How do you do it? (Family/gym/dinner/etc)

This question seems to be haunting me more and more everyday. I need to know how all of you out there (moms, dads, newly weds, etc) do it. How do you manage to work, go to the gym, cook dinner, clean it up, and still have time to spend w/your family?

I just don't get it.

For instance, I get off work at 5:00pm. I get home usually around 5:30-5:40pm. By the time I hit the gym it's about 6:00pm. Even if I only work out for an hour, that puts me at 7:00pm. Get home about 7:15 - 7:30pm. Then make dinner?! It just seems impossible. Eating late is bad, but how else do you do it working a full time job, taking grad classes, working out at the gym, and having a family?

Please, share your thoughts/opinions/ideas/whatever.

Oh, and please mods, if this is not in a the right place, feel free to move it. Thanks!

well also throw 3 nights of 2 hours of football practice in there, eating dinner at 9:30 into the mix... and it sucks!

I stopped my morning gym when football started. I leave work at 530, rush home, change, then go to the field - I take the 2 hours to walk around the track, do some lunges, and flip a tire a couple of times (new exercise i'm trying, since i'm there and they're there). Fridays we do family Wii; wednesdays are "off" nights where we finally get a normal family time and sometimes do the wii. We do more family time on the weekends.

Mondays are my free nights; hubby takes the boy to practice. So that's when I'm prepping all the week's dinners (cause sunday we do yard work and laundry and mopping etc, saturday we do fun stuff, visit friends, ALL AFTER THE DANG FOOTBALL GAME). I try to squeeze in some exercise but usually run out of time.

Many nights I leave the dishes for the morning, and load dishwasher before work. I hate to do it, but by the time we're all done, its 1030, trying to get kid in bed, feed and walk the dogs, get OUR showers... blargh.

Its crazy!!! And I don't even have it as bad as many of the other football parents, so I'm trying not to complain too much. But boy, am I getting tired.

For meals, my husband and I have been trying something the last few months that is working really well.  We work 9 hours Mon-Thur and weren't happy about how late we were eating on those days, so decided to try and prepare a bunch of food on Sunday.

So Sunday we hit the grocery store and stock up on fresh produce, then go home and make up a couple large batches of vegetable salads (there are lots to choose from:  Broccoli,  Tomata/Mozarella, Cucumber, Lentil, Pea, etc.).  We also cook a large amount of some sort of meat, like a ham, turkey, or 2 whole chickens.  Then during the week we just come home and have about 6 ounces of protein, a couple servings of salad, and maybe a piece of fruit.  If we run out of meat before the end of the week, we saute some fish one night, which cooks really quickly.  If we run out of salad, we have frozen veggies.

Hope this helps!

First, remember that eating late is only bad if it disrupts your sleep - it won't affect your weight loss.

I work out at home, to reduce the time it takes. Plus, it means my fiance and I can work out together, but when I'm done, I can start cooking while he finishes up.

But a lot of nights, we don't get to eat til 9pm... and we don't even have kids to deal with!

I have a lot of respect for the people who balance all of the additional stuff and still manage to work in extra activity.

I walk to work and back (obviously this isn't an option for lots of people). That's 1 hr walking a day, even before anything else. Saves me £££ too. I am also on my feet all day at work - again, not everyone has this.

I hike with my boyfriend, so that's "family" time, if you like. I think finding exercise you enjoy is very important, not just "working out".

I spend around an hour cooking, eating, catching up, talking, having a glass of wine with my boyfriend every night. Sometimes it's the whole night. 1 hour minimum really. Seems like time well spent to me. Never been a TV watcher, we've always hung out together in the kitchen, from the overweight foodlovers days to the healthyeating foodlovers days. So cooking and eating and clearing up are "family time" too. Food and conversation are very cool things to love. Being a good cook is about the nicest skill to have, I reckon. You can share it with everyone.

I also have a lot of respect for people with kids for managing just about anything really. Guess I'll hang out with my kids in the kitchen if I ever have any and cook with them - sure it's nowhere near that easy!!

