People who work full time how do you find time to work out

gallicinvasion

It took me about 4 months into my weight loss journey to feel like I had the time and motivation to do purposeful exercise. (As others have said, you don't have to exercise for weight loss or maintenance, but it is very good for overall health and longevity). I have always defined myself as a person who hates exercise, so I didn't even want to get started.

On encouragement from my therapist, I took a look at my daily routine and tried to find a place where I could fit in 15 min of easy exercise 3 days a week. I decided on before work, Monday Wednesday and Friday. I basically wrote out what triggers I needed to get into this habit.

1. Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursday nights, I set the next's days work-outfit out on the bed, and bring workout clothes with my to BF's house that evening (I spend nights there).
2. On waking up Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays, I get dressed directly into workout clothes.
3. Drive to my apartment, put my stuff down, pour a glass of water, and go into the front room, taking out the weights I need, and put on a cooking show or comedy show on youtube (I hate listening to music while exercising).
4. Do a little warm-up, 8 min. of strength training, and a little warm-down (in 15 min).

The key to keeping up my habit is making it as easy on myself as possible. I set out all my clothes and equipment the day before, I use heavier weights very very VERY gradually, I don't wake up too prohibitively early (usually 6:30 am), I don't make the workout longer than 15 min, and I change it up every so often.

My goal is to keep a habit of exercise, so it makes sense for me to fit in an enjoyable workout that's not ridiculously grueling or discouraging. I'm not trying to build heavy muscle, I'm not training for a marathon, and I'm not trying to get rock-hard abs. I'm just trying to build a habit of activity.

It's been much easier and much more enjoyable for me to fit in NEAT activities during the rest of my day. I walk much more during my commute, I go on weekend walks very often now, I will hike for fun as well. I think the non-exercise activity has been more crucial to my weight loss success than the purposeful exercise.

tjones0411

Like many others, I get my workout in before work. I get up at 4:15 and workout from 5am - 6am. Then come home, get myself ready and the kids up/fed/ready for school. I work until 5:30pm and will often take a walk in the evenings and lift 3x/week in the evenings.

I find that if I don't set the tone and get my workout in before I go to work, I'm often too tired to do it after work.

pondee629

I get home from work, walk the puppy, change into my gym togs, drive to the gym, take care of business, drive home, shower, change and get dinner, either get it or make it depending on wife's mood and energy. Easy.

mhurckes

It's all about getting your routine in shape. I'm up at 5 prework out and bathroom, at the gym by 5:20, work out till 6. Then shower and get dressed and on the way to work by 7.

tarambanks13

I have an hour lunch at work so I go the the gym across the street and workout for about 35-45 minutes or just walk around outside for an hour. I work 7-5 so I have no motivation at all to workout in the mornings and 5pm is just too crowded at the gym and all I want to do is go home haha.

rexlutz

Desk job here too. I work 6am -3pm (get up a 4am leave for work at 5 am, so morning workouts are tough for me)
I eat lunch at my desk and use my lunch hour to walk 3-4 miles
I park far away from my building
I try to take walks every hour...keep moving throughout the day
I walk another 3-4 miles after dinner, and sometimes fit a 30-40 min workout in around 7 or 8
For me, the workouts are more in the Winter when it is more difficult to walk

Miss_Snow_White

I have the same problem!! When I worked at a desk down in the city I would go walking on my lunch break and pack a gym bag. I'd go straight to the gym after work because if I went home first it was game over, I wouldn't go to the gym at all. But now I work from home and the struggle is insanely harder. I started doing little 10 minutes, low impact work out videos found on YouTube and try to do it at least once a day when i am feeling pretty good (usually mid morning). It does help build up energy to do more if you do it regularly. .. just start small and go from there!! It doesn't matter its just a little bit, a little bit is better than nothing!

glovepuppet

Long walk/run around 5-6am. The motivation for that one has four legs, a fat head, and a drool problem.
Weights at some point in the evening. I only have to walk as far as the lounge, and the toyboy is always willing to spot me.

