Tag team parenting and exercise

[malayasmommy]

Has anyone found a way to get an adequate workout with a 2-year-old in tow? Or found ways to be creative with tag-team parenting that we have not thought of?
I work evenings and my husband works days Mon-Fri, I also work for a few hours 2 mornings a week. During those few daytime hours, my DD (24 mos) is in daycare. Currently I am having her stay an extra hour those 2 days so that I can get in an hour of exercise each of those days. My husband and I are really struggling w/ lack of exercise--we live in Minnesota, so right now the mornings are in the single digits for temperatures, and very icy. Walking outside in the morning is not really do-able for another few months.
I am getting ok exercise--2 times per week, occasionally 3 times. My husband hardly gets anything--he gets home and my daughter needs to eat, bathtime, bedtime, etc. about 45 min later.
We try to exercise on the weekends, but our workouts oftentimes get bumped by other family activities, obligations, etc.
Is there something out there we haven't thought about? Any suggestions are appreciated, thanks so much!

[prothyraia]

Can your husband get up earlier in the morning to exercise? (kudos to him if he can, I'd never manage it)

I generally try to fit some sort of active movement in with playtime with the kids. I figure running in circles around our living room, or 'racing', or jumping, or dancing around crazy, or whatever, counts as cardio just as much as an elliptical would. Two year olds (if they're willing) also make great weights; lift over your head, sit on your back while you do lunges or squats or pushups, they can sit in front of you while you do sit up-kisses, etc.

Actually trying to focus on an exercise or lift weights or anything like that while the kids are around results in them getting in the way and climbing all over me, so I figured I might as well make use of them.

I also get to shovel snow out of the driveway while the kids play in the yard. (everybody wins!)

[Magistra]

Is there any equipment you can have at home? We've got a treadmill that has really made a difference, plus some handweights. My partner still prefers to get to the gym when possible and I'm usually signed up for one dance class a week, but we can get a decent workout squeezed in on the crazy days.

[doubledutch]

i got a family membership to the ymca so i could leave my kids in the kid room while i worked out. health insurance would reimburse $20 per month, and my employer would match the $20 so it was only going to cost $25. unfortunately, my 2yo freaked and wouldnt' stay there . . . and i gave up. (now i'm paying $65/month for nothing - aagh! and not exercising!) what about walking the mall or another extensive indoor path . . . dunno where in minnesota you are, but i'm in duluth, so that could mean UMD or the skywalk. that way you can have dd in the stroller and not miss out on time with her.

i have two kiddos to contend with (ds1 is 4) so the stroller isn't going to happen for me. i'm leaning toward treadmill at home, myself, maybe combined with the yoga & dance videos i've only used a couple times!

[Alyantavid]

Right now, dh goes to the gym after dropping the kids off at school, before he has to go to school. I can't quite figure out how/when I'd get in there (and I'm not a huge gym person), so I work out at home. I usually put on a movie for them or have them go play elsewhere while I'm doing it.

[Icehockey18]

There are some very good workout videos out there... If you need cardio/yoga/ or pilates your prabably won't even need to buy anything to go with it...
We are the king of work out videos here! Some of my favs: Denise austin's yoga/ pilates, Giam cardio, and we do have 'P90x' but I've only done one of the discs... It REALLY kicked my butt!!! (it was the plyometrics one) but P90x is pricey and you have to get all this other stuff that goes with it...
Anyway, hope you find a solution that works!!!

[blizzard_babe]

Here's what we do:

1. I work out at lunchtime at work, then eat at my desk.
2. We got a Wii Fit for xmas from the ILs, and will generally do it together after DH is home from work... around 9-ish, DS is in bed. It's our "do something fun (non-bedroom fun ) together" time.

[Rowansmama]

When I used to work in an office, I always worked out during lunchtime. Now that I WAH, I have to be more creative. I do a couple of things. First, I take advantage of the child care at my gym. I drop DD off there for an hour and get in a workout. The other thing I do is force myself to get up earlier and get on the treadmill or do an exercise DVD for half an hour or so. Is it painful? Yep! But it's the only time I can really fit it in, and it's important to me - so I do it. If all else fails, we go to the indoor track on the weekend and walk laps with the stroller. Boring, but effective!

[Gator-mom]

I'm a full time nursing student and Dh and I tag team with our 3yo. Last year, while doing pre-reqs, I joined a local rec center that had daycare for $1.50 an hour and took a spin class. This year I don't even have time for that. So I cheese it up with Jillian Michael's work out video. I feel like suck a dork doing it, but it's only 30 min start to finish, and it really challenges me physically. It's all I can really do right now, but at least it's something! Dh currently does no exercise, but he is threatening to do my video with me as well..lol.

[namaste_mom]

DH joined a gym with childcare. He drops the youngest with me and takes the other two. I have been walking on my lunch breaks.

[Rosehip]

Wii Fit after the kids are in bed, and playing a game of squash once a week at the college that's two blocks away from me (takes ~1.5 hours total between walking there, playing, walking back).

[Trinitty]

I workout at "lunchtime" and then eat at my desk.

I'm in News, so there is no real lunch break, but I can go during a lull midday as long as the BlackBerry is on hand.

Can you DH do the same?

Trin.

[jenrett]

Where in Minnesota do you live?

I recommend checking to see if there is a CrossFit Affiliate in your area. A lot of CrossFit gyms have child-care areas, but even if they don't, the workouts are really short and effective, so even if you only got there 2x/week, it would do you a lot of good.

Here are some links to check out: www.crossfit.com and on www.crossfit.com/cf-affiliates/ you can check to see if there is an affiliate in your area.

If you have any questions about CrossFit let me know. I have been doing it a long time and seen nothing but wonderful benefits for everybody who starts.

[schreiberwriter]

My local Gold's Gym has an exercise room. I have thought that it would be perfect for running around and playing with my kids after work. We'd all get some cardio. During my free week membership I asked the manager and they were fine with it.

We walk the mall for exercise.

[Altair]

We're struggling with this too. I WOH FT during the day until late afternoon, then Daddy leaves and WOH FT in the afternoons/evenings.

Our gym does have childcare, but only starting at 5PM (and in the mornings) so I would have to wait until my 10 month old's prime witching hour. He would be LIVID. Dad can try to do it during the day, but same thing... hit or miss if he'll stay in childcare.

Weekends, fine, that's easy, although it's the last thing I want to be doing.

If I only see my baby from 3:30-7PM every day (and then all throughout the night when he wakes up), why on earth would I want to put him in childcare then?

I don't like videos, plus I'm in an apartment and the jumping around is too loud for my neighbors. I don't like Mommy and Me Yoga too stressful.

Wii Fit??? Well, I never wanted to introduce video games into my house, so that worries me.

So, yea, haven't figured this one out yet.

[St. Margaret]

We so struggle with this. It's nice enough out here but it's still too cold in the early AM to take DD out in the stroller. I get home early enough now to work out, but if I take her in the stroller, she'll fall asleep (at 4pm, not good). I REALLY like that time for working out, too. I've tried different DVDs but haven't found something that works for me and DD, you know? She just wants to do yoga kids, and that's not enough for me. I need a DANCE dvd, I guess, and I have had no luck finding a good one (my sister gave me an Indian dance one her instructor made, but I guess I am way too tense in my shoulders to enjoy that, it's all focused there! And it was confusing.)

I have been struggling with this since returning to work. I can't beLIEVE how much I've gained. I didn't think it would be this hard. We used to just go out later in the morning, just before playgroup, where we'd spend hours running around the playground... yeah. Now I pace around a classroom and SIT all day. Blech.