Help please? Do you exercise even when you're busy or have h

c2sky

I am writing an essay about time constraints and health issues that make it difficult to exercise. I know that some of you use your busy, stressed out lives and health issues as a REASON TO exercise. Others of you may find it to be a major stumbling block. If you don't mind me referring only to your comments and first name, I would like your opinions AND YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. You can either post here or send me a private message.

I really would like to hear about a personal example of how you overcame an obstacle to exercise, or something you find really difficult to deal with like childcare, migraines, finances, 2 jobs, going to school...etc.

I just got this essay assignment today. It's due on the 28th. But I fly out to see family Sunday morning. So I would like to work on it while I'm travelling. So could you please write me your responses?

Thanks so much!!!!

taso42

It's a priority. It needs to be done.
Sort of like laundry, or going to work.

shannonichole

I use it as a way to de-stress and forget about my busy schedule. Sometimes I take my homework to the gym and do it while I'm on a cardio machine.

muitobem

Even when I'm busy, I take or make the time to exercise. I do take 1-2 days of rest from it as the body needs time to repair itself. As to if I have a health issue..I will exercise even when not feeling well, depending on HOW my body is feeling. If I've been running a temperature, I will not exercise. If it's just a bit of sniffles, I exercise. But if my body has said, "I'm not moving for anything because this illness has me totally drained", I don't.

My name is Debbie..

Football_N_Guns

It's part of life, just like brushing my teeth.

midwifekelley2350

i have a busy, stressed out life and it makes me feel so much better when i get my workout in. i have to get up at 5:15am to get it in but if i don't do it, it ruins my day. i have don't this for years but i do argue with myself almost every morning when that alarm goes off...once i am up, i am fine!

jilleebean777

I try to make it a priority as well. Life happens and it may set you back a little, but there is always time for exercise. Many people say "I don't have time for it"....But you have time to be on facebook endlessly or MFP (LOL), watch your 1 hour tv show, shop, etc. 30 minutes out of a day is not too much to ask.

Totally agree Guru- like laundry or going to work!!

c2sky

GREAT CONCEPTS you guys! I really would like to hear a little more about a personal example of how you overcame an obstacle to exercise, or something you find really difficult to deal with like childcare, migraines, finances, 2 jobs, going to school...etc.

mvandommelen

I exercise because it is my stress relief. I am a teacher and mother of 2. i coach high school and club volleyball and have very little time for myself. I get up at 5:30 am daily and enjoy the quiet of my house and work out. It starts my day out on the right foot and I find that when I don't work out, I drag throughout the day. Working out is my time for me and I have made it a priority to have that time!
Hope that helps

woo1324

wendy

For me it depends on the kind of busy i am , I have 3 children aged 7, 3, and 11 months It has taken me along time to find away to manage my time so that i can fit in some excercise, for me i wanted to excercise because im so busy its my "me time"and my stress realese and on top of that its the only way I can get the energy to face the days of cleaning, and chasing after my 3 young children

I have found ways to incorparte it into my everyday even the most busy days , usually i cycle on my stationary bike for a hour during my babys nap while my 3 year old is entertained in the room with me watching his fav shows then i will walk up to get my son from school which is around 30 min and then after dinner every second night we go on a family walk with the dog up to the local parks

NiciS72

I personally don't really like to exercise. BUT I make it my priority. Once your health is in the crapper you can't get it back. I'm investing in my future by exercising everyday. I always feel better once I've done it and when I slack off I feel bad. I've made the mental decision that this is a necessary evil like bills, taxes, and laundry!

bjfoulks

I factor in at least 1/2 hour every day. On my busiest days it may ony be some light evening yoga after my toddler is in bed, but I must make time for myself. I've found my excercise time to be the best way for me to relax and regroup.

My name's Bobbi.

c2sky

i have a busy, stressed out life and it makes me feel so much better when i get my workout in. i have to get up at 5:15am to get it in but if i don't do it, it ruins my day. i have don't this for years but i do argue with myself almost every morning when that alarm goes off...once i am up, i am fine!

I admire you early birds. I have a lot of people who begged me to teach Zumba at 6 a.m. I started off with a class of about 10 people, and now I'm down to 4. They swear it's not my class they don't like. (Some of them come at 8:30 too on other days) they just say it's too "hard" to get up that early, but for some it's the only choice they have.

CakeFit21

It's definitely a priority. I always work through injuries. There were weeks when I couldn't run, so I swam and used the rowing machine. I have asthma, but it does not slow me down. In fact, since I started exercising seriously a couple of years ago, I think I've had to use my inhaler only once or twice and I think that was only when I was actually sick.

stevwil41

I've made it part of my morning routine. I don't "make time" to exercise I just do it. It's part of my morning. The thought, "am I'm going to the gym this morning?" never crosses my mind. I get have breakfast, brush my teeth and shave, take care of emails and that sort of thing and then head to the gym. I shower and go straight to work from there.

