Workouts and Having a Life...
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you dont have to go to a gym to workout if you do it at home you can save time watever time of day you decide to do it, I hate gyms and have been doing dancing, fitness videos, strength training at home, do watever you enjoy for me its dancing but dont forget to include cooking, cleaning, and other types of activities in your exercise diary I started doing this recently and was amazed i had burned 800 calories in one day when I started adding everything I do in a day.
You could even try walking or cycling to work if its possible that would then be your exercise for the day, I used to walk to work it would take me 30 minutes one way so I would end up doing 60 minutes of walking, if its too far perhaps you could park your car a further distance away or get off a few stops early if by bus and walk from there to work.0 -
I am a mom of three and my husband works second shift. Because I am the only one home at night, I get my butt out of bed at 3:45 four mornings a week to be dressed and out the door by 4:00. I go for a 45 minute run and come home and get ready for work. At work at 7:00. Work ends at 3:30. On the days I don't get up at 3:45, I go to the gym right after I get out of work. I spend about 50 minutes at the gym and come home to start the nightly routine. I think that if you get up just 30 minutes earlier in the mornings, you will come to enjoy it. This is my ME time with no one else around and I think that everyone needs that!0
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Wow! Reading this post makes me rethink my schedule. Things has been tight with they football season so i haven't been going to the gym.I'm thinking about going early morning or late nite I have got to get back on top of this.0
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I'm definitely adding little workouts here and there to get things started and it's good to get away from my desk a few minutes every couple hours. And I'm trying to shift around my evening things, since I'm usually up until 1 am it's getting easier to work out right after work then have evening meetings/coffee with friends/date start around 8/8:30. It's all a process I know.0
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Morning people just will never understand those of us who are NOT morning people - and vice versa!
I had one friend who was always buggin me about how peaceful and quiet it is in the early morning. I finally told her I was one of those people that provided that peace and quiet!
At times I've had all the motivation in the world and would get up early in the morning to work out. It would last a week - maybe 2 weeks. The whole point is that it has to be sustainable for you.0 -
that is all..0 -
I wake up at 5-5:30 a.m. to be at work by 6:30-7:00 a.m. This leaves me more time after I get home at 5:30 p.m. to work out before 9-10 p.m., when I go to bed.
If you're sleeping in until 8:30 a.m., I'm assuming you're going to bed around 11 p.m. or midnight. If you get home around 6 p.m., that leaves you with 6 hours to work out!0 -
I found I needed a way to figure out how to do my strength training in different ways.
Sometimes I do it at the gym.
I also have some weights at home.
Also I have resistance bands and those I can take a run with to the pier near my house and do a workout that way.
A trainer showed me some of the things I do and that was helpful.
I also like to play tennis - but that is more involved to make happen, so that is maybe 1-2x a week and with the winter coming I will have to find other ways.
Finally Walking and Biking are great - because they can get you from place to place AND give you a workout. Lunchtime walks can also be nice.
So sometimes I bike to work (cardio that helps me get TO work) and sometimes I even walk to work.
The other one is Stairs - stairs are a great workout and most people can find a set of stairs somewhere.
So there are a number of different ways you can make it happen - if you really want to.
Yes, sometimes I have to be very disciplined, and sometimes I make a judgment call. For example I am invited to a "Ribs Smackdown!" at a good friend's house. I will plan on loosening things up, but I will probably try to get a good solid workout that day in, and maybe a bike ride the day after.
It's definitely about a lifestyle, and I have found that every so often that includes letting myself enjoy things a bit.
You can do it!0 -
i plan it into my work days. I have to be to work usually by 7 am so I'm not doing it in the morning. So, I usually pack my gym bag and go immediately after work. Before I go home It's easier that way and makes it part of my work day. and then the rest of the night is mine to do as I please. I work a physical job where I am always moving so I am tired after work, the cardio and weights give me energy to get on with my day.0
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I had a challenge getting work outs in because of my long commute in the morning and night. I have since found that using my lunch hour and going to the gym near work is effective for me. I am fitting in my workout and using my lunch time to invest in my health.0
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I am not a morning person!! HATE HATE HATE mornings and I'm one to hit the snooze 20 times before getting up at the very last minute only with enough time to pee, shower and grab coffee as I am running out the door!
So my life goes as so..
Wakeup, Pee, SHower, Out the door
Work
Gym (before I go home otherwise I won't go)
Home
Dinner
Bed
Do AGAIN!0 -
I have a full time job and twin 4 yr olds at home. My husband works nights 6pm - 6am. My gym doesn't open till 9 am. Originally I was up at 6 and out the door by 715 to take the girls to daycare and be at work by 8. Got off at 5, picked up the girls, got to the gym by 6 or 630, worked out till 730, got home by 8, fed everyone, baths and bed. Hated it. It wasn't fair to the girls because they had been in daycare all day then got stuck in another childcare at the gym and had no time with me. So now, I am up at 430 am while everyone is still in bed. I do my workout then get ready for work. This leave me time after work to spend with the kids, clean my house, grocery shop or just whatever. It's hard to get used to but I find it works best for me.
