Exercising Multiple Times A Day

massedeffect

Hi everyone,

I'm new to MFP so please excuse me if I make any mistakes or have posted to the wrong area!

I'm really worried about my weight and am seriously considering taking some time off work to focus on 'jumpstarting' my fitness. Currently, my work schedule means I get home too late and leave home too early to go to any gyms and too tired to work out at home, also I eat unhealthily by having lunch out all the time and often dinner too.

I am mulling taking a month-long break simply to force myself onto a better diet and get into the habit of exercising. This would be a self-imposed bootcamp, I guess? If so, would doing exercise in morning and afternoon sessions be effective? Any help would be much appreciated.

mperrott2205

Losing weight = Caloric deficit. Focus on your diet first and weight will instantly start to lose weight. Working out just allows you to eat more during the day to help recovery when building muscle.

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ - do this.

Elsie_Brownraisin

Hi,

You may not be able to fit this in with your work schedule, but I find it better to exercise in the morning, It helps me to concentrate at work and I try to avoid exercise after 6 pm as I then find it difficult to sleep. But other people may disagree.

I'm not sure about taking a month off to change your diet and start exercising, because it may be best fit gradual changes into your normal routine. If you are still eating out several times a week as part of your job, it may be easier to slip back into old habits once your strict limits have been lifted.

massedeffect

Thanks for your advice. Part of the 'month off' would be to keep myself away from restaurants, force myself to stop eating carbs, and have the time to figure out a healthy diet. Right now, just as I have no time to exercise, I have no time to cook either. But I am taking your words into consideration and debating, perhaps, a 'half-day' approach.

runningjen74

I suppose some people work better on an all or nothing approach, but I'd be afraid that it's not sustainable. You'll go back to work and find that you don't have time. Your problem at the moment is you feel there's a mountain of change and no time?

For me I like to change one habbit at a time. If I start the day well, I tend to continue it. But maybe your worst habbits are at night.

E.g. Breakfast - plan out your breakfasts for the next week. Do this, where you know you've breakfast sorted for the next x weeks, then start on say snacks in work. Repeat for a few weeks. Within say 2 months you've breakfast/lunch/snacks sorted, maybe even dinner. Maybe one of the habbits is exercise - try and fit in a walk at lunch time, etc..

Exercise for me gets split out over the day all the time. This week I've cycled in/out of work about 30 min each way. I've squeezed in 2-3 weights sessions all of them different times of day. I've ran at lunch time with a colleague twice. Missed a run last weekend, but ran to visit my mother instead of driving - 3.5km each way. I've missed my swimming,but I'll get back in the pool tomorrow. Just move more, all day, every day. I was coming through the airport recently and I was the only one using the stairs.

Also - it's about getting the best combination of food and exercise right and ensuring it's sustainable. There have been times where I've wanted to work out but this wouldn't have left enough time to get my food sorted for the week. One extra work out versus having food prepped in the fridge - the food wins. That sets me up for 3-4 days of good food options.

In summary - splitting out exercise, no big deal, but I don't think it's the solution for you. Why not take a day or even a half day off a week or a fortnight and use this to cook lots of healthy freezer meals. Focus on exercise at the weekend and say walking at lunch time? Start small and continuous improvements - it's a change for life.

ps - when your getting lots of nutrients and exercising a bit (eating lots of fruit/veg/whole foods + moving more) most people find they have more energy so getting the exercise in will be easier.

RunnerElizabeth

I think taking a month off to focus on this is a risky approach. It's a lifestyle change and if you are doing it outside of your normal life routine, when you go back to work you are going to be faced with the same challenges you have now.

I would suggest a more gradual approach. Work on eating healthy first since that's 80 percent and gradually add excercise. Start with walking.

About not having the time, I totally get it. I'm a single mom of a 3 yearold and we are out of the house from 7:30am to 7pm monday - friday. I have to make the time. I do make the time by splitting things up. I run on my lunch for 30-40 minutes and I do my strength at home after the kid is in bed and chores are done. This means I'm often doing my strength at 10pm. Do I want to excercise then? Not usually, but I do it because it's the only time available to me.

Are you spending time watching tv in the evening? That's when I do my workout. I watch some ridiculous show on cable and have do my workout using the You Are Your Own Gym ap on my phone. I consider it my tv time, not excercise time. Works for me.

But diet is the biggest thing, even if you have to eat out, you can still make healthier choices. I prepare breakfasts and lunches for myself to take with me. I do overnight refrigerator oatmeals (takes 5 mins to prepare the night before, no cooking, and it's got a lot of bang for your buck nutrition wise). I also do a lot of smoothies and homemade whole grain muffifins . None of these things take more than minutes to prepare and I make things ahead and freeze. I also eat tons of salads and and I make soups as well. Basically my freezer is always filled with tons of things for me to grab and eat on the go, which really helps for making healthy choices.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. It wasn't easy for me to get here, but I was gaining 5 lbs a year after child birth so I just had to stop and take charge of it.

Coyotemama

A program that you might find helpful for fitting exercise in is Ten Minute Trainer. It's a series of routines and each one is only ten minutes long. You wouldn't think that you could do much in that time, but Tony Horton really gets you working and makes the most out of a short period.

I have to agree with some of the others that taking time off might be risky in the long run. I teach and having the summers off means that I have more time to devote to exercising but I have often found it difficult to maintain the schedule I created during the summer. Last summer, I lost 30 pounds only to gradually gain them back over the school year. This summer I'm working at finding a routine that I know will be manageable once the school year begins again.

You have to do what you think it best for yourself and I wish you the very best in it.

fiberartist219

Once that time off of work is over, you're back the the same grind. I suggest you work with what you've already got.

Eating healthy does not mean it has to be time consuming. Nuts, dried berries, peanut butter sandwiches, etc, do not require much preparation.

Or, if you're eating out, almost every place has a salad of some sort. Fast food places are even trying to make more options for healthy eating. It's not an all or nothing type of thing.

As far as working out goes, you can do little things, like park farther away from the door, take the stairs, get up from your desk at least once an hour to refill a water bottle... and of course drink lots of water.

I understand how the pressure from work can make you freak out. I have been working 50 hours a week for the last three weeks, and yes, I've blown off a workout or two, but that doesn't erase what I've already done.. and a 20 minute workout still counts!

You have to start somewhere. Baby steps are more likely to stick with you.

massedeffect

Thamks for everyone's insights and links, I really do appreciate them. I would like to reframe my question: I AM going to take a month off, not only for fitness. Would it be better to simply do exercise in a way that I will be able to sustain when work resumes, or should I take advantage of this time to exercise multiple sessions a day? If this is inefficient, you see, I won't get a gym membership, but if it would pay off I might invest in a month of gym membership.