I'll admit that I had to start getting up about half an hour earlier and planning my mornings out a little more but it can be done and done in a relatively painless manner if you're willing to commit to doing it.

Steve

kiminita

I think that a lot has to do with CONTEXT--and everyone has a different one. Some people have been taught about exercise and nutrition and how it is VITAL to keep up with a busy schedule, others have not, and see it as taking up valuable time that could otherwise be used getting things done. For some, they really may NOT have the time because of an extremely busy and demanding family life, school work, job, etc. Also, what do people have access to, in terms of a workout facility and/or knowledge of a way to exercise without one, or a safe enough neighborhood to actually go jogging. Do they work two jobs and barely can afford 4-6 hours of sleep a day?
But as for me, I am a student and have time to spare here and there, and this has become a priority. Even with access to this knowledge though, my curriculum would sometimes be way too demanding to dedicate an hour or so to exercise daily. I could not imagine reading three 200 pg books (and writing briefs about them) and keeping up with reading in the class I teach AND exercising daily. However, time management is vital in this and in life in general.

c2sky

It's a priority. It needs to be done.
Sort of like laundry, or going to work.

so true!

BeautifulArtemis

I'm a mother of two disabled children and was dignosed in 2009 with Fibromyalgia. After several meds and adverse effects (nausea, rash and weight gain) I decided to go to the extreme and work out daily to offset the pain. The days I miss I hurt more so that gives me reason to workout. It took me awhile but it is now part of my daily life. My life is crazy AND I still make time to work out!

BeautifulArtemis

I'm a mother of two disabled children and was dignosed in 2009 with Fibromyalgia. After several meds and adverse effects (nausea, rash and weight gain) I decided to go to the extreme and work out daily to offset the pain. The days I miss I hurt more so that gives me reason to workout. It took me awhile but it is now part of my daily life. My life is crazy AND I still make time to work out!

BeautifulArtemis

I'm a mother of two disabled children and was dignosed in 2009 with Fibromyalgia. After several meds and adverse effects (nausea, rash and weight gain) I decided to go to the extreme and work out daily to offset the pain. The days I miss I hurt more so that gives me reason to workout. It took me awhile but it is now part of my daily life. My life is crazy AND I still make time to work out!

woou

The only time I rest from exercise is on a scheduled rest day or if I'm sick. Either that, I make the time for it. I'm doing Power 90, and it only takes about 30-45 mins. It goes by like a breeze.

Diary_Queen

Busy doesn't even come close to describing my life. I get up at 5am, get my 6 yr old twins (one of which is a special needs child) up, dressed, fed, backpacks packed, ready for school. I pack my breakfast and lunch and snack religiously for work so I don't eat any of the junk in our breakroom. I shower, put on makeup, get dressed, fix my hair and drive an hour to work. Work 8 hours & often do a 20 minute workout of some sort (carido or lifting or both) on my lunch break. I drive an hour home after work ends at 5pm. I cook, help with homework, eat a sensible dinner, bathe my kids and get them ready for bed at 8pm... then for the next hour, I pick out the next day's clothes, update the children's weekly lunch menu since I pack them a healthy lunch for school, I fold clothes, chat with my S.O., update my MFP; Facebook; LifeKraze, check emails, then get dressed out to work out. From 9pm until 10pm or somethings 11pm, I work out. I exercise at least once a day, 7 days a week unless my body is physically exhausted or I do a huge burn (i.e., Tuesdays when I burn 1400+ calories doing 5k training & zumba or step aerobics & zumba). Then I bathe and check my email again before bed. On Tuesdays, as stated above, I do interval run training for a 5k. I recently completed my first 5k on Nov 5th & completed my first round of p90x on Oct 19 (I only missed & had to make up 2 days from p90x when I had a cold). I'm teaching myself to become a runner, to overcome my fear of water so I can learn to swim and as soon as Santa visits this year, I will be teaching myself to ride a bicycle for the very first time. Every Friday, I go straight from work and do a Zumba class. Every Sunday, I spend two hours doing run/walk intervals for a 5k+ on trails at the park. My workouts keep me sane. They help me expend my energy in a positive way and help me set a good example for my kids. I want my children to learn that yes, there are setbacks in life and circumstances that arise, but if you work hard, anything is possible. I started out in Jan. at 327 lbs. and hadn't exercised since high school. Now, I don't know what I would do without it.

broby425

I have a long commute, and was already getting up at 4:30 every morning to get ready for work. This also gets me home pretty late, especially if there are any errands to run. So the idea of making time to exercise seemed almost impossible.