Working out makes you less tired, I find. If I don't work out for a while, I spend most of my out of work hours feeling too drained to do anything

acpgee

I work 9-6:30 and workout after work. But hubby cooks during the week while I am at the gym. I do help him out by batch cooking things like braised dishes and stews and curries, or meatloaf on the weekend so that half the time he just needs to warm up something from the freezer while he boils or microwaves some rice or potatoes.

littlegreenparrot1

Different scenario, but I think an example that illustrates the point.

I'm the eldest of 5 siblings, when I was in my early teens and youngest was 3, my mum went to university.
It required effort, discipline, compromise, planning, flexibility and a whole lot of other stuff.

What I learned was that you can do whatever you want, you have to commit to the decision, make a plan and follow it.
Sometimes things don't work out, no problem, new plan - same goal.

The difficulty is getting up - can you go to bed earlier?
Is there somewhere you can go that's close to work, or on the way home?
Is there a social activity that your friends do, or would be prepared to do with you? Much more difficult to wimp out if someone is waiting.

I pick slightly scary fitness goals and talk about them. Have to do it then as have paid money and don't want to look like an idiot.

pennyks88

I wake up at 4:30, get the kids to daycare and myself to work by 6:30, and I'm home around 4pm. I take two 15 minute walks at work when I have time to, and I also work out at home. I'll do yoga or Zumba videos mostly. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old, so finding time can be tight, plus if they're in a clingy mood it's even harder. Before kids I used to go to the gym straight after work for an hour. I don't do that now because I want to spend as much time with them as I can.

rlfrausto

I have a 9-7 schedule some times till 8pm. I am up at 5:30 out the door at 6:15 am get back from my hour brisk walk at 7:15 then shower make breakfast/lunch walk 10 minutes after lunch and do 220 steps every hour. I feel great. Oh and I am losing weight too.

TrishSeren

5:15am wake up
By 5:40am at the gym
By 6:40am finished
By 7am home for shower and get dressed.
Leave for work 7:40am

I eat breakfast at work.

I hate exercising in the evenings which is why I gym before work.

Nfedewa9442

BecomingBane wrote: »

Nfedewa9442 wrote: »

Honestly, it’s kind of unfair because I work in a physically demanding job outside, so I get that exercise in. With that said, I do wake up at 4:00 and go to the gym because of family obligations after work. Does it suck, yeah. It what do you want from your body and how do you achieve that? You should never be comfortable in what you’re doing. Make the time for your body, so it will extend time for your life. Hope this helps some

Why should i never be comfortable in what I'm doing? If I'm living my life in a way that I want, shouldn't I find comfort in that? Being constantly uncomfortable in my life sounds like a recipe for disaster and disordered thinking.

Sorry that I just saw this reply. I can see how it sounds like disordered thinking and that’s not what I meant by that. Thanks for calling my attention to it. What I meant was for me, when I’m feeling comfortable is when I become lax and let things slide. This, for me, leads to being content and not wanting to push myself to my goals as hard as I should. Being uncomfortable is another way of being “in progress” which I believe we should always be in. Always get better, always achieve for more. We can do so much more than we believe we can. Hope this helps clear my previous words up. Have a great day!

mtsprout

I squeeze it in at 5:30 a.m. Home by 6:45 to get my toddler ready/eat/shower and head to work at 8. I'm definitely not a morning person, but I just make myself go to bed at 9:30, asleep by 10, and it works. After a couple weeks it feels OK. I used to go after I put the kid to bed at 8 p.m., but I found myself too tired and full from dinner.

cjays2019

I work mostly night shifts at a restaurant. I have to make myself get up and go workout before work. I'll get home around 11 at night, attempt to sleep, back up around 10:30 force myself to go walk outside in the southern heat and then do a quick at home workout and clean before getting dressed to go to work and be on my feet all night.

unstableunicorn

Right now I’m simply focusing on diet and small changes. If I get exercise in outside of daily routine, great! but ultimately I’m not in a position mentally to commit to deliberate exercise. The last time I lost a bunch of weight I didn’t enjoy exercise until I’d lost about 30lbs, and even then the majority of my exercise came from water jogging (easier on joints, more sustainable for me, and worked great with my compulsive counting).

