that gym time shuffle
Hi friends! How’s the morning going? Happy humpday! It feels like quite the musical week over here. Liv started piano lessons on Monday (and loved it!!) and I’m taking Miss P to her first baby music class this morning. I’m always excited for the chance to meet fellow mamas in the area, and I think it will be good for P to know that babies exist haha. She hangs out with a lot of older kids, so I think she’ll enjoy seeing babies her age.
Yesterday afternoon, I ended up lying low, since I was still exhausted and feeling gross from the poke bowl sadness. I took the girls to the park so Liv could run free and bury her feet,
and then came home for dinner, jammies and The Voice. Not a bad way to spend the evening. 😉 Usually the Pilot and I would have sandwiched gym times, but I took the night off and he went to the gym for a late weights sesh.
Since I started my new training routine last week, the Pilot and I have worked to coordinate gym time a little more strategically. Usually I’d just get in a weights, TRX or cardio workout here at home, but since my plan uses specific tools (like the Smith machine, cable machines, battle ropes, and barbells), I’ve had to actually go to the gym for many of my workouts. The Pilot and I are also working hard to reduce sugar in our diets -even though I totally made cookies with Liv and ate dough the other day. #treatyoself- so it’s been amazing to have a partner in workout crime. 😉
The Pilot is on month 10 (?) of an intense strength training plan. He’s already noticed huge increases in strength and energy. (He wrote a post on his training a while ago.) With our gym shuffling, I thought it would be interesting to talk about how you split your workouts with your partner and prepare for a healthy week, especially if you work full-time and/or have kiddos to wrangle, too.
Here are some of the things that have helped us, and that we’ve enjoyed:
-We prep for the week together. The Pilot does the grocery shopping while I clean and get work stuff finished on Sundays. When he gets home, we put the groceries away together and start prepping eats for the week. Some ideas of the things we’ll make are here and here, but it will almost always involve chopped veggies, grilled chicken (this week we did turkey burgers to switch it up) and baked sweet potatoes.
-We coordinate off days and schedules. For example, if I know the Pilot will be working late, I’ll try to hit up the gym earlier with P so he can go later that night. If he can get in a workout before he heads home from work, he’ll do that so I can go later that night. The nights I teach barre, he’ll either hit the gym late or take it as an off day. We’ll usually talk about what we have going on that week so we can coordinate our schedules. Now that P is older and her reflux is becoming more manageable, I feel more comfortable taking her to childcare at the gym and can get in a daytime workout. We’re good friends with all of the girls who work in childcare, which makes me feel better about her hanging out in there for a little while.
-We work out together when we can. Sometimes it’s a Beachbody cardio workout here at home, the rare occasion when we can hit the gym for strength at the same time, or even when we simply take walks or enjoy activities as a family.
-It’s instant support. It would be a LOT harder for me to try and reduce sugar if the Pilot was bringing home donuts. This way, we support each other in our goals, and don’t have FOMO. 😉 I really want to increase my lean muscle and clean up my eats, and feel like having a buddy along the way will help a lot.
I got my body fat tested with Jolen at the Body Fat Test last week. I’ll be using this as a method to gauge my progress as I work to increase my lean muscle.
(You can read more about my first hydrostatic weighing experience here! It also includes details for some of the common body fat testing methods.)
At least the water is warm. I am a giant chicken.
As always, Jolen is amazing, and was able to give my some insight and tips as I completed the test. (He’s also a coach at my beloved OTF.) For all of my friends who are local to San Diego and would like to try the experience, hit up Jolen at bodyfattest dot com.
In addition to your lean muscle, body fat percentage, and weight, they also provide some dietary guidelines and macro suggestions. Of course, body fat doesn’t paint a full picture of overall health, but it’s far more insightful than measuring weight alone. I’m excited to have a baseline as I try out some new things.
So tell me friends: how do you split up your gym time with your partner? If you work full-time, when do you usually work out? Friends with kiddos: do you mostly work out at home? (Shameless plug: all of the PBB workouts can be completed at home with dumbbells. 😉 )
Have a wonderful morning and I’ll see ya later today on the Family page!
xoxo
Gina
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We are kiddo free which obviously makes things a lot easier, but we do have a pup to get home to after work (we both work 8-5, and at the same company), so usually someone needs to head straight home. I am a bigger fan of working out in the morning, so I’ll do that usually 2 times a week so I can head straight home after work and Dave can go to the gym. I am also a fan of Beachbody on Demand or HIIT workouts that can be done at home, which makes that all easier! If I’m working out after work, it needs to happen RIGHT after work or it usually isn’t happening.
Dave and I have actually come to realize and accept that we don’t really prefer the same types of workouts (I’ve been trying to get him to a sculpt class for years 😉 ), so working out together is tough unless it’s in the form of hiking or biking.
Cookie dough? Treat yoself.
