Tell me how you balance kids, job

[joenali]

and working out? Part of me wants a baby. Part of me is like whoa! Everything will be so different, I really like my life the way it is.

Tel me how you superwomen do it!!

[joenali]

Also,I'm old. Well, at least my eggs are. Tick, tock...

[foundmylazybum]

Lol it will be different.

[joenali]

Jan 23, 2016 20:24:37 GMT -5 foundmylazybum said:

Lol it will be different.

I know! It's scary! Lol!

[hannahb]

Daycare. It costs a pretty penny but I can leave him there a little longer and get a workout in. I've also gotten up at 3:30 to run before. I don't sleep

[patches31709]

Not gonna lie, it's hard. DD is only 7 months old, but it's been hard to find time to work out. I make it a point to schedule enough "me" time now to get to the gym at least twice a week, but it isn't the easiest, and you definitely need a supportive, helpful spouse to make it work. We all get home at 5, and it's a rush to get the baby and the dog fed and played with and ready for bed by 7. If I go to the gym during the week, it's at 7 and DH does bedtime. Weekends are easier.
Babies are hard, but I can't imagine not having her around.

[runblondie26]

joenali talking about babies? Is this real? Yay!

Jogging stroller/bike trailer, home workout equipment, babysitters/daycare. Preferred routine will change with the age of the kid, as well as the amount of kids, but there are so many options.

Most likely you'll be cutting into sleep time to "find" the time for exercise (at least that's how it goes for me now), but you'll figure out something that works for you. Don't worry about it too much in the mean time.

[taratru]

Well...you just make it happen. There's no magic plan. And it's one of those things you can't really "plan." If you want a kid, have the kid. You'll figure out the rest.

Wait. There is one thing that makes it work - having a super supportive partner.

[itsme]

Having a supportive partner makes it so much easier. Mine does daycare and after school activity pick up and I go to the gym straight after work. He watches the little one while I run or race on weekends. I don't workout as much as I'd like to but I get at least 4 days in and it allows him a break from the madness of watching our little one.

[ktzmoh]

Right now is a particularly bad time for me to respond in her as I'm very ... um ... 'frustrated' right now.

But in general, Your partner really has to be on board. And you are a triathlete, you are used to working out really early and really late- you'll do a lot of that too.

We split child duties. I go in to work super early and get my workouts done before work. He does the morning routine and drop offs. Then I'm on duty at night while he works and/or workout. Only one weekend day for a really long workout. I try to save the other say as a total rest day to spend time with everyone - or I just get up at 4:30 on Sunday so that it's done before they are up.

I think it's probably harder when they are little. And some periods of training will be harder than others. Finding 4 or 5 or 6 hours to train on a weekend day is costly once you're a parent

[wawa]

I gave up cleaning. I'm not even kidding.

General day to day chores are the thing I can't seem to get figured out. Running, kids, job...ok. but our house is a fucking pigsty. Easy fix though...Cleaning lady on the horizon...

[chw57]

Daycare and 5 AM wake ups. It is not easy at all, but you can do it!

[G22]

Mine is still young, so take my advice with a grain of salt. His sleeping is crappy, so I don't give up sleep for working out right now. He's also too little to run yet, so during the week I workout at home on my own. Sometimes he's perfectly content while I do, others he makes me entertain him more than I'm working out. Sometime it's just not going to happen because he wants me to hold him and that's the only way he'll be happy. I really only run on the weekends when my H will watch him so I can get out.

My hope is that will change in a few months, when the weather is nicer and I can take the BOB on runs. I'm slowly figuring it out, but it's totally ok to me right now. I'm still in the honeymoon phase and love this little guy. But I agree with others, a supportive spouse makes a huge difference.

[MrsE]

No tips, but

Consigned,
MrsE

[sadlebred]

I have no kids....but my riding friends love their gym daycare, have supportive partners that trade weekend days to workout (your long ride is Sat.; mine is Sunday kind of thing), and workout at hours I never would.

[clseale]

I'm just here for emotional support. LOL I may or may not have just yesterday shouted "When would we do things like clinb Mount Kilimanjaro (we don't actually have plans to do this) if we have a baby??" I shouldn't even be allowed to adult

[clseale]

Jan 23, 2016 20:24:37 GMT -5 foundmylazybum said:

Lol it will be different.

