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Old 05-21-02, 07:10 AM  
MelissaPC
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Massachusetts
Question another question for VF moms

hi everyone!

I posted here a while back asking you all how you fit exercise into your children filled days. You all had great suggestions, and I was very thankful for the encouragement! I haven't had alot of time to get online lately!

My son is almost 2 months old now and he still doesn't want to take any long naps during the day, so I haven't had much success fitting videos into my day. Sometimes I can, but not too often. Those 8 minute Tae Bo tapes have come in handy!

I was just wondering how many of you work out with your baby or kids, and what you do. I know there are some videos out there that include the baby, but I've never used them. Lately I've been putting my son in my front carrier (he loves it) and we hit the trails near my house with our dog. It's not really the intense cardio workouts I was used to, but it's something! The only times I can get in long video workouts is on the weekends when my husband is home or if my mom is available to watch the baby.

And please tell me that this baby weight is going to come off!! I miss my clothes!

Melissa
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Old 05-21-02, 07:42 AM  
AnnaMarie
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Minneapolis, MN
After bedtime?

Hi Melissa:

It sure is tough to find time to work out with little babies. Fortunately (at least in my case), when they get older their schedule settles down a bit and when that is a little more regular, hopefully you can find some more solid workout time.

I've always exercised late at night after the kids are in bed. I work full time outside the home during the day, and I'm not willing to give up my evenings with my kids, so I do it after they are in bed. Sometimes I don't get started until 9:30 or 10:00 and it makes a very late night. Especially if the little ones get up during the night still. But this way I know that I can do my full workout without getting interrupted.

Another possibility others do, I know, is to get up really early and do it before the kids wake up. For me, I never know when the kids will wake up, so I can't plan my workout schedule very well.

I hope that helps. As far as your clothes go, it takes a while. Remember - nine months up, nine months down! Just be patient, and you'll get there.

Good luck!
Anna
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Old 05-21-02, 07:54 AM  
amynicole
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Hi!

First congrats on your baby!! I have faced this twice in the past and will face an even tougher challenge next month when my 3rd child will be born. I have enought trouble getting it in with a 2 and 5 year old adding a newborn to the mix will be trouble but it CAN be done! Oh and yes, I have learned with the past 2 babies the weight will come off but it takes time.

For me, the only time I was able to fit it in without being stressed was/is when DH is either home or out with the kids (weekends). Also, you need to set realistic goals for yourself. When you have a newborn baby you are setting your self up for guilt by expecting yourself to workout 5-6 days a week.

the way I always fit it is was either really early morning when DH was still sleeping- he and I had an agreement that if the kids/baby woke up while I was still working out he would take care of the baby until I was done. OR I would wait until he came home from work because there is nothing more frustrating that being really into a workout, all sweaty and having to stop halfway through because the baby is crying. Sure I was not always thrilled with early dawn or evening workouts but it was amazing to be able to workout untinterupted so it was worth it to me.

Now I am only working out 3 days a week (at 8 months pregnant I am having a serious energy lag!!) but once the baby comes and is a few weeks old, I will aim for 3-5 days a week and those weeks I only get 3 days in, oh well that is pretty darn good considering all my small kids!

So bottom line, be flexible when you are willing to workout and don't be too hard on yourself right now if you don't always make all your workouts.

Enjoy that baby!!!
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Old 05-21-02, 01:31 PM  
Lucy K
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Join Date: Jan 2002
I second the "be flexible" suggestion! My son is 8 months and just a few weeks ago (when I stopped pumping....DS was 9 weeks early and never got the hang of breastfeeding, so I ended up exclusively pumping...but that's another story) I started to do AM workouts. This is a first for me, and I'm doing OK so far. As in I manage to get up most days I set the alarm for a workout. I'm lucky because DS has a pretty set schedule and wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00. Since I workout from 6 to 7, DH will go up and get Patrick and bring him into bed with him until I'm done working out. It's become great quality time for the 2 of them, especially since DH works late many evenings and now that DS goes to sleep around 8, they weren't getting much awake time together. If you're breastfeeding, though, this might not work for you.