Well, I work out at home, so that takes some of the pressure off.  And it's just me and DH and a grown boy, so honestly we eat a lot of things out of boxes. 

I do cook up some meats on the weekends and hard boiled eggs, so we have lots of cold sandwiches and salads as well. 

When my kids were little and we always had sports on one night or another, I would do my shopping on Saturday and then Sunday I would fire up the outdoor grill.  Burgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts and fish, and then just heat things up in the microwave for dinner.  It seemed to work well. 

During the winter crockpots are also good for cooking up several meals at a time. 

Am I the only one who eats dinner before going to the gym?  OP, I have a similar schedule to yours.  Usually I'm home by about 5:30, have something for dinner that either I can prep quickly or my husband can make on his own since his schedule is slightly more variable.  We head to the gym between 7 and 8 most days, depending on our schedule.  Then it's home to any cleaning, relaxation, etc.

On occasion (especially if I'm going to do a strength workout), I'll have a bigger snack at work and head directly to the gym.  I'm usually home by 6:45ish on those days. 

It's just the two of us and our fur-babies, so we've definitely got it easier than others!  And we make our meals with lots of leftovers for lunch or dinner the following day to cut down on prep and cleanup. 

I leave for work at 7 am, go to the gym at 4 pm, get on the train around 5:30, then get home around 6:30.

For dinner, I always have it planned ahead of time. Meat is either thawing out in the fridge while I'm at work or I've already made a big batch of chili/stew/soup, etc the weekend before that I can just heat up.

I always have something quick in the freezer as back up. If I've forgotten to take something out of the freezer, I rely on either frozen shrimp, eggs, soybeans (edamame or tempeh), canned tuna or canned beans as my protein source (shrimp takes less than 5 mins to thaw and the rest don't need to be thawed at all). When I buy veggies, I try to cut them up right away... great for a quick & easy stirfry. If I've thawed chicken or turkey breast, I usually cut it into pieces before baking (it cooks faster than if i leave the breast whole).

For salad, I buy those plastic clamshell containers of pre-washed spinach/lettuce.

For grains, I usually just stick with ones that will cook in less than 20 mins (quinoa, basmati brown rice, bulgur, etc) instead of slow cooking grains.

Once you get in the habit of planning ahead, it becomes routine.

Oh, I should also mention that while my dinner is cooking, I pack my lunch for the following day. It works out well... like chopping veggies for dinner so I might as well chop a few more for my next-day salad.

Honestly.. I schedule.  It's pretty hectic here with 4 kids and working out of the house so I do my best to just keep things written down and plan around them.  It's going to be interesting adjusting a few things for my practice 2x a week but it's 8-10 so that doesn't throw too much of a wrench that late at night.  If it was 6-8 then I'd have more of a scramble!

I cook ahead and freeze also.  And redid a lot of my recipes to be mostly 1-pot so it cuts back on the dishes.  Helps a lot!

I don't have kids, so that makes life a lot simpler.  Also, my husband does 90% of the dishwashing (I do 90% of the cooking).  And, once a month I have a cleaning service come in and get the house really clean, it slowly deteriorates over the course of the month but never gets too horrible with minimum input.

But, the number one thing for me is building movement into my life rather than "going to the gym".  First thing in the morning I do about 15 minutes of calisthenics, then shower, breakfast, dress, and go to the office.  Every chance I get, I walk (breaks, lunch hour, errands).  I have a pedometer, and try to get to 10,000 steps every day.  If I am short by the time I get home from work, I go for a half-hour walk before prepping dinner.

I usually can have dinner on the table within an hour of getting home, so that means by 6:30 or 7:00 most nights.  If it is a bad day, I always have some frozen options that require only re-heating (stews, soups, chili, casseroles).  Also, the gas grill is my friend, my husband can grill some fish or chicken or vegies while I am making a starch and a salad, usually faster than going out for take out.  And healthier, as well.

thank you all for your replies. it really IS all about planning ahead. I need to stop "winging" it, and sit down with my hubby at the beginning of the week (like Sunday) and figure out what days will be what (roughly- depending on mood, etc). That sounds like the easiest route. We don't have any kids yet, either, just 3 dogs (which is harder than it sounds! LOL). I guess I just need to plan, schedule, plan, schedule, etc etc!

