How to handle training and having a new born

ceffo · 05-01-2006, 09:15 AM

First of all im new to bb.com forum and have been training for 11 plus years (i dont keep track now the years just seem to fly as u hit 30).. anywayz.. my wife is expecting our first child sometime next year and i have seeen many of my fwends go down the path of no return (ie family doom)

I know the time will come to start getting the 12am-3am- 6am feeds/nappies when they are in teh first 6months... Im assuming that this is the point most peoples reach that point of no return as alot of things are happening.. dont get me worng im looking forward very very much to having our first child but after so long with BB as a lifestyle.. i am afraid that i wont get a chance or "feel" the urge once the kids are older to get back into it... We all know that traiing makes us feel like a million bux hence why most of us do it.. etc

Anyone here still trained at all during the first 1-2 years after child birth? I dont see how u can when you have lack of sleep and recuperation time and also work on top of that draining you..

Luv to hear some opinions on this..

BTW im 30 not 35 is it ok for me to be posting here?

rippedboy · 05-01-2006, 09:46 AM

Ceffo,

Trust me man, you're not alone there. I'm 41 now, married 10 years coming up this summer, two kids later, 3 and 7, working two jobs now, house, dog, and multiple other commitments. If you want it bad enough, you'll find the time somewhere, even running off of 3 hours of sleep the night before. I never stopped ONCE throughout all of that. But, you're 100% right, its not easy by any stretch, and thats why most people go down that path of doom. I still spend so much time late at night preparing my food for the next day, and sometime even workout at 6am, and work both jobs until 10:00 at night...and still manage to look the best now that I actually ever have in my entire life.

Where there is a will, there's a way...it all comes down to making a committment to somehow fitting it into your life, based on how it is going to work out best with your particular lifestyle, remembering too that your family comes first! I make sure that I still manage to spend as much quality time with my kids as I possibly can. Believe me man, I do not stop at all....I'm like the energizer bunny....just keep going and going and going and going. But, I eat really healthy and stay extremely fit, so I have the energy level of a teenager....THAT, and a lot of caffeine allow me to handle it all just fine.

Best wishes to and your wife with your first born on the way. That is one of the single most gratifying moments of a lifetime....enjoy every minute of it. Also, feel free to send me an email or something for anything I can help out with..since I've been down that path before.

Later,
Vin

eggbeater · 05-01-2006, 10:32 AM

Been down the same road, twice. With my first child I was out of the gym for a couple years. I started to train again before the second boy and I vowed not to have that happen again. I basically had to do three things.

1.) Cut out another "luxury" ie watching sports on television, internet surfing, or video games and free that time up for training.

2.) Learn to maximize my training time- core exercises primarily. In my case I work out 3x a week for 1 hour. HIT all the way.

3.) Identify the "pockets" of time I may have. For me it was when my wife's turn to put the baby to sleep I would let her know that I was sneaking out to train. This is important to let her know you are acknowledging your responsibilities and that you are not running away from them.

Good luck and congrats!

jtroster · 05-01-2006, 10:36 AM

Having a home gym might be the bets alternative. I treid ot workout at a gym when my kids were very small and it just took too much time. If I had a home gym, however small, I would have been able to workout in those short periods when the baby was asleep and I was not.

Of couse there always long brisk walks or runs with the stroller.

rippedboy · 05-01-2006, 10:49 AM

looks like we're all in this together....LOL.

eggbeater - you're right on....I too did the same with basically choosing to keep working out as opposed to doing a range of other activities which would take more time away from my family...ie. golf, softball, watching sports on tv, etc.. I dont even go to any Steeler games like I would love to, cause it would take me away from my family for almost an entire day....if you add that up, the 4 hours that my gym time consists of per week....well, do the math...haha.

Its usually cool as long as you dont expect to go the the gym 4 or 5 times per week, working out for more than 1 hour....and then expect to go golfing with the boys every Saturday, then attend a sporting event weekly, or do a happy hour after work one night. My gym time is sacred!!! But, that is the only time away from the family that I allow myself to have, other than work committments.

Best of luck bros!

rotlex · 05-01-2006, 12:32 PM

I actually "started" training again after my daughte was born, hehe. Well, I started with dieting and getting myself back in shape, but became addicted to the gym, and well, we all know where it goes from there.

My solution? I train at 5am before work. It's the ONLY time that doesn't interfere with family life, and nothing comes before that in my book. I will NOT give up training, probably ever, LOL, but I've grown very used to getting up at 4, eating, and making it to the gym by 5. The "wee hour of the morning" feedings were never a problem as my wife and I, well, ok, she actually DOES it, LOL, chose to breast feed and co-sleep. My daughter, who is now 3 1/2, slept through the night in most cases, and when she did wake up, mom was always right there with food readily available.