Until DS was about 6 months, I could do naptime workouts -- I just had him nap in his bouncy seat which I kept where he could see me if he woke up. He loved watching the barbell go up and down during squats! But I think he may have slept more since he was a preemie. At 6 months, he decided he was done with that and stopped cooperating and that was the end of daytime workouts for me. So I switched to evenings, after DH got home. It worked ok, but I missed evenings with DH.

I also second the realistic expectations suggestion! Pre-baby, I was a consistent 5x/week exerciser. Post-baby, my goal is 4x/week. This way, if I only get in 3x, it doesn't seem as bad and if I get in 5x, it's a bonus.

Good luck! Those first few months before they get into a schedule are really hard!

Lucy K
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Old 05-21-02, 02:25 PM  
MelissaPC
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Massachusetts
Thanks!

Sometimes it's just nice to know I'm not alone out there! I really appreciate suggestions from other moms!
Thanks!
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Old 05-21-02, 02:27 PM  
LSL
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Silicon Valley
VF mothers

Hi,

Yes, I remember those days well. I used to live for the weekends when DH would take both kids out and I could exercise with the tv as loud as I wanted, uninterupted.

After my second child was born, I also did a lot of walking and even though my heart rate wasn't way up, I lost a ton of weight. If you're breastfeeding then eat a lot of small meals and just keep getting out and walking because you are moving and with the baby in the carrier, that's extra weight that's toning your muscles. OK, so it isn't like pre-baby or even pre-pregnancy, but it's something and it will definitely help you. If you continue to walk like that as much as you can - every day or a few times a week, and then get one or two good workouts on the weekends when someone is watching baby then you'll be doing great.

I also agree with working out at night. As soon as my kids are down I run to the tv. I knew that even as newborns they'd at least sleep for 1 1/2 hours which would give me time for a tape and a shower.

I have to say one more thing - don't be too hard on yourself now. You really do need to rest after having a baby. After a few months you'll be back where you were before, but you don't want to wear yourself down now. Enjoy your time with your baby and don't worry about it. You WILL get back into shape. All the best, Linda
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Old 05-21-02, 05:32 PM  
Sung Tse
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Don't knock walking!

Hi Melissa,

Don't think that because your heart-rate isn't high that you're not getting a good workout by walking, especially if you're carrying your baby, and especially if you add hills. That incline is really tough. If you add one total-body workout on the weekend where you work your muscles to exhaustion, I think you can have a really decent exercise routine going.

You can also do intervals while you're walking - walk as fast as you can without breaking into a run for about 30 seconds and recover for 1 or 2 minutes and repeat.

For me, the baby swing was a lifesaver. My son just watched me from his swing while I worked out in front of him. Sometimes he was content the entire hour, sometimes not, so I would do as much of my workout as possible.

I know how you'd like to get into those pre-preg clothes, and people told me all the time "Don't worry about it, if you exercise and eat right it'll come off, so enjoy your baby" but, I didn't want to hear it - just wanted to get the weight off.

Now my "baby" is 5 years old, prefers his buddies over me, and will be starting kindergarten. In retrospect, I realize the time really, really flew by and I truly miss those "mommy-and-me" moments.

After weaning my son after 1 year, it took me about 8 months to get within 10 lbs of my pre-preg weight and then I got pregnant with #2, took almost TWO YEARS this time to lose all but 5 lbs of the weight, so it DOES come off!
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Old 05-21-02, 10:26 PM  
ChristinaK
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Austin, TX
When my son was an infant, I walked a lot with him in the stroller. He liked being outside and would usually fall asleep about 10 or 15 minutes in the walk and I could get a pretty good walk in without him fussing. If I needed to work out while he was awake he would sit in his swing and watch me. A lot of the time he would end up napping during my workout. Sometimes I could do the whole tape and sometimes I had to stop early. I just did as much as I could. When he got to be about 4 months old, he really liked sitting in his exersaucer with some toys while I was working out. The other thing I did was work out after he went to sleep in the evening.

