Too many jobs, not enough time.. help???

AshleeNoelle

I'm hoping you all can get my spirits back up and into things. Or at least give me some ideas.

Get ready for a bit of a heavy story..

So.. on July 2nd I was in a car accident, hit by a drunk driver. No major injuries but it got me out of the gym and on a path to recovery. I was a gym go-er every day at lunch and I was suddenly strapped to my office chair, out with my shoulder and neck pain. I was going crazy inside. I tried to go back last week but all of my muscles were incredibly weak and of course I knew it would be difficult but I was still in pain.

I also at this time acquired a second job, so apart from my full time, Monday to Friday, 8-4 job, I now am working an extra 20-25 hours a week. Some days I'm working and out of the house from 8am-1145pm. So as you can imagine I'm finding it very difficult to get in a workout, and a good sleep to boot.

To top things all off, I have alopecia areata. It's an immune system disorder that causes my hair to fall out. It's the worst it has been in 8 years and it makes it difficult to feel confident working out. I have about 50% or less of my hair and I can't wear it up or down without taking extreme measures to make sure it's all covered. My confidence in the gym feeling bigger, sluggish, weak, and now practically hairless is really nosediving.

I guess I'm just having difficulties feeling good about myself and finding the time to work out when i'm working from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep. I recently started a detox to hopefully kick me in the butt and get me back in there but I'm not feeling it at all. Just hoping some of you will have some encouraging words to help me out, and lots of ideas.

Here's hoping
Ashlee

aippolito1

For one thing, your body is in recovery...so you should be RESTING. As in, not working a ridiculous amount of hours and not getting sleep. You should be getting at least 8 hours of sleep so you have energy, and you should be saving some energy to help aid with recovery. Trust me. I'm recovering from an injury myself and I started treatment the day before I lost my job so having a lot of down time has really saved me. I just started lifting weights NORMALLY (but not as heavy as before the injury) for the first time this week since at least May. I think you should really consider getting rid of the 2nd job or reducing your hours on both ends so you can save yourself. Shoulder & neck pain is what I'm dealing with too so I can relate.

If you have to wear your hair in a pony and wear a hat to the gym, do it! I see women wear baseball hats in my gym ALL the time. I'm sure they have their reasons, but try it out! Get a cute pink bedazzled one if that makes you feel better and prettier about yourself. :happy: I think you should definitely take it slow in the gym. It SUCKS to feel like you're going backwards, but believe me, you'll get to the point where you feel like you're making progress again. And it will feel AMAZING.

luvmycandies

I agree..or get a cute scarf or bandanna to cover your head. I see so many people do it at gym. As for workout, your body is recovering in. Focus on a good clean diet to ward off any weight gain. Then try exercises you can do at home or work, like squats, leg lifts, push ups, jumping jacks (depending on your pain level) in short bursts. If you did 3 x 10 min sessions a day, that is 30 min equivalent. Good luck, I am sure you will be back at gym in no time!! Feel better.

countrygirl_717

When I read that I see you as a beautiful, strong woman. You aren't just sitting around letting things happen to you, you're thinking about what you can do, and you're getting out there and trying it! Make sure you don't do more than you should be, if you're recovering. But also make sure to tell yourself that you CAN do certain things. I've dealt with hairloss in the past (not as bad as yours, but enough that you could definitely see my scalp in various places) and I know how hard that can be. It takes alot away from your self esteem. But let me tell you - you are beautiful
Don't knock yourself if you're not back in the groove yet. It will come. Just keep going at it.
Pray - God can work wonders in your heart
xoxoxo
-Jen

oddyogi

I am sorry to hear about all of the obstacles you are facing. That must be difficult.

Like Arielle said, your body should be resting, esPECIALLY if you're working that much. Instead of concentrating on your workouts, concentrate on getting a good night's sleep each night and on your food intake. After all, body composition is 80% diet, 20% exercise. Make sure you're eating healthy, clean, whole foods and your body will love you and recover that much more quickly. Also remember to drink lots of water.

When you feel up to it, start adding exercise back in slowly. Start with body weigh exercises or calisthenics, and light cardio like walking, jogging, cycling, or using the elliptical. Take everything slowly.

I agree with Arielle about the hat. Also, since you seem like you're so stressed out, that might be making the problem worse. If you ease on the exercise, increase the sleep, and make sure you're getting all of your daily nutrients, I bet your hair will return to normal soon.

