Sedentary Workers Help!!!

NessaReh85

When I get off work I have to rush home and get supper done because my husband goes into work at 7pm.

Is there a particular reason why your husband can't get supper done?

Honestly if I wanted to eat hamburger helper everyday I would let him cook but he is a pretty bad cook he can make a mean frozen pizza though :laugh:

loribethrice

I work a sedentary job. I wear a Fitbit One so and when I have time I walk at work as much as I can. Even if I just do a quick 5 minute walk once an hour in a circle around the ER where I work I'm good with it. Then after work I go straight to the gym and do recumbent bike, rowing machine, and assisted pull ups. I also have PiYo to do at home when I have time.

kshadows

I feel your pain. I work at a desk 9 hours a day. I have 2 kids and I'm also a full-time college student. Honestly, you do just have to make the time. I started running after my kids went to bed (around 8pm). When I finally got a gym membership, we found one with a child care center so I go twice a week for 45 mins to an hour. It's hard work...between work, school, kids, keeping house, etc. You can do it!

Jbarbo01

That does sound intense and legit reasons having a tough time getting to the gym. You only need to exercise 3 days a week for 30 minutes to get the health benefits. I would do something early in the morning like 20 minute Jillian Michaels work out videos at home for optimal convenience a few times a week. Otherwise, just eat at a deficit. I've been just tracking my food and eating less and not exercising with a desk job for a three months now and lost 20 lbs. Its 90% diet, exercise is healthy for you but it wont shed pounds what you eat will.

MissMissle

Paying attention to your calories will make a difference! You've only been paying attention a month or so? There ya go - log, log, log and you will start to see a difference :-). I drive 40 minutes to be to work at 6:30 where I sit on my butt till 4, then drive an hour and a half to my next job, then get home around 8 - shower, eat dinner, make the next days lunch...and go to bed. To go to the gym before work I would have to get up at 330 and I dont want to damnit!

I guess if you really want it, you will do it.... but yeah, i'm already super cranky in the morning without driving to a gym..... sooooo.... just log your calories, watch your macros = see results.

If you want to increase your fitness level instead of walking for 30 minutes, jog for ten and do crunches and push ups with the other 20 - even if you are doing them in the parking lot! You can also move your computer so you stand instead of sit at your desk... but Im going to re-iterate - log everything you eat, and you will see a difference.

MissMissle

When I get off work I have to rush home and get supper done because my husband goes into work at 7pm.

Is there a particular reason why your husband can't get supper done?

LOL, and this.

cwolfman13

So your husband is at home during the day...tell him to get food on for dinner for starters. Beyond that, go for an early morning walk or jog...use your lunch break to go exercise, etc.

Also, your weight loss is largely going to be about your consumption, not what exercise you are doing. Diet for weight control; exercise for fitness and overall health and well being.

TavistockToad

Hello, I have a sedentary job where I work from 8a to 5p or later depending on what needs to be done. When I get off work I have to rush home and get supper done because my husband goes into work at 7pm. Then I have to rush even more for volleyball, Girl Scouts, PTA meetings all while still being on call for my job 24hrs a day. I know most people are going to say, if you want it, you will make the time. But sometimes it feels like I am a single mother due to getting her up and ready for school and then the evening activities. There is no time for a gym membership!!

What are some of the exercises that you do to try to lose weight? Thanks in advance!!

why cant your husband make supper?

_lyndseybrooke_

1. You don't need a gym to work out.
2. If I can get up at 5AM to work out, so can you.
3. Do what you can, when you can.
4. Weight loss happens in the kitchen, not in the gym. You don't need to work out every day to lose weight.

shanalanahan

I have an 8-5 desk job and my husband leaves for work at 3:30 am. With a 6 year old at home I cannot leave the house in the morning to go to the gym either, nor can I do it after work since my husband doesn't cook :-( As soon as I get home I need to start dinner because both of my boys (husband and son) have a 7:30/8:00 pm bedtime. Soooo... after several years of excuses I decided that I needed to just figure out a way to do this.

I now try hard to get to bed by 10:00 pm so I can get up between 4:30 and 5:00 am to walk on the treadmill. Since my son is 6, it's a little easier now because he can entertain himself if he wakes up early. I am usually done with the treadmill by 6:15 and then I can get things started for our morning routine. I also take full advantage of my husband's days off (Sunday and Monday) so I can walk outside, which I prefer.

