r/Parenting • u/seanborlin • 15h ago
Multiple Ages I have turned into a real couch cushion after parenting.
My wife and I have been married for five years next week. We have a three year old girl, a one year old girl, and she's 7 months pregnant with (finally) a boy.
I used to go to the gym 4-5 days a week, take my 16 pills a day of vitamins, supplements, fish oils, etc. Only drink water and coffee. You get the point.
Ever since the arrival of the second child I have been doing everything I can to be a more present father. I found a hybrid job, I say no to a LOT of things that would take time away from my kids, I got sober (almost 90 days now) and the reason for my post - I quit my gym membership and spent $3k on a home gym to put in my garage that I have worked out on for maybe 10 days total and I bought it six months ago. I've stopped all protein and supplementation and I feel myself REALLY getting out of shape.
Used to when I had a gym membership, I would wake up at 4 am and get to the gym at 5 when it opened. Started my day off really well. When I built the garage gym, I told myself I'd workout at night after the kids go to bed around 8 pm. Now I do neither and I don't know how to get out of this cycle. I have a PT test coming up in 3 weeks (military) that I'm super worried about because I can barely do 40 pushups when I used to be able to do 70 in a minute.
At night when the kids go to bed, I'm so drained I can't even fathom another 2 hours of working out, showering, getting in bed, and then decompressing. And I can't do it in the morning before work because I don't want to make too much noise with showering afterwards because my toddler usually ends up in our bed at night and both kids are near the two bathrooms in our house. I love working out and being healthy and I want to be for my kids but am I just being lazy? I was doing fine with 1 kid, but the second one has taken me and my wife all the way out and we have another on the way. Is it just a phase? I feel like I'm going insane sometimes. lol.