How do you guys fit everything in the day ?
justkeepontrying4ever
Posts: 6 Member
Can anyone tell me what they do to fit there meals in and for exercise in thruout the day? It seems that cooking food and preparation for each meal and dishes , stuff like that takes up like the whole day and then I have no time for exercise and I hate that cus I want to be able to incorporate exercise
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Replies
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What does your current schedule look like? Do you watch much tv/Netflix? I had a period of time where I didn't have a tv or internet access and I was sooo much more productive.
For me I like to batch cook. Not necessarily the hard core 7 day meal prep that you see on instagram but when I cook a meal I make extra portions that go in the freezer for when I'm home late, time poor or just cbf'd cooking. Keeping things simple also helps (and is often healthier). There are a lot of shortcuts you can take with cooking (like buying pre-chopped frozen veg).
I work full time, play sport and gym 5-6 times a week and am studying a unit at uni and still find time to cook and socialise but you need to be organised.1 -
I usually just cook 1-4 times per week, and make enough to have leftovers for lunch and dinner. For breakfast, I usually just have fruit and/or nuts, a smoothie, or overnight oats all of which require little time to make. If I know I'm going to be super busy, I'll make several things on Saturday or Sunday to eat during the week. What are you making that takes up the whole day? There are plenty of good and easy to make recipes that take less than an hour.
I usually exercise before or after work. My work hours can be long and unpredictable. Exercising late in the evening doesn't keep me from being able to sleep so even if I work super late I'll often still go for a run.0 -
Breakfast for me is usually a protein bar. I'm never hungry before work but am at 1st break around 9am. It's easy and I like them. Weekends I'll make eggs, but that's 4 items to wash total and 10 minutes top to cook and clean up.
Lunch is either a sandwich and raw fruit & veg or leftovers from dinner. 5 minute prep and zero clean up since I use a paper plate lol.
Dinner, weekdays I make very simple meals. Baked chicken or pork, microwaved or roasted sweet (sometimes white) potato and a veg (often a steamer bag of frozen) is a very common meal. I do others but nearly all are under 30 minutes. 10 minutes prep, maybe 30-45 oven time and 10 minutes of clean up.
Snacks are almost all prepackaged single serve items and/or raw fruit. Near zero prep or clean up.
Weekends I do get more involved, but I'm off work and have more time to play in the kitchen.
I work 40 hours a week, shop 1-2x a week, run other errands and walk 30-60 minutes 5 nights a week. Of course I have no commute to the gym to account for, just open the door and go. I still have time to sit on my butt and read here, watch Big Brother, argue with idiots on Facebook. Simplify anything you can. Prep veggies on the weekend, batch cook proteins, make diy TV dinners for the freezer, etc.1 -
I slow cook a package of boneless skinless chicken thighs once a week, shred it, and throw it in the fridge. I use it in my breakfast eggs, make wraps for lunches most days and depending on what I'm making for dinner it sometimes makes it into that (bbq chicken quesadilla, chicken alfredo...).
Usually dinner is a protein (pork chops or chicken breast) and either rice, pasta or potatoes and some frozen veggies. Maybe 30 minutes cook time. Occasionally my partner will cook if he's not sick. Tonight he made pancakes
I work out in the evenings during the week when my daughter gets ready for bed (8pm she changes into pj's and watches a movie). That gives me at least 90 minutes. I have weights, stationary bike, bench, bands and pull up bar for my workouts (currently doing Strong Curves).