I take the stairs down when I’m going out (except for work, since it’s twelve floors and I work 10h standing as a general labourer). On the weekends I go out for my morning coffee so that I get at least an extra half hour walk (15 minutes one way, and I tend to stroll while drinking the coffee so I end up with about an hour long walk). When doing chores, especially dishes, I put on music that makes me bob and dance in place.

If you’re still in school, try taking walks while listening to audiobooks/podcasts/etc about your field of study. That way you won’t be sacrificing a bunch of time (personally I find I retain more information with the walk/listen approach, so possible bonus benefit there).

Agreed with others though. 2-3 hours of forced exercise isn’t going to get you anywhere.

dmwh142

I came across a statement a couple of weeks ago that sums it up for me. It is not lack of motivation it not being disciplined. Each of us has to make up our minds to do what is important and then find what works.

J72FIT

dmwh142 wrote: »

I came across a statement a couple of weeks ago that sums it up for me. It is not lack of motivation it not being disciplined. Each of us has to make up our minds to do what is important and then find what works.

100%. Motivation is fleeting, willpower is a limited resource. Habit and discipline drive success...

AnnPT77

Maybe gym is not your adult-life jam?

I started and stopped a bunch of things over my working years (60+ hour weeks a lot of the time), but the magic for me came when I found something active that I enjoyed so much that I would've done it even if it weren't good for me. It didn't take "motivation" because I did it for fun.

Any fun thing that involves movement will burn calories and improve fitness: Cycling, swimming, walking (even incidental to birdwatching or photography or whatever), ultimate frisbee, table tennis, dancing, . . . you name it. Even serially sampling different classes/activities can be fun. (I've known people who tried some new sport/activity class every year for many years.) I'd simply suggest giving each thing a fair sample, long enough to get past raw-newbie awkwardness.

For me, the magic was on-water rowing. Once I learned how, I was rowing two evenings a week in season and at least one weekend day, making sure to get work done around that. I started indoor rowing in Winter so I'd be in better shape for the next season, added Winter spin classes for variety (and now take them year round) and took adult learn-to-swim classes (because on-water rowers need to be able to swim! ) then lap swimming classes. Rowing was the catalyst for all of that and more.

For you, it's unlikely (though possible) that rowing is the magic like it was for me. But there's something out there that will work for you, I'll bet.

Meanwhile: I agree with those that are saying managing your eating and daily life non-exercise activity will go a long way (the longest way) toward weight management. Exercise is for fun and fitness, not so much for weight management.

seltzermint555

8-5 desk job here and I am not a morning workout person at all...it's really important for me to do all of my A.M. routine before work and I'm not one to wake up earlier than 6 AM, I have much more energy P.M. So I exercise in the evening instead of watching TV, usually between 7-9:30 (not the whole 2.5 hours, but 30-90 minutes generally). And I try to make my weekends really full of physical activity, too, planning long Saturday hikes any time the weather is good.

Nothing against TV...I waste a lot of time on the internet and shopping or spend evenings reading, etc. But I find that for me, if I get into a series on Netflix or whatever, I can easily watch shows 4-5 nights per week instead of exercising so I just don't.

Also...I know a lot of people have serious commutes. Mine is about 10 minutes each way. I understand that having a long commute can make a really big difference in your free time and extra energy for working out!

Jdismybug1

I wake up around 3 something, get myself ready, do lunches for myself and the kid. Then I get her up a little before 5 am. Drop her at the childcare by 5 am. Get to work at 6. Leave by 3 or 4. Then get home at the latest usually 530.
Give myself an hour of me time, then workout for about an hour. Shower and get ready for bed.

JeBeBu

I have a full time job & a 2 hour round trip commute...I go straight from work...if I went home and "got comfortable" I would struggle to get going again! I am pretty tired sometimes, but have never regretted going! I know that I sleep better & am better rested to tackle the job again come morning!

