[qwerty2020]

Author here - I would consider my lifestyle intentionally laid back, yes (to the capacity I'm able to at least) :)

However, it's just a 4 day standard weight lifting routine (1 hr/day) but includes total time door to door (changing, commuting, lifting, commuting back). I enjoy this though, so aside from the mood/longevity benefits would do it anyways.

[KirinDave]

I have a 4 year old and I foster rescue dogs.

I dimly remember a time in my life where what you're describing was possible, but these days I'm just happy if I can do an okay job at work and still find time to hit the machines in my house. It is definitely a difference in our attitudes towards this activity that you don't call that "free" time.

[kungtotte]

I get up at 4 AM for work (i.e no time to do anything in the morning apart from breakfast, brushing teeth and getting dressed) and most days I'm done at work by 3 PM, home by 3:30-4:00. My wife has already picked the three-year old up from day care. He's playing, watching TV, or helping me make dinner. I clean as I go when cooking so the kitchen ends up clean and the dishwasher reloaded/run during this time, then we sit down to eat as a family and we're done around 5PM.

Clean those things up and do a quick chore (vacuuming takes about 15 minutes, or load/run the washing machine, etc.) and then play pretty much uninterrupted with the kid for 1.5-2 hours while my wife does her thing or vice-versa. Some days we just lark as a family by going to the playground or whatever. 6:30-7:30 is bedtime routine for the little guy with bathing, brushing teeth, winding down and then lullaby. 7:30-10PM (my bedtime) is when we have quality time together, our own hobbies, etc.

We don't foster dogs, that's true, but we have other interests that take a fair bit of time each week. So while we do double up a bit on "parenting time" and "chores", you can see how there's absolutely enough time for each of us to spend 1 hour/day doing health and fitness related activities while the other one takes care of the kid. If you're a single parent this all goes out the window, obviously.

[KirinDave]

> you can see how there's absolutely enough time for each of us to spend 1 hour/day doing health and fitness related activities while the other one takes care of the kid. If you're a single parent this all goes out the window, obviously.

Actually, I'm waiting for you to actually detail the sport where that hour fits. The dogs take up another hour or two, and require extra playtime.

For me, because I sync up with folks in the UK at a time reasonable to them I'm usually on the phone by 7am 3 days a week. I need to be in the office until around 4-4:30, and as I have to interface with San Francisco commutes I have a 45- 60m commute.

Honestly, maybe you're just using a different definition of fitness time. 3 days a week, my commute requires I walk a mile and get that done quickly or I'll be late for meetings. But that's just walking, it's not "fitness". I suspect folks here are rather generous with the definition.

[kungtotte]

If I look after the kid between 5:30 PM and 6:30 and my wife takes 6:30 until 7:30, we both get an hour each day to do whatever we want. So... there's the slot in our schedule right there?

We could stretch it to 90 minutes apiece without sweating, which would account for us driving to the gym and back if that's what we did, but we both focus on bodyweight fitness at home instead so we really only need an hour.

The stuff about your phone times and commute wasn't really part of your original comment. I was just offering a point of view that you can "have a life" even with small children and hobbies, it's all in how you prioritise.

[KirinDave]

I can't really imagine not being there to put the kids to bed, if I'm honest.

[em-bee]

fostering rescue dogs is where you invest your free time in. it's a worthwhile use of your time, and you probably wouldn't do it if you didn't get something out of it.

[KirinDave]

It costs lots of money and the people who adopt them never know me. I don't get anything out of it at all.

[em-bee]

then why do you do it? (i don't mean to criticize your choice, but i am curious, and i wonder if we can discover a motivation or reward that you haven't considered. i certainly believe that you are doing something good, so i wonder why you feel you get nothing out of it)

edit: i just thought about this some more and i realized that there are plenty of situations that could have brought you to where you are. i don't want to speculate what though.