Thanks for your inputs. It really puts things into perspective. :)

It isnt easy but I now have a routine down. 

1.  I established a workout time either first thing in the morning or in the evening.

2.  Dinner meal prep.   What I do is prepare the meals main dish on the weekend for the week and freeze them except the vegetables everything is cooked and ready.  All I do is a couple days prior I pull it out set it in the fridge to thaw.  Then when I get home I pull it out and with veggies I can throw my meal together hot and ready in 30 minutes or less.

Clean up my mess and still have the rest of the night to do whatever.

So it isnt impossible you just have to figure a plan out.

Dave

BTW I have two (indoor) dogs so I can relate to the challenge lol

Original Post by dave98z3:

BTW I have two (indoor) dogs so I can relate to the challenge lol

 What other kinds of dogs are there? LOL. My little ones are fru-fru spoiled and don't even want to go outside to do their business! haha. my girl dog looks at me like, ummmm you pee in the grass LOL.

Fitting it all in... ?  I think first accept that it's not always possible to do so.  Be realistic rather than run too-high expectations.  

I don't go to any gym because that would involve a lot of expense and time I don't have but I can spend half an hour in the evening jogging around the local streets or in the morning using my exercise bike at home.  At weekends we might go for a bike-ride or a swim as a family.  We're both in Scouts and that can be quite active!!  Post 7pm is time for helping with homework, relaxing with a DVD or playing Wii games.

Food's easy.  I make packed lunches the night before, breakfasts are not too complicated and suppers I specialise in 'quick-cook healthy & cheap'.   I also have a freezer that contains lots of portions of other dishes that I can dust off and heat up when time is short.  We all eat the same food... I'm not running a hotel!

Biggest hurdle I have is that I travel quite a lot internationally.  Then I have to make do best I can with the facilities available.

For me and my situation, my goal is to have a healthier life, so I'm looking at long term changes and results.  As such, the notion of eating to a calorie goal versus a restrictive diet has made all of the difference. I set my daily/weekly goal so that I will lose regardless of whether or not I exercise, and any additional burn is just a bonus.

That being said, I make sure I do at least 30 minutes of activity a day.  Since my long term goal is to be healthier and not be a gym rat, I don't try to tie myself down to one set of activities.  I'm building the habit of moving.

Right now, with great summer weather, I'm playing basketball and going on walks that are either 2 or 3 miles.  I supplement this with some high-intensity resistance band interval training 2-3 times a week. In each case, I get a  workout (and work up a good sweat!).

In addition, I've got things like yard work (takes me 55 minutes to mow front and back yards with the push mower) and other chores that are burning calories.

With two kids, two different schools, tae kwon do lessons 3+ times a week, and bedtime at 9pm, I definitely understand when you describe your full schedule.

My point with all of this is that I try keep things varied so I don't get discouraged if bath time ran long and the gym is closed, or if there was a school function and we don't get home until 7:30pm.   Fit your activities around your life - you don't want to get into a position where you feel like giving up "because there just isn't any time".

Involve your family in your activities to set a good example - we go on walks together (one kid rides a bike/scooter, other is in a stroller), I play basketball with my oldest, and we have fun at the playground equipment.

Luckily, I don't need much sleep (6.5 hours is my sweet spot), so I also have about 3 hours before I go to sleep after the kids are in bed where I can do things like go on extended walks, do weight training, and such.

Mine are two 5lb Maltese's so they are spoiled rotten...they have hair and no fur so they stay in most of the time.   The one would stay out doors all day and night if I let her and the other doesnt want anything to do with being outside.

I have two kids (age 18 months and 3 years) and a hubby.  This is how I manage my time.