But I knew that I had to find some way to make this work if I wanted to lose weight, get into shape, and live a healthy lifestyle. So I found a program that worked for me, set my alarm for 3:45, started hitting the sack earlier each night, and made it work. It sucks sometimes, but I felt that this was not optional.

c2sky

This is great. This is exactly what I'm looking for. I realize on this website I will not get a lot of "I'm sorry, but I just can't find the time or make it work".

If that DOES describe you, please private message me. I will not be mean or judge you. In honesty, my essay will probably argue against you, but I have to have something to argue against. So don't be afraid to send me a message, saying I just can't do it right now. Or maybe even how you USED to think that.

Again, thanks for the response. I'm going to have a GREAT essay, and your stories inspire me!

LisaMariaCallow

I work out 5-6 days a week...I also work a FULL time job (retail manager, 60+ hours/wk), have a husband, 2 teenagers, and a mother in a nursing home!! Needless to say, I use my crazy life as a reason TO exercise...I like to quote Elle Woods from Legally Blonde..."Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't kill their husbands!" The gym is my sanctuary, my haven, my safe zone!! :bigsmile: My husband & I work out together as often as we can, usually 3 nights/week; I also try to work out with my daughters.

Feel free to use me in your essay!! :happy: Good luck!!

terrigrace

I work night shifts and find it very difficult to fit in exercise when i am trying to take care of my two year old and catch up on sleep during the day. I wear my pedometer and try to log 7000 or more steps per day. Often, i will do ankle pumps or jog in place instead of standing in one spot when i am at work. I have also found exercise dvds that my daughter can enjoy. She loves the music on my zumba dvd, and we even work out with a really old one from sesame street called "elmocize. In the warmer months we bike ride or i can put her in my hiking back carrier when we go for a walk.

PedmomJill

I learned that I have to schedule my workouts. I actually have the time blocked out on my Outlook calendar (which is my life). It's been working for a few months now. I won't schedule any phone conferences or appointments during that time. It's the only way I can ensure i'll do it. I used to use the "I'm too busy working" excuse.

vger11

the obstacle I have to overcome comes around every 3 months...my follow-up doctor's visit.
It's been a royal pain to flunk every other test, and pay the price (literally, as well) with his refusal to refill my prescriptions for blood pressure, asthma..etc.

I've always been at the very top of a normal BMI, but that's not good enough.
The older I get, the more difficult I find the weight coming off, so I have to get pretty creative.

I really enjoy weight-lifting, but cardio is the death of me unless it's zumba.

vada

SarabellPlus3

I think of it as "me time." I've always been an optimist in a lot of ways, and I think it really helps most situations in life to just train yourself to think about them in the best way possible. I think that's absolutely, absolutely possible. We all make time for something if it's really meaningful to us, maybe not everyday, but sometimes-- we all do. People who say they truly never can, 99% of the time are lying (maybe 100%, or they wouldn't be making the time to tell us. ?). If it's important, we can make at least some time, and if we train ourselves to enjoy it, it will help it feel that much more important.

I also am inspired by this quote:
"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
-H. Jackson Brown

---

I wish I could bold, italicize, make bright blue, and underline that.


Of course, as another Pinterest quotable told me: "The problem with quotes on the internet is that it is hard to verify their authenticity" (as credited to Abraham Lincoln), but it's just SUCH a great quote. It kicks me in the butt when I offer up all my excuses about having kids, responsibilities, etc.

Yanicka1

i have narcolepsy. For me exercising is the only way to be able to have a more or less normal life. The first step was the hardest...how can you spend energy you just do not have? I go to the gym at my lunch time...it´s my only available time since i am a single mom of 2

Edithrenee

one thing i have done was before leaving work i change into exercise cloths, i take a bag with me with all workout cloths and my headphones. I get dressed and get in car drive home, and get out of my car, dont go in house, i take off jogging, or i go in house and pop in dvd and do AT LEAST 30 minutes, i try to do an hour but that is not always possible however if i get something in it makes me fell better and stay on track.

I used to go home thinking i was going in and change adn get busy but i know if i go in i will start doing dishes or cooking or picking up cloths and things. I just make sure i think of what ever excuse i give myself and i fix it before hand.

For some reason if i have my exercise cloths on it really motivates me.

Other things used to keep me from exerciseing is headaches, now i wont jump around if i have a head achei go for a nice walk even if it is cold because you can layer on cloths..walking helps get oxygen to my brain. alot of times to my suprise my headache starts feeling way better as i turn towards home if i feel alot better i do a light jog on the way home.