I used to be fit, running, cycling, partner acrobatics, etc. But I have done very little cardio, strength, or flexibility training since our wonderful daughter came along. She doesn’t sleep well so part of the problem is energy. But the main issue is finding time. My partner and I both work remotely, I have a 08:00-16:30 tech job and my partner teaches music online in the evenings. So I’m either working, playing with my daughter, or exhausted. I’m not complaining, I love my life and being a dad. I want to stay fit and healthy so I can be my daughter’s father for as long as possible. I also don’t want to be hard on myself, I know these toddler years will fly past if I’m not mindful. How do other parents maintain fitness? We don’t have any extended family close.
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I hear you. My wife and I both work full time. The only option is weekends and one parent has to take kid duties. It’s frustrating and exhausting, but we manage to squeeze in a tiny bit of fitness.
How are the trails/parks near you? In my town, there’s a paved path that runs along the top of the levee, and follows the river. It’s smoo th and straight enough that I can lock the front wheel of the running stroller, and get a good run in. Or I can strap my son into a bike trailer. A short drive away there’s a rails-to-trails that I can use for longer workouts. It’s not ideal, but at least it’s something.
Mostly though my wife and I are fortunate enough to work the same schedule and have a lot of family around to help out. Usually my wife watches him while I’m running after work, or I’ll come home and watch him while she goes to a class. If we’re both working out on the same day, we’ll just leave him with one of our parents.
I mean, PR’s are definitely behind me, but I can still get out for an occasional half marathon.
Bench press your toddler. They’re heavy.
But also schedule time during the week when the kid is distracted/somewhere else/mail them to in-laws or parents.
I work from home so I can do house chores and stuff throughout the day and wife only works weekends. I do all my climbing after the kid goes to bed. Wife prefers to workout at home and does during naps.
It took about 6 months to a year to start getting a consistent schedule though. We also did sleep training around 10 months and it was hard for a couple nights but it was 1000% worth it.
So your options are early, naps, after bed, or having your partner watch the kid while you work out. When he was really little we had a play area (really large pack n play basically) and could workout while keeping an eye on him.
Like others have said, it gets better with time. I did a lot of cycling before my daughter was born. She’s 2 now and I’m finally getting back into evening rides after she’s in bed. Good lights are key!
Another option is to involve your kid somehow. When my daughter was a little younger, I would load her up in a kid carrier backpack and take her for long walks. A professor of mine in college trained to climb Mount Everest in part by using a treadmill on maximum incline with his kid in a backpack.
Oh that’s easy, I don’t.
How old is your daughter? I found it was next to impossible to find time to exercise for about the first year. Now my son is almost 2, I am back to running 4-6 days per week. You need to find a schedule that works for you. Here’s mine:
8-5: work 5-6: commute or make dinner (my wife and I alternate for when I commute) 6-7: Run with son in stroller, dog trailing behind 7: Eat dinner
My wife exercises either when he naps during the day or when I run with him. Now when he sees me come in, he asks me to run with him, so I’ll try to keep this going as long as he likes it. On weekends it’s generally different, and I get off every other Friday. (9/80 schedule)
