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Comment by kevinconaway | Hacker News Reader

Do you have children?

I used to run or cycle at least 5 days a week but since my daughter was born (and stopped being an infant) it is a struggle to keep a regular exercise regimen.

I try to run with her in a jogging stroller when I can but this is much more susceptible to foul weather than when I could just adjust my own clothing.

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I do and it can be tough to balance without time management. But I've long since become a morning workout person and during the week I just get my workout in before everyone is awake. My gym is not too far away either and at 5:30 in the morning there isn't much in the way of traffic so I am there in no time. I also have a bike trainer for when it's nasty out.

Go to sleep early, ideally same time as your daughter, then wake up early. While she still sleeps you have time for yourself.

One practical tip: join a gym with an indoor pool and sign your daughter up for swimming lessons as soon as she's old enough. Then you'll have 30 minutes twice a week to exercise yourself.

No kids, but I know people who do have them. If you have the space, get a power rack and you can do workouts when you have the time. If you don't have the space, there are tons of body weight workouts. You can also get kettle bells. The point is to do something physical every day.

And yes, life can cause exercise to suffer. Kids, work, etc... will throw curve balls. Do what you can, and keep the fire going. Maintain until you get back to going hard.

I do and workout nearly every day. You just have to find the time. It's not always easy, but we find time for the things that are important to us.

Kids make exercise during the week a struggle.

If I had kids I don't think I could afford losing the energy boost exercise gives me, for their sake.

Not to mention the huge benefit of kids seeing their parents exercise. My 6 year old asked to go for a "run" with me last night, so we ran a ~500m loop together before I went off on my own. We both really enjoyed it :)

If you are chasing after your kids you are doing more than enough exercise.

I can't tell if you're joking or not but this is not close to being true. See for example the millions of obese parents in North America.

edit: to expand, it's unlikely you're getting your heart rate elevated to see much improvement in your cardiovascular system or doing much of any resistance training.

Thats because those millions of obese parents mostly sit on their couch, play video games and drive kids around. Start actually chasing them.

It's a bit tougher with kids but not much tbh (obviously it's harder if you're a single parent). You just have to do it in the morning before they get up, after they go to bed, or during lunch hour.

I started to run to work and back, and during the weekend to run before anyone else at home wakes up.

Are you on your own? Can't you run after she goes to bed?

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