Antiopelle

I agree that you don't need a gym if you can fit in other activities in your schedule.

I work 33 km/20 miles from home, and whenever I can I use my e-bike instead of the car. Depending on weather conditions I hit this 2 or 3 times a week which is perfect for cardio.
The other days, I try to do lunges, squats and recently pushups at home - no equipment needed.

A typical day: get up at 6h15, start biking at 6h30, arrive at work at 8h00, quick shower & start work. I don't take a lunch break or a very short one, leave around 17h15 and home again at 18h45, so I've got time left for cooking and chilling a bit, bed at 21h30 because I need my beauty sleep.

Socialising is during the weekends only.

midlomel1971

I don't get enough sleep. So, I'm not sure what's worse - not exercising or not getting enough sleep. So, I choose the gym because I need to lose weight. At least when I die from a sleep-deprived stroke, I'll look good.

Stephsjourney2024

I am up at 4 to get a workout in before I head to work. If I waited until after work hours I would never go because I have had all day to think about it and make excuses for myself. But everyone is different. sleep is essential because without enough it can hinder your weight loss - and so can stress.
Make it a point to get up and walk every hour .. that is better than nothing. It has helped me with my desk job as well.

wendsg

Well, I'm much the same as you. Getting up early stinks, and after work I want to veg. Fortunately I have the option to work out during my lunch block. But if I'm too slammed to bother with that, I care not for any weird looks I get - I do incline pushups against my desk! I also have one of those mini-stair steppers under my desk so I can keep my feet moving while I'm sitting there doing nothing. And for abs, I lift and maintain my feet off the stepper and the floor for up to a minute at a time, keeping my spine straight and using my abs to keep my legs from drooping while I type. Doing a mini-circuit (5 mins of leg lifts, 10 incline pushups and the rest of the time using the stair stepper) once and hour is a nice little workout over the course of the day, and it doesn't require me to get up early, work out late, or make any effort to do anything other than be productive at my desk.

Of course, on days when I /can/ actually squeeze in a ride on my bike, I do. And if I have energy? I have my weights at home. One of these days I'll replace the serpentine belt on my treadmill and use that as well lol

mmultanen

Little kids, full time job that requires travel, a couple of injuries i need to pay attention to and I struggle to even like exercise. So I work hard to find ways to get it in without "knowing" it. I make it a point to jump on the trampoline with the kids. I swim in the pool and do a few laps with the kids. They also show an interest in doing the little 30 min strength videos I use. They don't usually stick around for the whole 30 min but it's kind of fun and silly to have them do it with me...even if they pop in and out for 5 minutes at a time.

When I focused on my eating and sleep the weight came off much faster for me. So yes, I dedicate time to specifically exercise (usually a trail run) a couple times (2 to 3) a week, but focusing on my eating and getting good quality sleep has more pay off for my health goals than focusing on dedicated time to exercise. If it is difficult for you to find dedicated time for exercise in your schedule, don't. My advice to find other things that impact your health goals. Look at your eating, your sleep quality, and where you can "sneak" in exercise like family walks, or hikes with friends, or a walk around the block with co-workers at lunch.

beckyrpl

You make the time, you make a habit out of doing it to the point that if you don't do it, you feel like something's wrong LOL! I get up at 5 am - no time in the morning - so I workout when I get home from work. First thing I do when I get home is change into my workout clothes, fill up my water bottle, get the tunes ready - then I do it. Honestly, I think right now in my life it's pretty easy to get my workout in. It was difficult when my daughter was young - now that she's grown and gone from our house, I can make 'me time' a priority.

drmwc

My hours are variable. At their best, they are 9 to 6. At their worst, they are 9 to 9 or later. I also have 2.5 hours commuting per day.

I work out in the evenings, as I struggle waking up before 6.30-ish. I have a home gym in my shed, which helps making sure I remain consistent. There are times when I wonder if I crossed the line from eccentricity to madness, for example if it snowing, 1.30 a.m., and I am lifting weights in an unheated building.

I suppress the negative thoughts and get the job done. It works for me.