Working in Working Out

Posted on | May 3, 2012 | 37 Comments

One of the hardest things for me during and after my divorce was/is this: although some people lose weight when they are upset or depressed, I gain. I gain… a lot. And over the course of the last year of my marriage and first few months of my divorce, I did just that… I GAINED.

I gained so much weight that I matched the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life, except for pregnancy. I didn’t fit in my clothes, I was embarrassed by my body. I hated everything about what I saw in the mirror.

But lately, I’ve been really happy. I mean, REALLY happy. Probably the happiest I’ve been since law school… no, definitely the happiest I’ve been since law school. It’s like my marriage was a stone around my neck, weighing me down with all my expectations of myself and all my husband’s expectations of me. Now that I’ve pulled that off, I am me again… and me is not happy with my sagging midsection.

So little by little, over the past few weeks, I’ve been working in work outs wherever I can. I do sidebends that I saw in a Britney Spears spot on exercise (DON’T YOU JUDGE ME! SHE HAS GREAT ABS!) while I wait for the dogs to pee in the mornings. J and I take a long walk with the dogs in the afternoons. We do jumping jacks and semi-yoga on the patio after dinner and I *try* to do sit ups and push ups after he’s in bed.

It’s not much.

It’s not a lot.

But it’s making all the difference.

I’m drinking more water, I’m eating better foods, I’m dropping the sorrow weight of my marriage and divorce and literally shedding the memory of the past five years every day.

Since leaving my husband last year, I have now lost twenty pounds.

And y’all, it feels GOOD. No, it feels GREAT. I feel like me again. I feel happy and content with my life, my body, and … ME! I even, for the first time in what seems like forever, came to work without any foundation on my face… on purpose.

But I’ve got another ten pounds I’d like to lose, so I’m asking the rest of you… how do you work in your work outs when there’s no gym and no one to watch your kid? What little things can I add in to push me towards my goal weight? Because I’m going to the beach in July and I’d really like to feel good about putting on a bathing suit!!!!!

Category: about me, exercise, working moms, world domination

Comments

Wendy

I feel ya! I’m not divorced but I work all day and my husband is at school at night. I just joined a gym right by my work and i’m trying to work out at lunch or right after work 3 times a week.
- lawmomma
  
  Yeah… I toyed with the idea of a gym, but really I can’t afford it. Plus, I hate putting J back in daycare some where else right after I pick him up… he doesn’t do well with that.
http://www.mannlymama.com/ Brandy

Um…this is awkward http://liberatingworkingmoms.com/2012/02/12/working-moms-exercise-lunchtime-options/

Take the stairs more at work…like on purpose…multiple times. Every time you go to the bathroom, come back and do squats at your desk for 5 minutes. Get J to count as you do push ups. I am sure he would find it fun. try a workout video when he is in the room. Ya never know…he might enjoy watching mommy!
- lawmomma
  
  LOL! I do take the stairs and no go on the exercise tape. J climbs on me.
  And I DID read your post, swear… I just needed MORE.
NavyMomma

My girlfriend has me on a strict toning plan… crunches, leg raises, lunges, push ups. I do a set of each every morning as soon as I get out of bed, and a set just before I hop into bed. It doesn’t take me very long so I find myself doing them. Plus she checks up on me via BBM to make sure I do them LOL I am noticing a difference!
- lawmomma
  
  Wow… I need someone to hold ME accountable.
Jessie

I’m a big fan of Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred. 20 min and it kicks my ass! I’m about to start doing it a coupe of days a week because it makes me do the strength training that I loathe.
- lawmomma
  
  Alright… two people can’t be wrong. I’ll do it.
TheNextMartha

So that working out and watching what you eat does work for losing weight. Good to know. And you look fantastic.
- lawmomma
  
  LOL! Thanks… and it probably hasn’t hurt that I can’t afford alcohol.
ASpotOfT

Congratulations! You look fabulous!
- lawmomma
  
  Awww, thanks!
Monk

when I go on walks I will do walking lunges for 30 seconds at a time.
- lawmomma
  
  That would be a great idea if I were walking alone… but with two dogs and a toddler it might not work out so well.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=501698606 Jennifer Donovan DiDonato

I don’t know if you have a Wii but I play the just dance game (who doesn’t love to dance). My little one wiggles next to me. It is good cardio!
- lawmomma
  
  Sadly no Wii… but we can still have dance parties! Good call!
http://profiles.google.com/hlglaser Hillary Lynne Glaser

This is going to sound SO dumb but when Yoav is playing, I fold laundry and as I fold laundry, I stand and either use a resistance band around my legs and do some movement that way OR I do squats. After I fold each piece, I do one squat and then add it to a pile. I also walk as I talk on the phone (which annoys the hell out of my husband) but I wore a pedometer while doing it once and I walked a mile during a 15 minute phone meeting.
- lawmomma
  
  LOVE!!! What a great idea! Now I just need to get a headset for work.
Jennifer O.

