How to fit exercise in a busy day

Lean59man

You have to make it a priority.

Like a "To-Do" list.

It's first on the list and completed before other tasks.

Obviously, your child comes first.

bbell1985

DX2JX2 wrote: »

bbell1985 wrote: »

rheddmobile wrote: »

bbell1985 wrote: »

There's 24 hours in a day and you're asking how to fit in 1 hour of exercise? Do. Not. Comprehend.

Maybe try a half hour first.

Eight hours sleep, eight hours work (nine for people who get a lunch hour at work), plus eating, showering, commuting, shopping, preparing meals, and other necessary activities leaves about four free hours. Even those who do no work at all have to sleep. No one has twenty four free hours per day to pick from.

I know. I didn't say there are 24 free hours. But...you should said there's 4. I have about 3 free hours. I go to the gym. If you want to exercise you just have to use some of that time. If you want to create more time, you might have to make some sacrifices or change things up.

I think having the little one on your own makes it harder. I can't really imagine. My good friend works out with me a few times per week and leaves her child at the childcare in the gym. I don't really think 5 days per week is necessary. If so, some of it and all of it can be done at home.

Kids make all the difference. Newborn or young kids with no real help to take care of them every day usually literally translates to zero free time (unless you are OK with not sleeping ever).

Heck, most single parents taking care of young children can barely find time to shower, much less free up an hour for exercise.

I believe it. I'm kind of a lifetime bachelorette so sometimes I forget how hard that must be.

MeanderingMammal

RenewMe2018 wrote: »

I’m 39, a divorced mom with my daughter with me most of the time right now. I also work a full time job. How does one effectively fit exercise in? Let me add that my MD suggested exercise 1 hour a day for 6 days a week.... thought of breaking an hour into small little workouts but is that effective?

Jumping from presumably no directed exercise to six hours per week is quite a lot, so it would be useful to understand why that was the advice?

However... Breaking 60 minutes into three 20 minute, or for 15 minutes, activities is perfectly reasonable. Personally I wouldn't suggest going below 15 minutes, as you're not going to gain significant improvement below that.

As others are suggesting, some of it is adapting activities to get some benefit. Can you walk or cycle commute? If you use public transport can you walk part of the route? Can you squeeze in a short session from YouTube in the morning before you rouse your daughter, or after she's gone to bed?

One of the key things is to start where you are now and make small changes. If you try to change too much at once it's just not sustainable.

These threads frequently descend into judgemental nonsense, so it's good to see the majority of advice here is constructive.

ap1972

I'm lucky as my son is a bit older but I still don't like leaving him to get to school on his own nor leaving him to his own devices for too long after school so my 2 easiest options of gym before and after work are not feasible.

I try and do something like Wii fit or lift some weights in the evening after he has disappeared for the night.

pinchesucia

It's going to sound silly but every time you go to the bathroom do some squats or any form of excersies that you can do with your space. If you have to wash dishes you can do mini excersies in between.
I work 2 jobs and am a part time student, I don't have kids but I do have a 3 yr old sister and a 4 year old nephew who consistently wants me to be with them so I've learned that yea maybe I can't be in the gym but I can do something with the space I have at home. I hope this helps a bit

fitoverfortymom

When I first started losing weight, I would take a 30 minute walk during my lunch break. I would try to incorporate more standing and NEAT activities into my day like parking farther away at the grocery store.

Once I dropped some weight, I started running. I wake up around 415am, run for about 40-60 minutes, then get ready for work.

My kid is 14, though, and can get himself up and ready.

sandy_taylor13

I am a full time attorney with 2 kids and hubby who will not pick up his stuff!!! (lol on the hubby part) I MUST get my workout in first thing in the morning. I get the kids and hubby ready and they head out to school and i get a little over an hour to do my workout. I usually do some type of video workout (Insanity, Brazillian Butt Lift, P90X) and then it is shower, change and out the door. On the weekends everyone has some type of sport, so I gotta get my workout in even earlier. I usually go for a long run around 6am. If I dont workout in the morning, it usually isnt going to happen because I usually dont get home til around 7pm. I kinda forced myself to be a morning person. I lost 60 lbs by doing this and by tracking my food on MFP. Just my 2 cents on how I do it and try to manage everything else with work, kids, hubby, life.

Crosbinium

I am a full time teacher and primary caretaker for my disabled mom. That means once I walk in that door after work, my time is not mine, until she is in bed. I couldn't find an hour a day but I did find 30 mins a day. I get up every am at 4:50 and do a 30 mins session of pilates, the treadmill or weights. I found some short workouts on darebee.com and hasfit.com and did them to get started. At first, I was happy if I got a 15 min session in. It made me feel better overall.

WilmaValley

Plan for it, put in on your calendar, no choice. Just do it.

Sparkeysworld

I run my own business and the hours can be long, so I make the sacrifice and get up an hour earlier than usual and do fasted cardio, just 30m incline walking on the treadmill with a couple of caffeine tabs, headphones on and by the time I get off, I'm ready for food and to tackle the day.
If you want it, you'll find a way!

jonnyman41

Lunch time at work is a good time for exercise and it gives your brain a break too. Does not need to be too sweaty either. A brisk walk around the area for 30 mins does a good job for the time poor. Take food that you can eat as walking if you can't eat at your desk.

briscogun

I had the same issue when my kids were little, so I ended up waking up before they did so I could get my workout in (at home), then could get cleaned up and ready along with getting them ready and fed for the day. It took a while to get used to waking up at 5:00AM or so to get in my workouts but after a few weeks it became habit.

You can always try to get 20 to 30 minutes of exercise in the mornings and maybe take a brisk 20 minute walk at lunch or when you get home (with the kids)? There's always some time, but it has to be a priority otherwise you will always find some reason why it can't be done.

psychod787

I have made my semi-sedentary job far more active. Rigged up a standing desk, walk 1000 steps an hour if I can, park as far away from the building as I can, run task others don't want to do, never talk on my cell sitting down. NEAT adds up in the end! Best wishes.

lorrpb

Whatever you do will be more effective than doing nothing.
Your doctor's suggestion can be a goal, not a starting point. You should pace yourself and build up gradually to avoid injury, fatigue, overtraining, and discouragement. Why not start with 20 min 3x week? This will help your body adapt and also give you time to figure out your schedule etc.
Lots of other great tips above.

abhinavsood89

OP, I work full-time as well and most of my days are really busy and/or stressful and it is really hard to find the time or energy to exercise sometimes. I also live 1km away from the nearest train station. So, on such days, I try walking or running back home, alternating between normal pace and brisk pace.

Even if I go to the gym, I make sure that I do cardio if nothing else. If I can't even run on the treadmill, I just walk for half an hour and stretch out. Other than that, try doing squats when cooking (safely, away from the stove/cooktop).

stthemary

That seems like a strangely high amount of exercise to start off with. I got an inexpensive stationary bike so I can work out at home.