Oh and being a crazy person in the morning because you have to get up is all in your head. I don't mean to sound mean but you only act the way you allow yoursef to act. Plus at 430 am you don't have to deal with anyone and have that time to wake up and put on your happy pants.
well arent you tired by 9pm? this sounds similiar to my situation...and if i get up super early then usually by 8-9pm i am super cranky and just exhausted...not to mentions the heaaches that come from lack of sleep if i dont get to bed till late...0 -
Are you working 16hrs a day? No? Then you have time for your fitness program. It's all a matter of priorities - if you really want to do something you'll find a way.
This.
I used time as an excuse. I work 8-5, not including my 1 hour commute to daycare and work each way. I go home and make my family dinner and can find 30-45 mins to walk or do something...
Also, what about team sports? I bowl a every Wednesday night, 33 weeks a year with my 4 best friends. We also play co-ed volleyball at a rec center 2 months a year..0 -
Wear a pedometer and keeping moving until you get 11,00 steps every day, 15 min breaks, lunch hour. Look at the stairs and yes more steps. Keep going after a week, you will build a routine. Bring hand weights to your work and couple sets daily.
By the time you go home, you are done!!!0 -
For what it's worth, these are all things that can be done with no equipment other than a resistance band... and this gives me a pretty good workout if doing 3 reps of each... So this way if you find time but not enough to go to a gym these are some of the things that can be done. Good luck! - Erik
Front Raises, Straight Arm (resistance band)
Lateral Raise, Side (resistance band)
Side Leg Raises
Abdominal - Plank hold
Biceps Curl (resistance band)
Push Ups
Squat
Triceps Extension (resistance band)
Front Leg Raises
Back Leg Raises
Lunge
Seated Row (resistance band wrapped around your feet)
Abdominal - Bicycle crunches0 -
Don't want to sound mean, but if you want it bad enough, you find a way to work it in. I usually work out at lunch, but recently started working with a trainer one night a week & added going to the gym on weekends. The one night I'm with my trainer, I have learned to throw something in the crockpot for the family since I head straight to the gym after my 12 hr day. Try adding little things throughout the day....stairs instead of elevators, 10-12 minutes walk at breaktimes, park your car further from the door so you have to walk further....
On weekends I opted to give up my sleeping in mornings to hit the gym and decided I can take a nap later if I want (which I usually don't, but it was enough to convince myself to get up early to hit the gym!) My "reward" for my early morning workouts is the bf treats me to breakfast when I get done. Win - win for everyone - he gets to sleep in & I don't have to cook breakfast! :laugh:0 -
If you get up and exercise in the morning, you might find that you're not a "morning monster" and actually have a better, more energetic day!
I work 4/10's, 7:30AM-6:00PM with 2 elementary schoolers and a husband that leaves for work between 6-6:30AM.
Up at 4:30, exercise done by 6
Shower, eat, ready kids by 7:15
Work
Home by 6:15 (I am VERY lucky with a mostly zero commute)
Dinner, homework, games, baths bed by 8:30
And that 8:30 bedtime goes for the adults too, otherwise we'd never have the energy to get up and do it again tomorrow!0 -
im not a morning exerciser but I do make myself time after work. when I get off work, Im home 5pm, i rush in and change into my workout clothes, shoes and put on my HRM and start making dinner. Once dinner is ready, I will feed my kids and husband and I will start my workout while their eating. My workout lasts about an hour and then 15 mts to shower. Im done by 7pm. I can then relax and eat a light dinner. This is the only way I will get it done, sometimes I do eat dinner with my family but I have to wait for food to digest and that throws me off pretty late. My family understands and is very supportive.0
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Workout has to become your new "lover" ... If you really want it, you will make time morning,
evening, night....
I usually work out evenings at home, or if I do mornings I go with my friends to the beach and
we'll work out together. You need to find some motivation, and if you got people who exercise
then get together and find something fun to do that will get you moving.
YOu can do sports, run, walk.
I have a treadmill at home, and use dvd's but it's because it has become a habit for me to do it
all the time. I usually workout between 24-27days a month, which is most of the time. It matters not
if it is a 30min -2hr workout, I tend to do something... Prior to MFP I lost 30 pds, so it has worked for me.
Now just last month I lost 7pds, so far this month I been little off back to school, but still have lost 4pds.
YOu can do it.. You just have to really want to better yourself.0 -
I am NOT a morning person at all, so I really don't workout in the morning, unless you count some light yoga to stretch out the kinks. I work 9 hour days and do a load of volunteer activities, then come home to a hubby, 3 dogs, and sometimes a step-son (He's only with us roughly half the time). I tried the get up early thing for a hot minute, and realized it's not for me. So in order to "work in" exercise, I had to REMOVE it from my daily to-do list. Work is not on my to-do list. Making dinner is not on my to-do list. However, these are things that must be done. Exercise is the same. It doesn't have to be at the gym every day. Go for a walk. A bike ride. Do something fun like roller skating (which burns a TON of calories, by the way). But exercise should be as much a part of your day as any other activity you have to do.
