The Work It, Mom! Blog
with Nataly
Hi, I am Nataly and I am the co-founder of Work It, Mom!
I write the daily Work It, Mom! Blog where I talk about issues affecting working moms, goings on in our Work It, Mom! community, new site features, updates,and contests. I also share my own juggle between work and family and love to see members jump in with comments. Come and visit often!
Nataly's profile on Work It, Mom!
For the past two weeks I’ve been getting up at 5:30am, four days a week, to get to the gym before my daughter is up and our day gets off to its hectic pace.
As many of you consider how nuts this is, let me explain why I decided to do it:
A while back I started to exercise regularly and realized it was really good for me, for all the obvious reasons. I feel better, I have more energy, I get rid of some stress, and as I get older, I’m doing stuff to help my body be stronger. For the past two years I’ve been working a lot from home, which allowed me to sneak out for a workout during lunch or another free hour in my day, and get back to work in a snap, without having to take a shower before getting on a conference call. (Boy, was I glad to read that I’ve not been the only one doing conference calls in my sweaty gym clothes!)
But this is all about to end as I start a new gig (in addition, of course, to continuing to nurture and run Work It, Mom!) that’s a full-time job in an office. Working out during lunch isn’t a very practical possibility because a good workout followed by a shower and getting dressed routine takes more time than I can find during the workday. I absolutely hate going to the gym at night and that’s when my husband goes, so that’s not a possibility either. Which leaves early mornings and gets me back to my new 5:30 am wake-up routine.
The good news is that if I get to bed at a decent hour getting up early isn’t a big deal at all. In fact, I kind of like getting the workout out of my way and starting the day on a productive note. The bad news is that I am horrible at getting to bed at a decent hour most of the time. And as I sit here and type this post, I am absolutely exhausted and sleepy and it’s only 2pm. This is a problem.
I’ve gone over stuff I do at night, after our kiddo is in bed, to figure out what I can cut out to get to bed earlier. I didn’t find anything. I cook, get organized for the next day, catch up on work. Sure, we may watch some TV, but we’re always doing something while we do that — it’s background TV, unless we are catching up on our favorite shows, which we do on weekends.
So my conundrum is this: What’s more important, sleep or exercise? A while ago I wrote a post about why I prioritize exercise over sleep. But that’s back when I was getting up super early just once a week. Now it’s a different story and I’m stuck. I am constantly reading about how not getting enough sleep is absolutely horrible for our health. And then I turn the page and read about how important it is to get exercise.
So what’s a busy working mama to do? Sound off, I’m eager to hear your thoughts and how you prioritize sleep and working out.
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I go to the gym two nights a week while Matthew watches the kids.
The other five days a week I get up early and work out. I also have sleep issues, so sleeping longer isn’t an option
Angella | April 30th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Adequate sleep and exercise is necessary. We don’t get enough of either one. Take a look at your schedule and see what else can be limited to compensate for sleep and exercise. One thing I do is record my favorite television programs and watch them later, skipping through the commercials. You save 15-20 minutes doing this.
Coach Laura | April 30th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
For me, sleep is more important.
I find there are ways to work exercise in with the kids along. Not a ton, but anything is better than nothing. Plus it is good for them to be active with me.
SKL | April 30th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
This is a huge issue for me since I’m not getting enough sleep OR exercise right now, and I can literally feel it killing me. But I’m working essentially two full-time jobs (one actual 9-5++ full-time job plus about 30-40 hours a week freelance) with two little kids (one in daycare and the baby home with me…while I work both jobs). I don’t get to bed until 1-2am on an average night and am up by 6am with the baby, and even then the dishes don’t get done, the house is a wreck, and bills are late because I just don’t get to them. When do I find time to hit the gym or even walk around the block?
So right now, sleep wins every time, but I long for the day that I can sleep a decent amount (six hours would be great!) and also work out even just a little.
Liss | April 30th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
That’s a tough one. Both are really important, at least to me. But getting up at 5:30 4 days a week sounds like a lot. Even if I am awake at that time, I can’t always motivate to work at that time. Mixing up the routine during the week works for me so I don’t feel totally deprived of either. What if you got up early two mornings a week during the work week, and worked out on the weekends? I’ve always been of the opinion working out 4 days a week is ideal. It’s more days than not, but not so many you feel like you can’t stick with it. And if you happen to get another one in, may be during the workday one day of the week, that’s icing on the cake.
Wendy | May 1st, 2009 at 10:01 am
Both are important. Sorry to break the bad news. It will catch up with you. We are a notorious culture for taking too much on. You have taken too much on.
instead of the gym you might opt for workout videos. i wake up, put on a video, resemble a zombie doing jumping jacks to warm up and then get it out of my way. i do this at 6:30am. but this is what works for me.
working out shouldnt be a chore. sleeping shouldnt be elusive unless you have young kids. if you have a partner you might need to enlist some help and come up with a better strategy.
everything you do teaches your children something. do you want to teach them to be chickens running around with their heads cut off?
gwendolyn | May 1st, 2009 at 11:13 am
I have this problem as well. I applaud you getting up early because if I could, this would be the best time for me. But I get to the gym about three times a week after work, and spend about 30-45 minutes there while L’s in daycare. I need my 8 hours of sleep, and I can’t exercise when I’m tired!
Colleen | May 1st, 2009 at 11:30 am
You may find that you get used to it. I get up at 5:00 to exercise. I run near my home, so it doesn’t take quite as long as going to gym, since there’s no drive time. I wear a headlamp when it’s dark out and live in a safe area. The first several weeks were killer, but I eventually got used to it. I also found that I started winding down in the evening sooner and was okay with letting a few things go. I absolutely have more energy throughout the day even through the 2PM slump on the days that I run.
Kim | May 1st, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Hi Natalie, I loved your post, and can totally relate with you! Seems that our skeds are very similar and I must confess that I love working out in the AM, and yes, very early AM. Like you I often exercise at about 5:30 Am - 6 AM, when the house is still quiet. For some reason it feel like I have more energy and feel great for the rest of the day. Fortunately I do get to go to bed at 10 PM or so, allowing me to get good rest.
I think that getting good sleep is just as important as exercising. Your body need to be rested, not only to tackle your next workout, but also to tackle your daily routine with your kids - that’s a workout
I would suggest that you exercise according to the rest you got the night before. I read that many times if you are not well rested, the exercise can do more harm and good.
Remember that the whole point of working out is to feel better and stay healthy, and to achieve that you need good rest.
Slim in 6 fanatic Fernanda | July 8th, 2009 at 6:18 am
If there is a will there is a way! I say get your sleep and workout on your lunch break. That is what I do and I love it! I change my clothes, pull my hair up in a clip, and I am off speedwalking for 4 miles. To prevent being a sweaty mess, I stick to shady areas and a nice breeze really helps. I can burn around 450 calories. Then at night, I can give my full attention to my family. Or I guess you could get up early to workout and then take a nap on your lunch hour. Just find what works for you.
RaChelle | October 7th, 2009 at 9:11 am