. My husband and I decided to cancel the membership and set up an area in the basement where I could work out and DS could play. So we bought and elliptical trainer and added that to the stationary bike and weight set we already had. Then we bought one of those fence-like plastic playards that you can buy at BRU and put it around the equipment. We put baby's toys on a very cushy rug that was a few feet away and now while I work out safe in the playard, baby can run free. In the very beginning he pulled on the playard and cried for me to bring him in but (and this was hard) I just ignored him. After doing this 2 or 3 times he quit crying and hanging on the playard and now he just plays while I work out. It is working like a dream. Well, it was til I got pregnant again. HTH :)