My fiancé goes to the gym in the morning and I go after work (since I am apparently the sleepiest person in the world), and we shuffle puppy wrangling that way.
Also, I had to cut way, way back on dairy, gluten, and sugar to avoid feeling so sluggish all the time, and my fiancé is doing it as part of a new fitness routine. It makes it SO MUCH easier to cook when you’re both eating the same types of things!
A lot of juggling to fit everything in and fitness for two people but I love how you show others that it can be done with a little planning and coordination!
Love this! I don’t have any children so it definitely makes it easier, but both my partner and I have very demanding jobs, so we often work 80+ hours in a week (each). We try and support each other with meals and other household chores so we can stay healthy and exercise. We also both workout solely from home, and generally for a 30-45 minute time period each time.
splitting gym time has taken some getting used to for us since the birth of our daughter in Sept. as a SAHM, i reaallyyy wish my gym had childcare, but, unfortunately, even in an area with lots of sahm’s, they don’t offer it. so, usually, i take 2 nights a week to workout, and my hubby takes the other 2. we each try to get to the gym once on the weekend. it works pretty well. occassionally, grandparents will stay with baby in the morning when i go or hubs will workout right after work, and i’ll go later in the evening. we’ve been making it work because our health is super important to both of us!
My husband is very active, but doesn’t really like working out. He takes walks with the dogs and it always up moving around. I used to bug him constantly to workout with me (or on his own) but now I just embrcae it and enjoy the extra time that I can spend working out while he gets things done around the house. It works for us so it is great!
Totally can relate here. It’s so hard juggling two kiddos and taking care of yourself, too. I find right now I have to wake up at 5 am to get my workout in (at home), because naps have become rather unpredictable (teething is the worst!).
I love what you said about spouses supporting one another. You seem like you have a really great marriage. My husband and I are likewise 100% on the same page with nutrition and exercise – and it makes life so much easier. Also, really fun to have a hobby together 🙂
I’m so lucky that my 6 month old doesn’t mind playing in his pack-n-play while I workout for up to an hour most days. He’s pack-n-play is in our home gym/office so as long as he can see Mommy bouncing around like a goofball he’s happy. I do think my husband and I may start training for a marathon together this summer, so hopefully baby doesn’t mind long runs in the stroller!
I love that you and Tom support each other with working out. Josh and I like to do the same thing, although right now it’s more motivating each other to get back into it than anything else. 😉
I’ve always wanted to get my body fat tested that way. I need to find somewhere to do it!
I do both home and gym.
Typically I have two hours of naptime per day where all three kids(I have an inhome daycare) nap at the same time so I do a one hour workout at home in my home gym. Then in the evening both my husband and I will either go to the gym or walk a few miles together.
We both work full time, no kids just a pup, and are pretty lucky to be able to workout during the day at work. Two days a week I go in early for a class before work, and he does the stuff at home, and he goes in early to workout with a friend occasionally. If he didn’t value healthy living/eating, it would be a real struggle, he has helped me expand my palate and increased by spice tolerance by about a zillion :). We usually go to the gym together on the weekends and enjoy nice long walks together with the pup.
My husband isn’t a fan of working out (cardio wise) but we did just buy a weight set and are finishing our basement, so once that’s all done I know he will get into the weights again. Thankfully he majorly changed how he eats so we are on the same page now which has been SO wonderful!
it’s crazy what a difference that makes!
We have 2 young kiddos (3 months and 2 1/2yo) so I do mornings at home in our basement gym before they wake up (I wake up at 4:30) and my husband works out over his lunch hour (his company has a great gym there). Weekends we try and squeeze in a workout together at home during naptimes!!
that sounds perfect!
Gina, would you mind sharing how you found the trainer you are currently using? It seems like people with all different certifications are designing fat loss/nutrition/workout plans for the public and selling them. I am not opposed to using a trainer who is long distance. Is there a site you visited or specific Google search you did? Or were you just lucky enough to have friends who have had success with her?
I love your blog and respect your advice!
Carrie
the pilot is friends with a girl he went to college with and her husband, so we became Facebook friends and chat randomly. she has done bikini competitions and i asked what her eating style was like. she referred me to her trainer. i think with long distance, it’s best to go by word of mouth and referrals. like you said, there are a lot of people selling “plans” out there without the education/experience/success stories to back it up
xoxo
I enjoy any time I get to spend with my hubby so it’s great whenever he gets to join me for a run, walk, hike, bike ride, etc. He never goes to the pool with me but I get to enjoy that with one of my girl friends so I let it slide 😉
hahaha i guess that would be ok 😉
Hi Gina! This is so cool. You are brave 🙂 I’m wondering what your suggested macros are. I follow the Zone macros which is 40/30/30 for C/P/F but I’m always interested to see what other people do and if you include carb cycling, intermittent fasting, etc. But regardless of all that, would you be able to share what he suggested your macros are as a postpartum momma trying to build lean muscle?
i’m not sure because i just started, but my guess is that it’s carb cycling. my carbs are high right now (60%) and i usually do more like 50% carbs naturally, when i’m just eating whatever.
jolen suggested 40/30/30 and gave the a calorie count that was exactly what my trainer has me at
Carb cycling is great! I’ve been doing for a year and have shed all my baby weight.
