FT job and workout?
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FT job and workout?
| Thu, 09-18-2008 - 9:48am |
If you haven't read my pp - I'm going back to being a FT employee. Since I hadn't ever managed being FT employed and having a family, I'm VERY concerned about two things - 1. If I'll have enough time to spend with the kids (after cooking, cleaning, etc) 2. If I'll have an opportunity to incorporate fitness into my daily routine.
For those of you who juggle a regular 9-4/5pm job, cooking, kids - do you workout? And what does your workout schedule look like? What works and what doesn't? I'll appreciate any tips!

A formal workout is very tough for me as I also work full-time (8 - 4) and have the usual stuff at home before/after work and running my kids to/from their activities (DS is 16, DD is 13). And unfortunately a gym membership is just not in the budget.
Some of the things I try to do is when waiting for kids at practices, I walk - around the soccer fields, baseball/softball fields,
I don't work full time - but I am a full time student taking 16 units, so I spend about 50+ hrs per week on school and I go 5 days a week.
Working out has to be a priority. It has to be on "the list" of things that you just HAVE to do because you are a responsible grown up. Will you have time to pay your mortgage payment, or will you just not because you are too busy? Of course you will pay your bills still - you will FIND the time, no matter what. Will you make sure your kids have clean clothes? Of course, you wouldn't let them run around naked just because you are busier now - you will FIND the time. Working out has to go in that same category. It can't be an "extra" that you only do if you have "free" time, because there may not be any free time.
Sometimes I have to let other things go to make sure I get to the gym. Sometimes that is even homework. It may mean I have to stay up an hour later, or it may mean I have to lean on dh and the kids even more to help with the other stuff, but it HAS to be done for my health.
Some ways dh sneaks the gym in to his work schedule (he works about 70hrs a week) - he goes on his way home, I meet him there with the kids. They get to play in the childcare which they love, him and I get "alone" couple time together - so its a win, win. Then he goes on Saturday/Sunday. Saturday mornings we go to spin/cycle class together - its just part of our day. I think I mentioned it in the other post, but we meal plan in the morning, then we all go to the gym, shower/change, go out to lunch, then do grocery shopping. That is our typical Saturday as a family.
Sometimes on Sundays we all go to the high school and run the track - my 7yr old is a total runner and loves to run with us. We go on family bike rides or all skate, play roller hockey, play basketball, etc. in our cul de sac. To me these things don't substitute for a good weight training/cardio workout at the gym as far as fitness goes, but they are nice supplements.
belizesig1
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For those of you who juggle a regular 9-4/5pm job, cooking, kids - do you workout?
Yes, I've juggled FT job and working out for years.
Just adding something about the cooking/cleaning, as those are some of your concerns:
My kids are 10 and 7, so they can help quite a bit. They each have "morning chores" that they do before school everyday, then weekend chores. We put a dry erase board up in the pantry, they check off their chores as they do them daily, then at the end of the week they get an allowance if everything was checked off. Any missing marks are a deduction from their allowance. Its great because its a visual reminder of what they need to do, what they have done, so I don't have to keep reminding them.
My 10 yr. cleans his room/makes his bed, unloads/loads the dishwasher, takes out garbage, and wipes down the bathrooms each morning. On the weekends he does his own laundry and lays it out for the week, vacuums the downstairs, cleans the car. My 7yr old cleans her room, feeds the pets, cleans her ferret's cage/cat litterboxes and picks up the living room every morning. On the weekends she also does a load of her own laundry and lays it out for the week, vacuums upstairs, dusts. This leaves me with only my own laundry, moping and cooking.
It also allows for a lot more family time on the weekend. Before the kids were helping, dh and I would have to bust our butts and it would take all weekend to catch up on the household stuff. Now with the kids doing their share - we can all 4 work at the same time and get our weekend chores done in about 2 hrs time. Then we can do things as a family like go to the movies, to the zoo, etc. Plus the kids LOVE getting their own money to spend! Ds has gotten really good at saving up, and this weekend he will have enough for a new Wii game.
Here's a pic of our "control central":
belizesig1
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