I think that one of the hardest adjustments to make in early motherhood is getting used to being flexible and not being able to plan your schedule the way you want it all the time. It does get easier after awhile. I used to be a very type A personality and I have mellowed out considerably since I had my son. He taught me that I had to be flexible about things and helped me develop more patience.
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Old 05-22-02, 01:08 PM  
Jojo
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Sweden
Small ambitions goes a long way

Hi!
I have a 3-month old and a 3 years old. My baby sleeps very randomly and seldom longer than 30-40 min., usually shorter. This is my solution.

1. Once a week (usually Mondays) I go to a aquarobics class with two other moms. The class is a circuit workout blending resistance work with cardio. I also did this during my pregnancy and resumed it 6 weeks after birth. This class has two functions in one for me, it's both getaway time and exercise time.

2. I initially thought that circuit videos would be the best post-birth solution for me. But they are way too long! My baby would always wake up midthru and it was really hard trying to squeeze in a cool-down and a stretch while at the same time trying to comfort a screaming baby.

3. So now I do upper body strength work 2 times a week for 30 min (mostly the upper body part in Cathe's Bodymax) and one lower body (mostly the lower body part in Cathe's MIS). They are both fun, challenging and very time effective. I also try to make time for abs/back work for 10-20 min. two times a week.

4. I try to be very flexible. My only goal is to squeeze in these workouts. I don't have a set day or time, because that would just make me frustrated. Sometimes I do a workout during daytime when the baby is napping, sometimes I do them all on weekends, when my SO is home. Or at night after the kids has gone to bed (we are talking 9-9.30, am I dedicated or what?).

5. I've given up on my cardio ambitions, I don't do any heartpumping cardio (except aqua class), only walking. My baby sleeps really well in the stroller, so I walk maybe 40-60 min. 3-4 times a week. I try to include a stretch break when I'm walking (for my aching back).

Hope this helps. I have gotten so many good advices from this forum, and I think this is a great thread.

johanna
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Old 05-22-02, 01:26 PM  
Lisa :o)
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Gopher State
Wow....I think that we all are clones!

This thread has reminded me of the "good ole days" of when Olivia (now 5) was born and I desperately tried to get back in shape. I used to stress about trying to figure out how to fit in a workout while she slept. It was a 50/50 shot. I also tried when she was in her swing or exersaucer in the same room. In the end (3 kids later!), the one thing that indeed my kids have taught me is to be flexible. Trust me-it was a frustrating journey but it can be done. I am the type of person who used to stop a video and rewind it until I got it right. Now I am able to go with the flow, stumble and jump right back in. I never know how much I can fit in so I just keep "moving"! I also am one that never wanted anyone in the room with me while I was working out-LOL! Now I have learned to child-rear (yell, pull fights apart, get games out , grab sippy cups, kick balls off the step) while doing a video. I am able to tune out a lot including DH sitting 3 ft away on the computer. I tried running in the morning before my hubby went to work and I hated it. I am just not a morning person and my workouts are so much better at any other time during the day. So I basically am left with finding a time that seems right everyday. Sometimes it's in the late-morning, afternoon (Olivia is at preschool, Ben 1 always naps and Aidan 2 1/2 is hit or miss but he is easy to keep busy.) late afternoon or before I go to bed. Lately before I go to bed, I have been pulling out Hilary Burnett's Intermed. pilates 3x a week on those crazy days. Ironically, pilates has seemed to have really improved my fitness.

In the end, doing a little is better than nothing and over time you will adjust. Just stick with it and I promise it will get better. You will be so glad that you did.

Good luck!
Lisa:rolleyes:
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