I go to the gym in the morning...and I mean morning.  It opens at 5:30 am and I am there.  I am fortunate that my hubby takes the girls to daycare, and I am able to get dressed at the gym. 

I am at work by 8 am.  I go home most days at lunch (but I take my lunch to work and eat at my desk) and do a little clean up, throw on some laundry, finish up any dinner prep.

I go back to work, and if I need an extra something for dinner there is a grocery store across the street and I can go on my break.

I am done work at 4:30pm.  I drive past my house and if I had put laundry in at lunch I switch it into the dryer.  Then I go get my girls and cook dinner, usually with the youngest on my hip. 

My hubby is usually home by 6.  We eat, clean up and try to spend some time together.  Then bath and bed.

I try to get my food packed up and gym stuff together in any "spare" moment I have in the evening.  Otherwise, it is after the girls go to bed.

Am I exhausted? Yes!  But I am also on auto-pilot.

I have a 2 yr old and a husband that travels and is out of town usually at least 1 night a week.  My day goes like this:

Get up, dressed, showered, eat bowl of cereal, out the door around 7:00.  Drop child at daycare, get to work between 7:30 and 8:00.  Leave work between 4:00 and 4:30.  Pick up child (unless daddy is home, then he will).  Get home between 5:15 and 5:30.  Do workout at home (running outside, on treadmill, or weightlift), 30 to 60 minutes.  Start dinner (usually grill meat, have frozen veggies or salad using packaged baby lettuce or spinach and other veggies from our garden, and an easy carb such as brown rice or maybe even a slice of fancy bread; leftovers when hubby is out of town).  We finish eating between 7:15 and 7:30, then it's bath time followed by family time.  Weekends are a total cluster, so I'm either very active throughout the weekend days or fit in workouts during my son's naptime.

We live pretty far out from the city, so the gym choices are either too far or not very good.  Working out at home really saves time for me too.

Wow everyone is so crazy busy it is amazing that you do fit it all in.

I really don't have a lot to add other than I use the crock pot 2-3 times a week. It saves me so much time.  Yes I use it in the summer too.  But I make a lot of "sauce type" dinners so we just add pasta or rice and veggies.  So with that little helper I am able to go to the gym after work at about 5:30 and I leave at about 6:45.

My kids are a little older so if they are home I will text them when I get to the gym and ask them put the rice on or cut up salad fixings (if I didn't get around to it after the grocery store).

As parents (even its of the fur kind) we do what we have to do.  You have to make time for you.  Put it on your calendar!

I don't know how people do it either! Once I'm home, I plop on the couch and it's over with. I TRY to get home at 6, cook and eat dinner (all my food intake by 7) then head to the gym after my food digests (8-9) and then work my tushy off for an hour, get home and then it takes 30 minutes to de-sweat, then take a shower (its already about 10-11 by now), THEN go to bed, wake up at 7 am and start it all over again. I hate it :(

Big time saver ................crock pot.  Start in the morning and it's ready when you get home.  eat before the gym(while you get ready for it?)

Can you do your work outs in the morning?  Or do a bit of walking at lunch?  or spread it during the day like while at your desk do sitting crunches butt clinches. keep some 3lb weight under your chair do a few arm moves with then.  fidget a lot.  If you stand at work, try just doing some calf lifts ( raise up to toes then flat feet again repeat) do a few wall push-ups (or off the edge of the desk, bathroom sink etc.) Squats are fast and easy.  Triceps dips off a chair are quick and you get rid of "teacher wings" (my nephews words) oh a planks are killer and work tummy, arms, bum all at once.  I work out at home so everything I have listed is within your home or office, weight can be cans, milk jugs. 

I'm lucky I get to stay home with my kids.  I get to get up before sending oldest to the bus and do floor exercises (weights dips squats push-ups crunches, planks), run(on a gazelle) at nap time for 60 min, then when daddy gets home I walk with the neighborhood ladies (yup a bunch of us)   

****Milk jugs filled with water are good for weights when walking outside,  if they are too heavy half way through you can dump some.*****