Listen, Captain Obvious, THIS ISN'T HELPFUL. xoxo

[emilyinchile]

Not to add to your fears, but I'm more worried about the physical implications of it all. 9 months during which my body isn't mine? Plus an unknown number of months where I may be BFing? And god knows how long without sleeping well, which impacts workouts? AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

I try to remember that so many amazing athletes here are also moms, so clearly it works out somehow, but from this side of things it's definitely scary.

[thom]

I'm just reading this all intently.

I truly have no idea, but all the amazing moms here give me confidence.

[kams]

I'm surprised and excited by this post!

Yeah, you just do it. It changes as the kids change, too.

I'm only just now adding work back into the mix, but early mornings, after bedtime (which is usually quite early when they are little (7pm here)), and if I had my girls in daycare, that would be helpful to me.

[itsme]

Jan 23, 2016 21:53:55 GMT -5 clseale said:

I'm just here for emotional support. LOL I may or may not have just yesterday shouted "When would we do things like clinb Mount Kilimanjaro (we don't actually have plans to do this) if we have a baby??" I shouldn't even be allowed to adult

It's a good thing they have these!

Attachments:

[CallingAllAngels]

I'm another who says you just do it. It's easier when work together with your partner to make it work. You figure out what is important and you do those things, and you don't do the things are are unimportant. Just like child free life, but with less sleep and money.

[CallingAllAngels]

I like kams "it changes as the kids change." My kids are both school age now, which is so much easier. The "in the trenches" years go by in a heartbeat.

[tevagirl]

I didn't really start working out until DD was 2.5. I had just gotten divorced and eating was my emotional outlet during the separation. My parents watch DD a lot while I hit the gym. I did a lot of running with the stroller this summer, sometimes a friend watched her while I ran. Sometimes a workout consists of a dance party in the living room with DD. I just have to fit it in where I can, I ask for help if I need it and I do a lot of weekend workouts during nap time.

[jene]

Yeah, you just figure it out. You prioritize what you want to do, and it falls into place from there.

[Wines Not Whines]

I agree with everyone who said the most important thing is making sure you have a good support system. The main differences for me are that I get up earlier to do my workouts, and I have less time to do things like watch tv, read, and generally veg. I use my "me time" for exercise and socializing with friends.

[foundmylazybum]

Jan 23, 2016 21:55:58 GMT -5 clseale said:

Jan 23, 2016 20:24:37 GMT -5 foundmylazybum said:

Lol it will be different.

Listen, Captain Obvious, THIS ISN'T HELPFUL. xoxo

Lady. I have trouble balancing my job, husband and working out now lol. Throw in a demanding baby and I got nothing.

I agree with you...when will there be time to hike!!!??

[gt7301b]

Ask me in four months

I'm worried about it. Honestly, I have NO idea how it will work out, but I see all the ladies on the board who make it work and I figure we will eventually figure it out.

[jene]

I also feel like a lot of this depends on what kind of baby you have. There were definitely times within the first 12-16 months that I was totally in survival mode. And other times it was nbd

[gumi]

Jan 24, 2016 8:18:38 GMT -5 foundmylazybum said:

Jan 23, 2016 21:55:58 GMT -5 clseale said:

Listen, Captain Obvious, THIS ISN'T HELPFUL. xoxo

Lady. I have trouble balancing my job, husband and working out now lol. Throw in a demanding baby and I got nothing.

I agree with you...when will there be time to hike!!!??

hiking is the easiest!  you just stick your baby on a back carrier and they are happy as can be forever.

running is easy too (at least after the first few months) because you can use a stroller. cycling is easy because you can stay home on a trainer.  weights are easy with gym daycare (or home equipment). swimming is hard - even if you have gym daycare, you have to be ready to be paged to go change a diaper or feed a crying a baby. at least at Lifetime, they will only do so much.

one thing about babies though is that they are only babies for a short period of time.  is your world knocked upside down? yes.  but it goes by quickly and i would never forgo a life-changing event because of a relatively short-term change in lifestyle.  i echo tara that probably the largest factor is having a partner who is very supportive.  if i say i need to go running, my husband has always bent over backwards to make sure i went running.  

i will also add that i have a full team of players that help my raise my kids.  i am extremely lucky and i would have lost my mind without them.  i have a best friend in California who has an asshole of a husband, money issues, a full-time job with an hour commute, two huge dogs in a tiny apartment, and NO family in the area.  And she likes to work out 2 hours a day (former pro-athlete).  She wants to have a baby...I just look at her and say, "You crazy."