I bought a 10 lb kettle bell. I recommend making sure you get a contoured bell made by Go Fit, which can be bought at Target. It does come with a DVD. I also bought Brook Benten’s Kettlebody DVD set. The workouts last 20-30 minutes and they are supposed to each be used twice a week. I was able to fit this in when my child naps, or in your case maybe before or after work. I hope this might help. Great job on already losing weight.
- lawmomma
  
  Hmmm… I’ll check into that! Thanks!
amy

Someone else posted this too, but Jilian Michael’s 30 day shred is AWESOME. you can get it at target with some 3 lb weights. Only takes 20 minutes and I majorly see results! kids try and do it beside me (HA). congrats on all your great work so far!
- lawmomma
  
  I really need to do my 30 day shred… I have it but I don’t use it ever since I ended up screaming at Jillian Michael’s one day b/c I swore she was mocking me…
  - aim
    
    While i loved that video, i think it contributed to my left shoulders demise. The weights…tossing them around so quickly…..but it was a great 20 minutes of hell
Allison

First of all…way to go momma! I do sit ups & leg raises after bathtime while we are still playing in her room before bedtime. She loves to sit on my stomach while I do crunches, haha.

Also squats & lunges while making dinner.
- lawmomma
  
  Thanks! And yeah, J loves to climb on me when I try to do sit ups or crunches, or push ups
http://www.trappedinnorthjersey.blogspot.com/ Lisa

I have three kids under 6 and my husband leaves for work around 6:15, and by the time he gets home at 7:30 pm I am in no mood to go to the gym. I like to exercise in the morning.

I like the Biggest Loser workout videos. They are mostly 25-30 minutes, I can pop them in and the kids like to join me, or they play while I’m working out. (There is a fair amount of ‘get me cheese! I need milk! He’s hitting me!” so sometimes it takes a lot longer than 30 minutes.)

Last year we bought a treadmill that lives in our garage. I put on the tv for the kids and walk for half hour to forty five minutes in the morning. I do it nearly every day. It was expensive but totally worth the investment. I can do it whenever and don’t need a sitter, unlike the gym.
- lawmomma
  
  I so want a treadmill!!!
Lisa

I “run” in place and do (smallish) squats while brushing my teeth When you’re cleaning, pretend you’re exercising. It gets the cleaning done faster and your heartrate up
HLRobbie

Congratulations on how far you’ve come! I gained over 70 lbs when I was pregnant. I lost most of it (those last 5lbs are stubborn) doing The Firm videos. And now that my son is older, when I take him to sports or the park I walk around the perimeter of the area. That way I can keep moving while he’s occupied.

What you’re doing is fantastic though. Every little calorie burned counts! Keep going!
IS78

You look great! If you have cable, On Demand channels sometimes includes an Excercise/fitness channel, which include varied 5-10 minute exercise routines. I tried the 30 day shred too, but sadly I couldn’t even commit to the 20 minutes it took to do it everyday.
Rebecca

Congrats! You look great! A few things I do is park at the farthest parking spot possible at any store I go to. I also take one thing out to the car at time, for instance, my coffee, my briefcase, diaper bag. Seems silly but adds steps! Congrats again!
Rebecca
Pickles

Take a lunch hour. Even if it’s only 30 minutes. Even if it’s only 15 minutes. And use it to exercise. I eat at my desk while I’m working, after I’m done with my workout. Your afternoons will be MUCH more productive, and, your workout is done when you get home, so you can focus on the kiddo.
Lara

Do 10 squats every time you go to the bathroom.
Allison Burnett

Someone else mentioned it, but get a pedometer! I love mine… it totally motivates me to take small steps all day long (like parking far from the store, going to the bathroom three floors down just to take more steps, etc.) and it’s also a nice pat on the back when I’ve had an active day.
Jess

Good for you! A jogging stroller is a lifesaver. You’ll get a killer workout, especially as he gets older. Just bribe him with a book and a Popsicle and go on your way.
Amy

its hard to work in excersize with a busy schedule and no one to watch the kiddo but when my son was little, I made him my work out I would use him for arm lifts and he thought it was great. Now that hes older, he works out with me. I go thim his own mat & weights (very small) and we “get healthy and strong” together. Still hard to work in the time around dinner, bath & bed but we try.
TarynB

get a couple kettlebells (5lb and 10lb) and do some swings, curls, whatever you can, whenever you can squeeze them in. Kettlebell exercises work the whole body, especially the core. I love them!

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/kettlebell-exercises.html

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Apr				Jun »
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Working in Working Out

Comments

Twitter