I've been wearing a Fitbit fitness tracker since January and that has really motivated me. I've set the silent alarm for 10 am, Noon, and 3 pm which prompts me to get up and walk around the office. I also park the farthest away from the building every single day, even in the winter.

Finally, if I have a day when I don't wake up early I will try to do a quick workout while dinner is in the oven (the Crockpot is also a great tool -- makes dinner prep much easier so I have one less thing to worry about when I get home). I do something fun, like Wii fitness or Pound Rockout, so my son and husband can enjoy the show (me).

Just remember, even one little change is more than you did yesterday. Good luck!

brightsideofpink

I am tied to my desk most of the work day, and also have children. I think there are a few things to consider: one- focus more on diet for now. Figure out the calories you need to lose at a reasonable rate using the sedentary setting. Two- involve the kids as much as possible. Take them on walks or bike rides with you. Find some of the active wii games and play with them. Drop off at girl scouts and walk the halls or around the building. Try a small stair stepper in your office and take 5 minutes every hour to get in a few hundred steps. When you walk to and from your car, increase your speed. Take the long way to the bathroom. Make meals ahead on Sundays when your husband can help, and be oven ready for the week. Don't feel bad about quick meals for dinner- eat a sandwich or breakfast for dinner. As others have said, you can lose weight without exercise. But there's still good reason and good ways to squeeze it in. Good luck!

laurie04427

I also work a desk job 8-5pm, head home, make supper etc. Technically I'm on call all the time for the thing I do but don't really get called much and I'm a home body so it's a non issue.

But 7pm-9pm is my vague window where I'll fit zumba in on the Wii. In other words, I have dibs on the TV and banish the hubby from the room for that time frame.

It's late to work out but now I've gotten to the point where I can wrap everything up from the day to plan for that time to have nothing to worry about but the workout.

S_Murphree

I totally understand. I get up at 5 am, leave home at 6 am, get home at 5:30 pm, work behind a desk, have 3 kids with youngest being 2 and a 6 month old siberian husky. I try to workout at least 30 minutes during weekdays and more on the weekends. I found my best results were starting dinner. While it's cooking, I get on treadmill at that time.

I, also, like the wii fit or just dance series for wii.

Good luck to you.

wkwebby

1) If you don't already have one, definitely invest in a crockpot. It will make a huge difference in the time of day you'll have to get home for making dinner. If you had a day or two during the week where your husband can start eating prior to you physically making it each time, then you might have that extra 1/2 hour or so to do some more physical activity. I love my crockpot and use it at least once a week!

2) If you don't mind sweating up a bit at work, or if you have a shower, then try getting some ankle weights or a vest weight (you can get sand bag type weights to put into the pockets once you get to that level), and walk around on the lunch hour with these (or just one of them). The weights will add a world of hurt! You'll be surprised at what an added 2.5-5 lbs around each ankle does for the amount of work you have to put in. Add in a little high stepping with these ankle weights and you've got yourself a kick *kitten* workout for the amount of time you have. I'd wait for the vest until your activity level with weights have increased a bit.

3) As a non-morning person, I go work out at lunch each day, but if not, I make time at night (hence the crockpot idea). Although you've been walking at lunch every day, as everyone on the forums will tell you, you can't exercise away all of your bad food. So plan your meals well ahead of time (again, the crockpot is so great for this, you just dump all the ingredients into it and set the timer and go in the morning...minimal extra time in the morning needed).

Edited to add this idea 4) When you go to your meetings for your kids, maybe an additional walking exercise time? PTA isn't an option, but I'm thinking the kids activity time can also be yours?

Hope you will be able to use at least one of these ideas! Good luck!:flowerforyou:

Liftng4Lis

I AM a single mother who works full time, therefore 5:00 a.m. work out (gym in my case but not everyone can) . Also, if your husband is home, why isn't he doing the dinner?

knitapeace

First, I want to validate your busy-ness and say I totally understand. When you have any kind of dependents in your home (young or old) it's very tough to find time to exercise. I would recommend you read Lindsey's post very carefully because she said it all. Get up early...it's SO HARD but you get used to it. My 5:00 am workout is the one that "counts," and my 45 minute lunchtime walk is just extra. I can eat up the calories I burn walking without blinking twice, so they are just for a buffer. And give yourself time to see the results from logging your meals. That's where you're going to see the real scale results, and that just requires consistency and patience.