I work 45 hrs a week and have an 11 year old. Still have plenty of time for reading, TV and an occasional walk (tonight we all went to the park for an hour after dinner and walked around playing pokemon go). Usually I'm up at 6:20am to start my day. We dont get home for the day until after 5pm. Shop 1-2x a week, sometimes more if I'm particularly forgetful lol. Have company over every Monday night (my 1 rest day from working out). And I usually bake treats for that.0 -
I pack my lunch the night before so I'm not scrambling around in the morning if I decide to hit snooze. For dinner I make things that are fairly simple as I don't want to spend forever cooking. Usually chicken or steak with a baked potato or homemade mashed potatoes (that were made in advance) with veggies, burger with sweet potato fries, spaghetti, tacos, etc. I tend to recycle a lot of the same meals, but I'm okay with that. On the weekends or days off I'm able to spend more time on dinner so I'll make things that require more preparation. As far as exercise goes? Whenever I can. I walk a lot so it's fairly easy to fit it in. You can walk anytime, anywhere 0
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I spend about 5 minutes on breakfast, including packing my lunch for the day. 30 minutes to an hour to make dinner which also results in leftovers to put aside for lunch the next day or the next several day.
Usually you can find time to exercise, you just have to be willing to give up something else in order to fit it in.
Most of my own exercise comes from my job, but I still put in 6 hours a week at a dojo in the evening and my weekends are usually spent mostly outdoors being active.
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justkeepontrying4ever wrote: »Can anyone tell me what they do to fit there meals in and for exercise in thruout the day? It seems that cooking food and preparation for each meal and dishes , stuff like that takes up like the whole day and then I have no time for exercise and I hate that cus I want to be able to incorporate exercise
Morning
- dash off to work (walk + bus), no breakfast.
- two snacks that take all the time it takes to peel a banana
Lunch
- walk for about an hour ... sometimes fast, sometimes slow
- assemble lunch using the microwave and boiling water tap taking a total of about 5 minutes
Afternoon
- two snacks that take all the time it takes to peel a mandarin
- bus + walk home
- after work snack of cottage cheese and raw veggies which takes may 5 minutes to prepare
- workout for an hour or two ... could be at the gym, or in our home gym, or on my bicycle on the trainer, or cycling outside or walking outside or some combination ... whatever happens to fit in our schedule or appeal the most.
Dinner
- my husband prepares that, but I clean the kitchen and do the dishes after
- other housework
- homework for the course I'm taking in addition to working full-time
Evening
- two snacks that take all the time it takes to toast a slice of bread
I was climbing 30-40 flights of stairs a day throughout the day at work, but I've sprained a ligament in my right knee and was told to lay off the stairs for a few weeks.
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Morning:
- Pre-ride Energy bar
- Create most of packed lunch (5 minutes)
- Cycle to work (~ 1 hour)
- At work, rest of breakfast - usually instant porridge, sometimes something a bit less healthy from on-site shop or snack bar
Lunch:
- Grab sandwich from on-site shop, eat with rest of packed lunch or just packed lunch if I brought in leftovers
Afternoon:
- 2 to 3 times a week, go to gym for ~1 hour
- Snack
- Pre-ride Energy bar
- Cycle home (1-1½ hours)
Evening:
- Cook dinner if it's my turn - approx 30-45 minutes
With my partner working shifts, if she's on late shift, the evening meal often won't be cooked by me until 8pm or later or eaten until 10. Which is a bit of a pain, but does leave time in the day for the gym sessions and leaving work later as a result.0 -
what are you eating that takes a whole day to prepare?!2
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justkeepontrying4ever wrote: »Can anyone tell me what they do to fit there meals in and for exercise in thruout the day? It seems that cooking food and preparation for each meal and dishes , stuff like that takes up like the whole day and then I have no time for exercise and I hate that cus I want to be able to incorporate exercise
It seems like that but it's not really true is it? That's the excuse we make to ourselves. You would be able to fit in work, study, kids and still have time to exercise if that's your priority
It takes me 4 minutes to make breakfast. And possibly 30 active minutes to make a meal ...the rest of the time the pot or oven is doing the work ...a lot of time I batch cook at weekends and then meals are just reheat
While you are making your meals, if they really take that long to do it, do sets of squats, push ups, lunges, rows with a gallon of milk in your kitchen while you're waiting for things, climb your stairs 10 times while waiting for a pot to boil, walk round the block while the food is in the oven
Don't sit on the couch and zone out on TV ....
