Post Natal Exercise

Following on from yesterday's post on eating well when you have a newborn, today's post is about exercise when you have a baby (or a toddler for that matter).

Before I fell pregnant with C I worked out that exercise was the key to me staying reasonably slim.  For me personally, as long as I exercised regularly, then I could pretty much eat what I wanted (in moderation).  It was swimming that really helped keep me in shape.  I have been a strong swimmer since childhood and have found half an hour speed swimming twice a week could do me wonders.

After C's birth I wanted to get back into exercising as soon as possible before I lost momentum but waited until after the 6 week check to be given the all clear by the doctor (waste of time in my opinion).  I then ran in to a problem.  First I tried exercising in the evening (my original exercising time) but found I was too tired after a day of looking after a baby on my own.  I then switched to trying to exercise first thing in the morning when I was most awake.  This worked great for the exercise but meant I was too exhausted for the rest of the day to effectively parent C.  I needed sleep!

Nearly 18 months later and the same problem is still an issue.  How does anyone have the energy to exercise and look after a child full time?  I seriously would like to hear all sensible suggestions or your own experiences!!!