Help?

rjel78

I stopped going to the gym about a month ago. I stopped going because of my siatica nerve was painful and then I got sick. My nutrition wasn't bad and I was logging but exercise suffered. After those two things bypassed I got a job working in the evenings, 5 days a week. I go to school in the morning/ early afternoon and work evenings/ late evening so both my nutrition and gym time are suffering. I'm finally in a good place, earning money and getting an education but I'm failing in the nutrition/ exercise department. I still want to be healthy and go to the gym but I'm really struggling to find time to work, go to school, the gym and eat healthy. I know a lot of people do it but I'm struggling.....any ideas/ suggestions would be appreciated

KateTii

I work two jobs, study at university and go to the gym. I understand the struggle!

Every couple of weeks I take a couple of hours and bulk prepare meals in advance and freeze into daily portions - every day I get out my meals and by lunchtime/dinner they are defrosted. My mantra is, if I can't freeze it, I can't be F***ked!

Gym is every morning before work as afternoons/evenings was not working for me - by the time I finished my work, I was tired and ready for bed. Now that I have started Uni, I knew the 1-3 afternoons a week I got off had to be for study, not gym. So the only timespot left was in the morning. Not to mention, in the morning I have 100% energy and is a great start to my day.

MaddMaestro

I try to plan making what I call "dump meals" which is basically veggies sauteed with some kind of meat or seafood. Takes no more than 10 mins to prep and 5 mins to cook if I make sure my meats are defrosted. I also try to prep hard boiled eggs in advance as well. If I don't have time, I drink meal supplements or eat fruit.

I try to work out in the mornings right when the gym opens. It works best with my schedule and I stay about an hour minimum.

Just as a suggestion, you don't HAVE to go to the gym. It's great if you're that kind of person who can't work out without that type of motivation, but even if you can just walk or do a few jumping jacks through the day that can help too XD

TimothyFish

With you being so busy at various places, you must spend a significant amount of time getting from place to place. How about using a bicycle instead of driving? While will take you longer to get there it may take less time than spending all that time in traffic and then adding the gym time on top of it. Commuting is just wasted time but it becomes productive if you use it as your workout.

Lounmoun

rjel78 wrote: »

I stopped going to the gym about a month ago. I stopped going because of my siatica nerve was painful and then I got sick. My nutrition wasn't bad and I was logging but exercise suffered. After those two things bypassed I got a job working in the evenings, 5 days a week. I go to school in the morning/ early afternoon and work evenings/ late evening so both my nutrition and gym time are suffering. I'm finally in a good place, earning money and getting an education but I'm failing in the nutrition/ exercise department. I still want to be healthy and go to the gym but I'm really struggling to find time to work, go to school, the gym and eat healthy. I know a lot of people do it but I'm struggling.....any ideas/ suggestions would be appreciated

Weight loss is about calories not type of food.
A healthy diet is not a specific list of food but everything you consume working together to meet your body's needs. You need to look at nutrients of foods you eat and how they fit your whole day. There are a lot of ways to "eat healthy".

You should start with just logging what you normally eat and sticking to your calorie goal. You want to eat in a way you can sustain. You can alter your diet in small steps like getting more protein or having more vegetables on your plate.

If you look up meals for busy people there are tons of ideas.

Plan a limited rotating menu for yourself. Choose maybe 3-4 breakfasts, lunches and dinners to rotate between.
You can cook extra and freeze in individual portions or use dinner leftovers for lunches. Pack your lunch while you put away the dinner leftovers. Make a big pot of soup or cook a whole chicken and use it for meals during the week.
Look up once a month cooking or freezer cooking.
Use a slow cooker.
You can eat simple foods like sandwiches. They have nutrients.
You can eat premade foods or restaurant food too.
Low/quick prep foods- yogurt, cheese, fruit, raw vegetables, canned beans, canned tuna or chicken, canned fruit, canned vegetables, nuts or nut butters, cooked chicken, frozen dinners, cereal, oatmeal, lunchmeat, eggs, hummus, sandwich, smoothies

You don't have to go to a gym or exercise hours every day. Walk more and sit less. Work on increasing your steps. There are tons of free 10-30 minute workouts on you tube. Ride a bike places. Park farther away.

StaciMarie1974

Is going to the gym a necessity? No. Some people really enjoy it, and if that is true for you then it may be something you try to make a priority a few times a week. But personally, when time is limited, finding time to travel to/from the gym just creates more of an issue. I walk/run in my neighborhood, during my lunch break, etc. There are other benefits to the gym, of course, such as wider range of equipment. But still, gym is not necessary.