Walk to shops and carry back food, if you run out walk back
Can the excuses and find the way that works for you2 -
Since I've been on MFP I've realized how wrong I've been about meal prep...
Meal prep takes the bare minimum of time!
I eat the same breakfast every morning in the same container - two weetbix, 1 cup of milk, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, this takes all of two seconds to throw together.
I'll eat pretty much the same meal for lunch each week, either roast veg and a protein (which I prepare on a Sunday afternoon - takes about 1 hr to do everything- or roasted veg with a salad, a salad takes all of 5 minutes to cut lettuce, cucumber and peppers and chuck in a handful of tomatoes, some feta, a prepared protein and possibly some feta.
Snacks, even easier! Grab a 100ml yogurt and a fruit or a tub of cottage cheese and my crackers I leave at work.
Meals really don't need to take up too much of your time, and the simplier the better (In my opinion) 0 -
I meal prep lunch and dinner for the week on Sunday. Breakfast is usually quick. I have a 2 year old, take care of my family and house, work full time night shift and still manage to get to the gym 3/4 evenings a week. It's possible. Just have to make it a priority!0
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Cut out some of the non-essential stuff like washing/shaving, talking to your kids, all that stuff you do at work.
Combine exercise and chores - so combine food shopping with running and run the supermarket aisles. Buy a George Foreman grill and install it on the passenger seat of your car so that you can use your commute to prep your meals. Lunge your way to meetings. If you place your breakfast on the floor you can forget using a spoon and do push-up face first into the bowl. Add a 10lb weight to your mobile phone so that every time you read a text you're doing a bicep curl.
Seriously though - Batch cook and make exercise a priority over stuff like surfing the net, reading blog posts, checking in on F/book Instagram etc, and watching TV.1 -
justkeepontrying4ever wrote: »Can anyone tell me what they do to fit there meals in and for exercise in thruout the day? It seems that cooking food and preparation for each meal and dishes , stuff like that takes up like the whole day and then I have no time for exercise and I hate that cus I want to be able to incorporate exercise
It seems like that but it's not really true is it? That's the excuse we make to ourselves. You would be able to fit in work, study, kids and still have time to exercise if that's your priority
It takes me 4 minutes to make breakfast. And possibly 30 active minutes to make a meal ...the rest of the time the pot or oven is doing the work ...a lot of time I batch cook at weekends and then meals are just reheat
While you are making your meals, if they really take that long to do it, do sets of squats, push ups, lunges, rows with a gallon of milk in your kitchen while you're waiting for things, climb your stairs 10 times while waiting for a pot to boil, walk round the block while the food is in the oven
Don't sit on the couch and zone out on TV ....
Walk to shops and carry back food, if you run out walk back
Can the excuses and find the way that works for you
For some people though, it really does pose a problem. If I want to cook and eat breakfast, clean up and prep lunch and snacks for the day, I need to allow an additional 20-30 mins in the morning. The difference between getting up at 6.30am and 7am feels huge, especially when I had dance training the night before until 10pm, sometimes 11pm. Sometimes I have 3 hours each night, and I don't get to go home and eat dinner first so often when I get home I'm prepping dinner for the next day too, so that I can eat it around 5.30pm. It IS possible to it, but it's very difficult and often discouraging. I think for people who genuinely do struggle, they're going to have to find short cuts to eating healthy, like eating oatmeal and berries at work, and some of the suggestions other people have made. I get what you're saying that it does have to be a priority, but I think also that not everything is an excuse - there are real obstacles that make things hard.0 -
I don't really exercise, but I walk when I need to get somewhere and when I get restless.
I have a dishwasher - to be honest, I couldn't have managed to feed myself without it.
