I'm sorry if somebody has posted this already, but have you looked for a DVD that you could do with your child? I'm looking for some good mommy and me yoga DVDs.

Hey there!  I'm a stay at home mother, who just gave birth to my 2nd child in July, and my kids are 13 months apart, so I am having a hard time finding any time to structure a work out.  Not just the time... but the energy!  I am trying my hardest to squeeze in extra activity with my day to day routines.  Instead of cleaning one room at a time, I do it by task, for example, vacuuming the whole house at once, or even just washing all the windows, etc.  This requires more walking than doing room by room tasks and can get my blood really pumping.  I try to do about 1/2 hour of solid cleaning, as vigourous as I can in the evenings when my husband can watch the kids.  Last night I cleaned our living room really well.  I was moving furniture, vacuuming, scrubbing, etc.  It's not as good as a "structured" workout, but I still felt good about it, and I didn't have to "make time" by abandoning my household obligations.

I am also trying to get the kids out for a walk when it's nice.  I like to wear my son in a front pack carier.  They make lots of styles of carriers for kids, some work for much larger children as well, up to 45 lbs.  So, his added weight adds to the intensity of walking, and I also own a pair of ankle weights, which can help too!  I am pushing a stroller, but otherwise I might consider hand weights too, or even a second set of ankle weights can be strapped around your wrists to leave your arms free.

I don't have as much energy as I'd like, but I'm trying to make the most of the energy I do have by multi-tasking.  Taking the kids for a walk entertains them, and gives me exercise, cleaning vigorously is obviously for 2 purposes, etc.  I don't know when I'll have the time or energy to really do a full workout DVD or anything, but I take pride in the little things.  I have some hand weights in the living room, and I want to start doing some small stuff, like tricep moves, when I'm playing with my daughter.  Every little bit helps right?!

Congrats on your weightloss so far!  Eight pounds would put me under 300 again, which I can't wait to see. (MY baby fat is only the last 50 pounds or so. The rest, I've had since high school.)

Oh how I would love to walk with the kids. HOWEVER...I live in Florida. I am sure no one watches the weather for Central Florida, but we've been averaging mid 90's everyday, when it isn't raining. Great news, though. My husband is willing to give up his cell phone so that we can pay for a gym membership. We actually have a Shape's Total Fitness WITH a nursery within 10 miles from here. EVERYTHING is at least 10 miles from here.

Thanks for the support. We're gonna make it!

I have and underactive thyroid as well, which I developed after baby #3.  Now that I have baby #4/baby # last, I am making a big effort to try to lose weight for good.  I am even aiming at a goal weight that I have never been to before.  My baby is 7 weeks old.  So far so good, I have lost 8 lbs. in 2 1/2 weeks!  I was nervous as this is the first time trying to lose the weight after thyroid diagnosis.  We have workout equipment in our house, via my husband who is a triathlete.  But getting a video is easy to do.  My husband and I are doing a really difficult program now together, and the kids join in as well (7,5 &2)...sometimes they are in the way, sometimes they aren't.  Would your husband watch the baby while you worked out or do exercise with you after she goes to sleep?  I live out in the sticks too (no street lights), and I agree, I like to go for walks too.  I do it early in the morning so I don't have to take anyone with me:)  It is so relaxing to walk and listen to music that I like and just have some alone time.  Another thought is just doing laps around your yard if you have some type of play equipment or something to keep her occupied...the important thing is that you are moving and getting your heart rate up.  Good Luck!

 I'm also a SAHM living in the middle on nowhere. We do have a gym but they are closed when my husband is home and I don't have anyone to watch the kids.  I've started walking a few times a week. My three year old can walk by himself and I put my baby in either a baby carrier or in the stroller which helps me burn even more calories than walking by myself. It's hot out so we usually go early in the morning before the sun is really up.

August 8th, 2007 I started the most comprehensive workout and diet plan I had ever attempted. I started out weighing 320 pounds. By Halloween, I was down to 290 pounds. I was so happy with how I looked in my costume. I was able show off a somewhat smaller tummy, which made my chest look bigger, which made my husband happy...

Surprise, surprise. Thanksgiving night, we made a baby. By Christmas, I was up to 310 pounds, again. Then the morning sickness started. I actually lost weight during those first few months of throwing up 9 times a day. Got down to 290 again. But, alas, the day I went into labor, August 17th, 2008, I was 313 pounds. I left the hospital at 298 pounds (rather disappointing, if you ask me), with a beautiful 5 1/2 pound baby girl.

Within a few weeks, I was down to 285 and so happy. But then the weight started piling back on. Around January, I started back at the gym and was losing weight. But there's always something that keeps you from following through. Mine was that we moved away from the gym and into the middle of nowhere, with no gym or facility anywhere around.

Well, Happy Birthday Lillian. She is a year today. And here I am, still 305 pounds. I am glad that I am not 320 pounds anymore. But, I realize now how easy it would be to get back there again.

I have hypothyroidism, which has been a problem since after my first child, for 6 years now. It means that my thyroid doesn't produce enough of the hormone that controls the body's metabolism and several other functions. So, it is difficult to maintain weight but near impossible to lose weight without medicine.

But I am on medicine and I should be able to drop weight at leasat moderately with some effort. The challenge is finding the energy to do it. I know most of us are just starting out with new babies and trying to get some of the weight off.

Any suggestions for easy ways to sneak in physical activity when you are a stay at home mom in the middle of nowhere?