Made it very easy for me, and frankly, neither of us would have had it any othe way.

resurrected · 05-01-2006, 12:37 PM

never had a problem, bought a set of olympics and a bench. Was able to work out anytime i could get the chance. I have went through 3 kids and my youngest is 7

**fitnessman** · 05-01-2006, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rotlex

My solution? I train at 5am before work. It's the ONLY time that doesn't interfere with family life, and nothing comes before that in my book. I will NOT give up training, probably ever, LOL, but I've grown very used to getting up at 4, eating, and making it to the gym by 5. The "wee hour of the morning" feedings were never a problem as my wife and I, well, ok, she actually DOES it, LOL, chose to breast feed and co-sleep. My daughter, who is now 3 1/2, slept through the night in most cases, and when she did wake up, mom was always right there with food readily available.

Made it very easy for me, and frankly, neither of us would have had it any othe way.

Bump to the time and the breast feeding!

I have six children. Didn't affect my training to any real degree.

jimbotech · 05-01-2006, 03:49 PM

...and to add to the support for breastfeeding...(I say this somewhat tongue in cheek but I currently have 3 kids 5 and less).
If you guys decide to breastfeed and she buys one of those breast pumps -- sabotage it. Breasts = friends...pump = enemy.
The pump enables you to take the night feedings...I became a pump zombie on our last kid...no sleep...bad.

Best wishes on your upcoming addition and health to your family.

--JT

bassdreamer · 05-01-2006, 04:21 PM

Start buying bigger pants!

Seriously, start setting your alarm for 5am like rotlex said, that's what I did too. At first, you can adjust the babies schedule to coincide with early am workouts. Take the last feeding, then put the baby down, chug some NO-EXplode and off to the gym! Soon you will figure out why your folks go to bed at 9pm! My kids are now 9 and 14 and my internal clock won't let me sleep in on the weekends! I'm awake by 6am whether I want to be or not!

Welcome to parenthood.

phikappa · 05-01-2006, 04:37 PM

Muwahahahahah! Muwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! He hehehehehe!

Sorry, but it makes me happy when others feel my pain.

Seriously though, where there's a will, there's a way. Lifting at home at 10pm, or at 4am, or at lunch, or whatever, you'll find a way if you want to. Anything you choose ain't gonna be easy.

Although, it is easier if your wife doesn't work. I'd explore HIT if I were you.

Good luck!

ChocoChick · 05-01-2006, 06:23 PM

I've stayed out of this thread because the title just made me giggle. I mean, do you really think there is life after kids? Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

J/K

Well, sorta.

Anyway, I started working out for the first time right after my first child was born. I got a membership to a local gym, handed baby to dad, and headed out the door for an hour a day. I needed to do this for my mental health and physical well-being. (Now, if only I'd had a clue about what to do in the gym aside from tons of cardio.... but that's another story.) In any case, for me, having a child gave me that much more incentive to get in shape. Not only because of the vanity factor (I refused to be one of those women who gained 10 pounds with each baby) but more importantly because my health was suddenly so much more important with a little one in the picture.

As everyone here has said, it's do-able. You may have to give up something else, or you might be a bit tired for some of your workouts (but hey, you're only 30 so you can deal with a little sleep-deprivation), but the point is, if this is a priority to you, you will find a way to keep it in your life.

Also, most babies sleep through the night by around 3 months or 13 pounds or so...

ceffo · 05-01-2006, 10:53 PM

thanks for the reply guys..

Ive never been a "morning' person as i tend to lift my best after 5-6 meals and in the morning ill be lucky to be lifting the bar.. Its not an excuse.. more so that when im at the gym its 100% sets or nothing at all.. If i havent been getting 7 hours min sleep a night ill get a shiety workout.. Still if its got to be then its got to be.. Ill look more into HIT training then..

lukamar · 05-02-2006, 10:41 AM

My son will be 9 months in a couple of days. My advice is stay flexible because if you try and keep to a set schedule with a newborn you will be doomed from the start, unless you are very lucky.

Breast feeding and a home gym work for me. Some times when I'm working out the little guy wakes up and I have to babysit, until mom gets up. I refuse to have the baby in my workout room, when I'm working out, for safety reasons, so I sometimes have to scrub my workout. I just reschedule it for when it is convenient. If I have to mis a workout day I just move it to the next day and hope everything works out better.

I put a baby gate in the doorway to my gym and he now likes to stand there and watch while I workout. Keeping me happy and him safe. There is always a work around if you stay flexible.

Also consider making sure mom gets some time to herself for both her and your sanity. Aran loves to watch the soccer games with me, and as long as there is interesting movement on the TV and we are will stocked with cookies, we are both happy.