How do families with young children find the time?

@ryspi76 16kg and 24kg kettlebells, r/kettlebells

walk a lot, at least to start and don't shy away from hills take them on, gradually you'll add more. that's the basic, at home set up. you should get into resistance training too - lots of efficient ways to do that, but i'd start with the kettlebells and walking for 3 months and see how that goes. workout 4x a week
 
@beatye It was exactly what I needed with a busy life and family. Accepted that the 3rd place aka gym isn’t happening. The Kettlebells subreddit is also super positive. You also get a lot of posts where you can see a home gym is a mat in their kids play room. I empathize with also having 8 sq ft of home gym.
 
@beatye Kettlebells were the answer for me. Easy to sneak out to the garage for a 10-15 minute session and you can really pack a lot of work into that amount of time with an EMOM format. Emphasis on clean and press + front squat
 
@ryspi76 I wake up for to go to a welding and fab shop at 530. I have an hour lunch at 12 where I eat for 15mins then head to the gym for a 40 min workout. I go back to work till 430 and head to school at 5 till 9. Come home, bathe the kids, read them a book, tuck them in bed and get ready for the next day (meal prepping, laundry etc.) This is every day Mon-Fri.

You want it bad enough you make it work. On the weekends my 6 year old son likes to come out and "workout" in our garage gym. It is usually just stuff like push ups and bar hangs and maybe some yoga. I don't force him. He has just been exposed to it his whole life.
 
@ryspi76 Home gym and/or peloton, work out in the evenings after the kids are in bed. That's what worked for me and my wife. For most of my life with kids making it out to a big box gym has been unrealistic. Besides the amortized cost of a home gym is cheaper anyways, long run.

The weight thing has to be fixed with diet changes, unfortunately, although exercise helps with long term compliance according to some evidence. Exercise alone works for virtually no one. You don't have to wait for a time to get to the gym to change your diet.
 
@regisdominus 100%. 2 little ones. Gym at 5am, food stuff for the whole fam, work, bedtime routines, meal prep again, in bed by 8pm.

Have had to sacrifice entertainment like TV, video games, anything else that’s not a good use of time….Gotta make time for priorities
 
@ryspi76 I feel the struggle with 2 little ones. Wife handles the youngest as we have different schedules, I handle the older who is just in kindergarten. My schedule during the week.

645a wake up

7a home gym

8a wake kid, get them food, some morning tv while I shower and get ready for work.

840a get kid on bus, leave for work

6p get home, make dinner. Eat. Clean. Play a bit. Walk the dog with kids.

815p kids bedtime routine

9p relax and watch an episode or 2 of some show with wife

1045p go to sleep

The key to all of this; the home gym, prioritizing it and cutting yourself some slack. I aim for 3 weight days and 2 cardio days. Some days don’t happen. Some times I pick it up on the weekend cause I enjoy it. Morning workouts I’m weaker than say a 10am on the weekend. I accept that my weights and times will be 5-10% worse. But overall 100% better for it.

Started in a gym then the 2nd was born and a month later the pandemic happened. Got a kettlebell immediately that week online and started running outdoors. Added a rower(hate running). Then a squat rack, bars and plates. Some speacialty bars. Then a spin bike. Adding a little over time. Using every piece within the week :). Next goal are dumbbells and maybe a cable machine.
 
@ryspi76 I would go to the gym 3x week and put the kids in the gym “crache”. Nothing bad about that. I/we would do that for a few years. Just an hour or so, nbd.
 
@ryspi76 Controlling what you eat reduces the amount you would even need to workout. You really only need 30 minutes of physical activity a day with a proper diet, unless your goal is to look very muscular.
 
@ryspi76 Could you hire a sitter to come after you put the kids to bed. Like a high school kid that you pay minimum wage for them to hang for two hours and do their homework while you and your wife hit the gym from 7:30-9:30. You could do that twice a week. A bring the kiddos to gym child care once a week.

Depending on the size of your kids a double jogging stroller could allow you to run together while the kids chill. (Yes even the seven year old should still fit in one). Likewise a trailer for bicycles and you could bike together with the kids in tow. Biking should probably be a weekend activity until summer when it stays light u til 8 or 9 though. I wouldn’t want to bike after dark with kids in tow.

Could you get workout equipment for your house (maybe set it up in the garage) then you could do it together after you both put the kids to bed or in the mornings before the kids wake up.
 
@lauraralph I have a nearly seven year old who's small for her age and not only would she not fit in a stroller but there's no way she would agree to just sit in one (or even at four). A seven year old can probably run as fast as a not very fit adult, mine can run far faster than me. She wouldn't want to sit in a trailer either, she can ride a bike herself. I think you're underestimating seven year olds. It would also be insanely heavy taking two large children.
 
@eternum Most strollers wouldn’t fit a seven year old, but our double Bob fit our kid at seven and she wasn’t small for her age. And she always had the option to walk/run with us and the stroller was just there when she couldn’t go on. Every kid is different though. She was better about sitting in the stroller when she was older than she was as a toddler though. And yeah they can get a kid size bike attachment for the kids instead of a regular trailer if that’s what there kid (s) would prefer.
 
@ryspi76 /r/homegym is the way.

Wife is away for school right now, if it weren't for our gym, I'd either have to skip it entirely or use my lunch hour at work.
 
@ryspi76 At this stage it's unlikely to be a group family activity--too much age variance. The exception would be weekends where your time is more flexible. For weekdays, play in the yard, go on a walk, do things that are still physically active but don't require driving to the gym. And work on your own self: improve the eating and consistent exercise to improve your own health. That will still positively impact your family and show your kids the importance of taking care of themselves.
 
@ryspi76 I have a 6 year old, 5 year old, and 1 year old. I go to the gym at 5:30 AM so I can be back and help get them ready for school and get ready for work.

This is the best time to go. Everyone is asleep so I'm not missing any time with them. It will only get harder for you when they start activities and you're shuttling them around in the evenings/weekends.
 
@ryspi76 I have a 6 year old, 5 year old, and 1 year old. I go to the gym at 5:30 AM so I can be back and help get them ready for school and get ready for work.

This is the best time to go. Everyone is asleep so I'm not missing any time with them. It will only get harder for you when they start activities and you're shuttling them around in the evenings/weekends.
 
@ryspi76 It’s definitely not cruel to keep your children in the gym daycare 3-4 times a week. Your health matters, because it ultimately will effect your children in worse ways. Let them see you taking care of yourself, instead of being raised in an environment where you don’t workout. They will be fine.
 
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