It's hard at first, but once you make the change, it gets surprisingly easy and pretty addictive too. I feel like junk when I don't get some kind of exercise pretty much every day.0 -
Not a scheduling ninja, you just have to want it bad enough. On weekdays I get up at 3:30am, get my kids stuff ready for the day, then get ready for work, on the road at 5:30am, to work at 7am and work til 4pm, drive home and there around 5:30pm, then start my school work (full time college). I eat supper at my computer doing the school work, then when done, around 9ish (or later depending on the work load), I give my son his injection, then workout. I then tuck in all 3 kids, shower, and bed for me around 10:30-11pm... up at 3:30am to do it all again. It's not easy. Some would argue sleep is more important...but my workouts are my sanity time for me and allow me to sleep. Find what works, but the key is... you have to WANT TO do it for it to work - otherwise there are a ton of excuses you can use to avoid it.0
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I'm not a morning person, I'd love to be but I'm kind of a snarling wildebeast if I get up before 8:30, but I find myself running out of time to workout at night. How does everyone fit this in? What kind of scheduling ninja have you become to make time for exercise?
I generally try to work out while dinner is cooking, or if it's stir-fry or something like that, then I wait about an hour after dinner and work out. That gives me at least two hours between my workout and bedtime. (It takes me at least two hours to wind down.)0 -
Not a ninja, just make it a priority!
I wake up at 5:30, leave my house at 7, get to work at 8:30, leave work at 5:30, get to the gym at 7, and stay there until my workout is DONE (usually around 8:30). Sure, I don't get home until 9pm, have to quick eat dinner/shower and go to bed to do it all over again, but I'm staying on track!
Point is, if it's important to you, you'll find a way - the best way that works for you! Quite simply, JUST DO IT!
^^THIS!
So true! I have been doing my workouts for long enough now, that I tell the family, it's time, and they all know that I do it to be healthy and since they love me, they love that I workout. No interruptions allowed. It's as much a priority as showering and eating and going to my job. It's just something that I do.
ETA: sometimes they do interrupt me, and I say, "Is it important, or can it wait?"0 -
How on earth do you manage to get to sleep until 8:30 every day? Every job I've had required me to be at work by 8, my kids' school starts at 8, I even had 8am classes in college. You said you stay up until 1am - go to bed earlier! Move it up 1/2 hour for a few days, then another 1/2 hour until you get to a more reasonable bedtime. Or, if you really aren't willing to readjust your schedule that way, make working out a priority and fit it in some other time!0
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that is all..
That's awesome!
I work between 50 and 60 hours a week plus am on-call and I still get up at 3:30 am to get to the gym by 4am/4:15am, and I am NOT a morning person. The whole "morning person" thing is about the biggest BS excuse I've ever heard. At 4am I hate everybody even the random hot ladies that are in the gym at that time. If you can't make time to get a consistent exercise routine in then you simply don't want it bad enough or it's not that important to you. Not to mention the diet aspect of this, exercise alone won't fix everything. That probably sounded kinda' ****ty and it wasn't meant to be, it's really just the truth of the matter. Cut-out the evening coffee too; I'm sure that doesn't help you with your sleep schedule.0 -
If you can't do it in the morning (I also am not good at morning workouts) you have to just put off something else that is keeping you busy. It's ok to leave a few dishes in the sink or put laundry away the next day if it means you get a good workout in!0
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Sometimes when it comes to your overall health and well being, you have to put some things on the back burner. Find what works best for you...what sounds unpleasant now, may actually be the best fit for you later.0
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Well... so many have replied but I am going to put my two cents in also In response to "I'm not a morning person"...You learn to adjust. Trust me, you do. I have worked 6am-3pm, 3pm-11pm, and 11pm-6am, at the same job before, and I'm not talking about swing shifts. I started out on nights, there was an opening on the afternoon shift, and then finally after a bout a year I got to go to day shift when there was an opening. You learn to adjust. It's not always EASY, but it can be done. With that said.... I dont expect anyone to go from a 1am bedtime to lets say in bed by 10pm...But if you slowly start to go to bed earlier--lets say by 15 mins at a shot... it will get easier to get up earlier. I believe no one is born a "morning person" or a "night person" but that they seem that way after they are used to doing it awhile- it becomes a pattern, a habbit. If you like to sleep in...( and who doesnt?!) On your rest days allow yourself to do that... but the days when you need to work out--- the night before hit the bed a lil earlier and make yourself get up. After your workout and when you see results ALL will be worth it--- if getting healthy is something you really want to do! 0
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I hear you. I have, for years and years, exercised early morning. Now, I am on the cusp of having my two youngest children finishing high school and going off to college. I find I am reevaluating my priorities and my schedule. Yes, I LOVE getting my work out in at 5 am. What I don't like is being so tired at 6 pm when I am with my teenagers. I am trying to figure it all out. I view life as filled with seasons - right now I am thinking maybe a workout 3-4 times a week is sufficient, rather than the 7 days a week, 1-2 hour workouts I've maintained all this time. My babies will soon be gone - and then I can workout all I want. And, believe me, I plan to!0
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