Interesting! I’m going to look into carb cycling. Its just so hard to do something like that and live a “normal” life. Thanks ladies. Congrats on your weight loss Angie. Keep up the good work Gina! <3
The Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing sounds so interesting! I am going to read your post on it and look for places in San Francisco. I’m a little nervous about going under water though since I’m not a big water person… at least it’s warm!
Please share more about the Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing. I had my fat/ strength/ flexibility tested at our HAWK about 2 years ago and it was so interesting. It made me even more interested in women’s health too because they comments they bad about my fat percentage. Love to hear your intake on this topic.
Being that I work swings, I workout first thing in the am. I wake up get me daughter started on her breakfast then hit the base gym. My mom is our live-in grandma/nanny so I have it easier. I do weights at the gym. I prefer cardio at home..LOVE Beachbody on Demand (im doing a mix with 21 Day Fix Extreme, Insanity Max 30 and the new 22 minute Hard Corps).
Im following a workout plan from bodybuilding dot com and I follow a carb cycling plan from Gina Aliotti
Unfortunately ever since my husband retired from the AF he doesn’t care to workout LOL. Hes tiny anyway, hes Asian and has a fast metabolism. I am getting him to eat better though.
love beachbody on demand, too! what do you think of hard corps?
I like it. Its intense and a quick workout. Its slower pace intense then what i expected (lol Insanity) BUT i noticed my HR was high and i was super sweaty.
Since the birth of our son 3 years ago, we have been trying various things to get a system that works for us and I think we finally got it right by choosing at home workouts. We both work full-time and want to be able to be together in the evenings so it has been the best option for us. We don’t workout at the same time, but typically both workout after work. Our son is around during this time, but it ends up setting a really good example for him. We did invest in weights, restistance bands, and a rower to create a space that is functional. Currently we are on our second round of Hammer & Chisel from Beachbody and I love that it’s put us both on the same page with nutrition and physical fitness. Things have evolved as our schedules change and our son gets older, but this really seems to be something that will work for us in the long term so I’m glad we are doing it.
I love your blog and have been reading for 5 years…but your banner ads are getting out of control and progressively more annoying! having an interstitial ad pop up while I’m reading is not an ideal consumer experience.
hi natalie,
thank you so much for reading for so long.
i’m so sorry to hear about that! i’m pretty picky about the brands and types of ads on my site. the problem is that instead of 1 ad company, i now have about 6, so it’s trickier to know what company is placing annoying ads. you know what particular ad it is? if you see it again, would you mind letting me know what you see exactly? this way i can ask my ad guy to disable it for me
thank you!
I need to cut back on sugar and dairy desperately. Any tips? I’ve done the whole 10-day sugar detoxes before and was able to complete them and really reduce my sugar intake for awhile, but I’m currently a full time med student and the stress just makes me want COOKIES all the time. I can’t handle it! I know that my body would feel soooo much better if I cut back but for some reason there is a missing connection between what my brain knows and what my mouth wants to taste and so… cookies. Halp 🙁
i feel ya. with the sleep deprivation, i was crushing girl scout cookies like it was my job. that sugar energy is nice, but the crash is REAL.
are you drinking enough water? eating frequent healthy meals? getting enough sleep with your frantic schedule? all of these things can affect sugar cravings.
i would say maybe try making a healthier cookie, but it just makes the real ones sound so much better if that’s what you’re really craving. i would try to drink a lot of water, make an entire day’s worth of healthy eats, and eat your healthy food. if you’re still hankering for a cookie, i would eat one and enjoy it. hopefully by working on those other factors, and allowing yourself to just have it if that’s what you really want, will help!
I am a bit late commenting on this thread (it has been busier than I’d like), but if you have any ideas on what to do if your hubby does bring home donuts and you want to reduce sugar, any help is welcome. (Yes, I can wait for an entire blog post, too, that would be awesome!)
So far I have been stockpiling on fruit and allowing myself a small piece of dark chocolate when the cravings hit the roof. But the freezer is filled with ice cream and I find it really hard to resist…
it is so hard! for me, i find the best tool is that if i really want it, i just eat a little bit and take the time to enjoy it. this way i don’t feel deprived and go overboard later
Hi. My husband and I are exploring investing in either Body Fat Test or Fitness Wave hydrostatic body fat testing and wondered if you have Jolen contact information so that we could ask him some questions. An email address would be awesome. We are in Virginia and can’t find ANYONE that does hydrostatic testing. Love your blog and find that reading in greader is WAY easier than online because the ads in Crome make it so very slow….JCPenny ad is the worst. Thanks!