My cooking is basic but sufficient: I only cook dinners, and out of the seven days, at most two are "real" cooking, and still simple: Soup or casserole on Monday with leftovers on Wednesday; and anything on Friday. My main shopping days are also Monday and Friday. The other days are protein+starch+vegetable ("freezer meals", thaw meat/veg in fridge overnight), or pancakes/pizza/toast. Other meals are usually sandwiches, porridge (ok, some cooking required here), smoothies, yogurt, fruit and vegetables.
I'm not working, but I am disabled, so everything takes me a bit longer.1 -
justkeepontrying4ever wrote: »Can anyone tell me what they do to fit there meals in and for exercise in thruout the day? It seems that cooking food and preparation for each meal and dishes , stuff like that takes up like the whole day and then I have no time for exercise and I hate that cus I want to be able to incorporate exercise
It seems like that but it's not really true is it? That's the excuse we make to ourselves. You would be able to fit in work, study, kids and still have time to exercise if that's your priority
It takes me 4 minutes to make breakfast. And possibly 30 active minutes to make a meal ...the rest of the time the pot or oven is doing the work ...a lot of time I batch cook at weekends and then meals are just reheat
While you are making your meals, if they really take that long to do it, do sets of squats, push ups, lunges, rows with a gallon of milk in your kitchen while you're waiting for things, climb your stairs 10 times while waiting for a pot to boil, walk round the block while the food is in the oven
Don't sit on the couch and zone out on TV ....
Walk to shops and carry back food, if you run out walk back
Can the excuses and find the way that works for you
For some people though, it really does pose a problem. If I want to cook and eat breakfast, clean up and prep lunch and snacks for the day, I need to allow an additional 20-30 mins in the morning. The difference between getting up at 6.30am and 7am feels huge, especially when I had dance training the night before until 10pm, sometimes 11pm. Sometimes I have 3 hours each night, and I don't get to go home and eat dinner first so often when I get home I'm prepping dinner for the next day too, so that I can eat it around 5.30pm. It IS possible to it, but it's very difficult and often discouraging. I think for people who genuinely do struggle, they're going to have to find short cuts to eating healthy, like eating oatmeal and berries at work, and some of the suggestions other people have made. I get what you're saying that it does have to be a priority, but I think also that not everything is an excuse - there are real obstacles that make things hard.
Nope I disagree ..sorry
Getting up at 6.30 when you normally get up at 7 hurts for a few days maximum, then it becomes a new normal...just cos you don't wanna do it doesn't mean you can't
An obstacle is just based on your perception and what you are willing to do ...so someone with a different mindset will always deem it as an excuse, and actually you at a different stage of your life, with different pressures on your time might look back on now and deem that as an excuse too...retrospect is wonderful
Finding short cuts that work for you is key
So in your case I would ask is dance training every single night? What do you do on the evenings you don't have dance training, why don't you batch cook 3 - 4 meals then? Or throw stuff in a slow cooker when you leave in the morning
Cliche time: where there's a will, there's a way2 -
StealthHealth wrote: »Cut out some of the non-essential stuff like washing/shaving, talking to your kids, all that stuff you do at work.
Combine exercise and chores - so combine food shopping with running and run the supermarket aisles. Buy a George Foreman grill and install it on the passenger seat of your car so that you can use your commute to prep your meals. Lunge your way to meetings. If you place your breakfast on the floor you can forget using a spoon and do push-up face first into the bowl. Add a 10lb weight to your mobile phone so that every time you read a text you're doing a bicep curl.
Seriously though - Batch cook and make exercise a priority over stuff like surfing the net, reading blog posts, checking in on F/book Instagram etc, and watching TV.
Dude ..who talks to their kids? At them ...always at them
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StealthHealth wrote: »Cut out some of the non-essential stuff like washing/shaving, talking to your kids, all that stuff you do at work.
Combine exercise and chores - so combine food shopping with running and run the supermarket aisles. Buy a George Foreman grill and install it on the passenger seat of your car so that you can use your commute to prep your meals. Lunge your way to meetings. If you place your breakfast on the floor you can forget using a spoon and do push-up face first into the bowl. Add a 10lb weight to your mobile phone so that every time you read a text you're doing a bicep curl.