Deena_Bean

Believe me, I wish my husband could take over but with her meetings not until 6-8 I have to take her to all of these because he works at 7. I have walked for 30 on my lunch hour every day of work for the past 1.5 years and honestly have not had anything come of it. It not just a leisure walk either, we speed walk for 30 min out in the factory where it is pretty warm and i can feel my heart rate pick up but still havent seen any results, unless you want to say that it is keeping me from gaining a lot but I didnt watch my calories until about a month ago and was eating all sorts of not very good for me things. I just need to find better exercises that can be done that will actually show results. Thanks for everyones input so far though. It does help.

Walking every day for 30 minutes is good. Losing weight is 100% about calories in/calories out. Eat less calories to see the change. Walking will help you be healthier (heart/lungs/muscles, etc.). Eating less will help you lose weight. The calorie burn in exercise can help you lose weight, too, but only if you don't eat more calories than you expend in a day.

My job is sedentary, I don't walk at lunch often and only fit exercise in some of the time right now. My goal is to increase my exercising, but it's only because I want to build muscle. Weight's going down slowly based on closely (and I mean super annoyingly closely) watching my calorie intake.

futuresize8

I have a desk job, too - 7:30 - 5:00ish - and also a nasty habit of working through my lunch because there is SO MUCH TO DO!

Then I have a nasty commute home that takes 45 minutes to an hour.

And I'm the cook in the house...my husband has started learning, but we both like my cooking and it's easier for me to do it.

That said, I bought equipment I knew I'd use at home, so I have - over the years - bought a stepper, glider, rowing machine and recumbent bike. I'm thrifty and bought all of these on super sale or after accumulating gift certificates to pay for them.

When I walk in the door, I kiss my husband and hug our pup and then immediately change and ride for 45 minutes, then shower quickly and start cooking. You could do some meal prep on the weekends to make your meal prep easier and faster. Then workout after he leaves for his job. If your kids are big enough, they can go on walks with you.

The other thing I do is leave my desk when I can more often. I'll even use the bathroom in a different building on a different floor just to get some steps in!

Good luck...you can do it!

SEAFOODMAN

all about calories but you have to make time for exercise and make yourself do it................I make myself lol
and theres always workouts you can do at home.............even burpees would get your *kitten* in gear...................on a side note the last 2 weeks ive been eating a apple with breakfast and lunch, really fills you up and curbs your appetite.........before I would fight binges.............careful what you eat, some foods make you do things out of your control.........anyways since i've been doing this the weight is dropping off like crazy.

S_Murphree

1) If you don't already have one, definitely invest in a crockpot. It will make a huge difference in the time of day you'll have to get home for making dinner. If you had a day or two during the week where your husband can start eating prior to you making it, then you might have that extra 1/2 hour or so to do some more physical activity. I love my crockpot and use it at least once a week!

2) If you don't mind sweating up a bit at work, or if you have a shower, then try getting some ankle weights or a vest weight (you can get sand bag type weights to put into the pockets once you get to that level), and walk around on the lunch hour with these (or just one of them). The weights will add a world of hurt! You'll be surprised at what an added 2.5-5 lbs around each ankle does for the amount of work you have to put in. Add in a little high stepping with these ankle weights and you've got yourself a kick *kitten* workout for the amount of time you have. I'd wait for the vest until your activity level with weights have increased a bit.

3) As a non-morning person, I go work out at lunch each day, but if not, I make time at night (hence the crockpot idea). Although you've been walking at lunch every day, as everyone on the forums will tell you, you can't exercise away all of your bad food. So plan your meals well ahead of time (again, the crockpot is so great for this, you just dump all the ingredients into it and set the timer and go in the morning...minimal extra time in the morning needed).

Edited to add this idea 4) When you go to your meetings for your kids, maybe an additional walking exercise time? PTA isn't an option, but I'm thinking the kids activity time can also be yours?

Hope you will be able to use at least one of these ideas! Good luck!:flowerforyou:

Love this advice!