Nikiki

I'm so sorry about your accident! glad you weren't more seriously injured but I can imagine that must suck! for sure start slowly so you're not further injuring your muscles.

for your issue with timing: I hear you on that, I work anywhere from 50-70 hours a week between my two jobs. For working out I can tell you planning is EVERYTHING. For my first few weeks with the two jobs I got a blank journal and mapped out my day to the minute from what time I'd need to get up, how much time I had to get ready, what I wanted to get done around the house before, after and between work(s) to my workouts, time for cooking & eating and sleeping. I try to get in something every day, even if its just a quick walk with my dog and days that I only work one of the jobs I make sure I go for a longer workout, like today I spent about an hour and a half hiking in a local park with a friend (multi-tasking! socializing with my workout!). get a few workout dvd's you can do at home so you can cram in a quick workout before or after.

For the alopecia: while I don't have personal experience with this, my father's girlfriend has it and has a LOT of anxiety over her hair (or lack there of, she's mostly bald) she finds walking, yoga & pilates to be easier for her because the motions are slower, less likely to have a wig or hat slipping accident than with kickboxing or other cardio workouts. try swimming where its perfectly acceptable to wear a cap and no one will think anything of it.

Good Luck!

mcarmon

The fact that you even want to be in the gym is a testament to how committed you are to working out. Don't beat yourself up - you've got the hard part done already!

Only you are going to know what is best for your schedule, but perhaps you could find time first thing in the morning or in the evenings on a day when you have a shorter evening to do your workouts. And if your second job involves physical activity, don't forget to take that into consideration too! If your baseline level of activity has increased, then you are going to need to cut back some on the working out to balance that out, at least until your body can adjust - otherwise you're going to be tired all the time.

Depending on what kind of exercising you do, maybe there are workouts you can do around your neighborhood or at home, so you can build up your confidence again. Plus you'll save time traveling to and from the gym which you can instead spend on sleeping. As another idea, I definitely have been in a position where I felt I was too overweight to be seen in the gym. I still prefer working out at home. However, I have been a member of a couple of all-women's gyms before and I found them to be much more relaxed than other gyms. It's not really the fact that there are no men - it's that there is (generally speaking) often a larger proportion of older women and moms. They really tend NOT to care what you look like!

I wish you the very best of luck and I'm glad you are okay after your accident!!

RMB47933

First off, I'm sorry things have been so rough lately. Keep those spirits up! I really hope the second job is a temporary thing since 12 and 14 hour days are not someting many people could do for very long. I agree with Arielle that you should focus on some rest and healing, especially with the long hours. Pushing yourself too hard when you're already injured and overtired is only going to make you more tired and more injured. Your body won't build up lean muscle or shed fat anyway if it's working too hard to repair itself. I am working through overuse injury from using the gym to control all the things in life that cannot be controlled and it has about killed me to scale back as I return a little at a time to the gym, but it's getting easier to moderate. One thing that has helped was advice to focus on maintaining while I'm out with the injury, and stop obsessing about progress. I've started to pay more attention to what I eat and how much I rest, and it has been good for my stress levels to step back for a bit and redirect all of that obsessive behavior. It wasn't/isn't easy, but it's healthier in the end. As for finding time to fit in your exercise, I've found when I get super over-scheduled I fit in more small things throughout the day and rely a lot more on proven moves that work anywhere (planks, lunges, pushups, yoga, etc). Just do what you can and focus on maintaining while you recouperate. Take care of yourself, and I hope things get better. Oh, and as for feeling bad about how you look at the gym- just find some outfits that you're comfortable in that fit well, and I think a running hat is a great idea if you're insecure about your hair. Best of luck to you, and hope you are able to get back into your routine soon better than ever!

AshleeNoelle

Thanks everyone for the uplifting messages!! Helped a lot already today

I thought I'd let you all know that I'm vegan too so eating healthy isn't the biggest issue for me I love my veggies and I don't ever eat out or buy junk food. It's really helpful not to be tempted with all of that stuff :P

I greatly appreciate all your advice. I think sleep is the biggest thing right now that I've fallen into a rut in and hopefully I can get it sorted out soon. I would quit the second job if I wasn't so in debt with student loans. It's just to make life easier on me.. but I don't want to risk my health. I will definitely be attempting to get back into a work out regime soon enough!

I'm also going to look into some awesome head accessories to wear at the gym and work on a mindset of "I'm beautiful inside and out and if anyone stares at me right now then they're just jealous of my confidence" and hopefully that will give me strength.

Thanks again everyone