Seriously though - Batch cook and make exercise a priority over stuff like surfing the net, reading blog posts, checking in on F/book Instagram etc, and watching TV.
Dude ..who talks to their kids? At them ...always at them
hahaha... actually my kids help with my health and fitness goals. My main form of cardio is "picking *kitten* up that they left lying around".0 -
StealthHealth wrote: »StealthHealth wrote: »Cut out some of the non-essential stuff like washing/shaving, talking to your kids, all that stuff you do at work.
Combine exercise and chores - so combine food shopping with running and run the supermarket aisles. Buy a George Foreman grill and install it on the passenger seat of your car so that you can use your commute to prep your meals. Lunge your way to meetings. If you place your breakfast on the floor you can forget using a spoon and do push-up face first into the bowl. Add a 10lb weight to your mobile phone so that every time you read a text you're doing a bicep curl.
Seriously though - Batch cook and make exercise a priority over stuff like surfing the net, reading blog posts, checking in on F/book Instagram etc, and watching TV.
Dude ..who talks to their kids? At them ...always at them
hahaha... actually my kids help with my health and fitness goals. My main form of cardio is "picking *kitten* up that they left lying around".
That's not cardio ...that's progressive resistance ...squat and deadlift
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What are you cooking that it takes you so long? most of my meals are prepped in 10 mins and on the table in 20-30 mins.
I get up early to workout before work - If we want something bad enough we have to work at it til it becomes a habit/the norm.0 -
Meal prep doesn't take long if you don't eat foods that require a lot of time to prepare. Breakfast is eggs/toast/fruit (10 min) or oats prepared the night before (5 min.) Lunch is eaten at work and takes 5-10 min to pack. Dinner takes 30 min or so to make but my husband and I share cooking and cleanup duties.
I cut out nearly 100% of TV watching to make time for exerc, extra showering, etc. Seriously. I only watch if someone happens to have it on when I sit down for a break.1 -
breakfast is overnight oats thrown together the night before, then heated in the microwave and eaten at morning tea break at work.
Lunch is often leftovers, or recently a rice or raw vegetable salad base that I make up either on the weekend or on say a Tuesday when I have a bit of time to spare. The prep for lunch for the week takes under an hour. I can listen to music and practice dance steps whilst I do this. I take out enough into a lunchbox either in the morning or the night before, adding feta or whatever protein mix to vary it, and dressing goes into a mini jar.
Dinner depends on what I am doing in the evening. If I want to spend hours cooking I do it at the weekend so I can put love into it, or plan ahead - I cook dried beans in the slow cooker the night before to add to a dish the next night, I thaw frozen stuff in the fridge for the day etc. Few dishes take longer than 30 minutes and simple dishes are best.
On days I run I am up at 6, I leave for work at 7.30 and don't get home until 6.30/7. Some days I have a dance class so I just have to organise myself. I have time to socialise and watch an hours TV if I want. I tend to limit my exercise to 45/50 minutes, any longer and I'd probably get fed up, unless it's going for a nice hike/run/cycle outside at the weekend, in which case I can be gone for hours.
Plenty of people have full-time jobs and fit things in, I've seen many people here with several jobs, childcare juggling and studying as well, and they seem to manage.0 -
Make things as simple as possible. I get up at 5:30am, work 7 - 4:30 (not including drive time), am the single parent to two 13 year olds, run a household, have two cats, and run a website. So my meals are usually the same all day until dinner (coffee, Rockstar zero, Quest bar, can of tuna with 1 T each sugar free relish and mayo). When I have the time and energy to exercise, it's a walk or a run. You don't have to cook every meal. You don't have to have a complicated workout schedule. Also, as mentioned above, if you cut out or limit tv/FB/etc, you can free up some time for healthier activities. Now granted, I have no social life, so..... lol.2
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