full time student, full time job, HELP!

treeeee

I need some help and suggestions here. Starting next week I'll be working full time (m-f 8:30-5) and going to school from 6-9pm 3 nights a week.

Anyone else out there doing the same thing? How do you squeeze in exercise? I currently go to the gym 6 days a week! I wouldn't mind getting up at 5 to get to the gym before work, but 5am-9pm is an awfullllyyyyy long day. I'm just not used to it is the problem.

Not to mention I will have homework to do too! And I need to come up with some healthy dinners I can pack to eat between work and school, in the school dining room (not sure if they have microwaves?).

I'm pretty excited to be starting school, I am 24 and quit school when after 2 semesters when I went right out of high school. Now I have a plan and goals and real world experience so I think I have more of an appreciation for an education. I am in the pre-nursing program, trying to work my way into the nursing program.

Excited or not, though, I'm stressing that I will start school and get fat again!! I just need tips to manage and balance all areas of my life (also need to make time for my dogs and boyfriend). I'm sure it will come with time, but any suggestion helps!

Thanks everyone

songbyrdsweet

You don't have to work out every day. Your lifestyle will change over the years; change your diet along with it and you can prevent weight gain when your activity levels fall. When I was in undergrad I was full-time and had two part-time jobs, but it was easier to work out because I had a set schedule all the time (and one of my jobs was at the child care center of the gym). These days I'm a doctoral student and sometimes my schedule gets really wacky and it's harder to plan ahead, so I make due.

It is absolutely possible to lose or maintain weight working out just three times a week for an hour (or even less). The more intense your workout, the more calories you can burn in a shorter period of time.

If you find that getting to the gym is becoming an issue, ditch the gym membership and use that money to invest in equipment for your home. You don't need much to get a good workout; you just need a high-intensity program. I primarily use a pull-up bar, stability ball, medicine ball, and a set of barbells. I'm also getting a mini-trampoline. You can find lots of inexpensive equipment on craigslist. Running is always a cheap way to waste some calories and you can bring your dog and your boyfriend!

I have a free membership to my rec center, but I work out at home most of the time. I usually do two days on, one day off. I also try to stay active when I'm not actually working out...BF and I love to hike and take bike rides and walk our dogs.

morielia

I work full time and am in two different grad programs full time. I work from home, so I usually hit the gym on my lunch break. If you're working a desk job, eat throughout the day while you're at your desk and go for a walk or a run on your lunch break, hit the gym if it's closed, or go to your company's facility if it has one.

If none of these is an option, then I'm full behind songbyrdsweet's advice. Invest your gym money in something you can use at home and work it into your homework time. Believe me, you will not want to sit there and read endlessly, and 10 minutes of lifting will be a nice break.

Indygirl_81

Look at hungry girl cookbooks (simple, quick, and cheap meals). I also like the "EmilyBites" website as she devotes it to cooking/eating healthy (a lot of single dish meals that make up 6 meals at one time and are easily freezable).

thetiwi1890

My day isn't even that jam-packed, I work 9-5 Monday to Friday, and I have to study for exams all the time, but it's my own schedule for study which means that more often than not, it doesn't get done. Even still, I struggle to get exercise in, what with cleaning the house, making dinner, etc. All that you can do (or at least what works for me) is slowly squeezing a little more into your day every day and building up a stamina (resistance?) to all that you do! Work tires the hell out of me and I could happily sit on the couch all evening, but sometimes you end up more tired that way. Try walking a little in the evenings, or running with a really good songlist on your mp3 player etc. Then try maybe another day getting in a workout DVD, or a spinning class. Then maybe another night the gym. Build it up, see what works, see what's not fitting in for you. For me, there are no gyms at all nearby, so walking, running and evening exercise classes are all that's possible. And even then, a lot of evenings, I'm still on the damn couch!! :blushing:

jsickman12

I work full time, go to law school 3 nights a week, and am committed to 27 hours of studying outside of class, so I feel your pain. On school nights, I run atleast 3 miles at lunch, or sometimes 4, like today, and really watch my calories. If I can't make a run, I don't over eat. Non school days during the week, run or bike first thing when I get home from work then hit the books. You can do it, you just have to schedule your time, sounds cliche, but it works.

sbowl

I have a website that is about students returning to school. One section discusses the importance of time management which I will share with you below. My initial suggestion to you is to go to the gym on the days you do not have class the same evening. With a new job, starting back to school, and trying to work going to the gym into your busy schedule (along with everything else), I think you need to physically find time to go to the gym. If you drop your gym membership and try to workout from home, you can easily get derailed - I know because I DO work from home and I don't mean workout.

Anyway - congratulations to you on returning to school.

While geared to studying, this information may help (excerpt from my website):

Time management is an important skill when taking classes. We all have very busy lives with family, friends, social and community activities, and jobs. You have to do more than just say you will find the time to study; you have to designate the time to study and prepare your assignments. You may not have to give up anything that is already taking up your time, but you may have to readjust the time you spend on those other activities in order to make time for classes.

Make a schedule for your weekdays and weekends. Block out the time you spend at work. Do the same thing for time you may spend at the gym, volunteering, or at church. Do you visit your aunt every Saturday morning or go grocery shopping on the same day each week? Mark each of these things on your schedule. Don't forget time to sleep.

You can estimate that you will spend approximately 4 to 6 hours per course credit each week for class. If you are taking a 3-credit class that will mean you need to spend 12 to 18 hours each week to complete the requirements of the class. A 4-credit class will require 16 to 24 hours. The class requirements will vary, but can include the following: textbook readings, research, writing papers, group project and individual projects, presentations, lab experiments, or anything else your instructor assigns.

In addition to the class requirements, you also have to include time to absorb the material you are learning before you move on to the next assignment. This is an important tip because it will help you to scaffold your learning. If you don't understand something don't hesitate to ask a question of your classmates or instructor. How do you do that? Your online class will have a forum area with a title like Course Q&A. Your teacher may also provide an e-mail address for questions, but your first course of action should be to ask the question in the Course Q&A forum. By doing this you may be helping out another classmate that has the same question, but has not asked it yet. Remember that no question is a stupid question.

How do you carve out time in your day to complete your coursework? Most assignments will last for one week. Commit to a specific number of hours each day or on a few days each week. Maybe you spend 15 minutes less each day at the gym, don't hang out as often after work with your co-workers, spend less time watching television, texting, or reading your e-mails.

Time management tips:
- Plan ahead
- Avoid procrastination - this is very important for you in order to succeed!
- Even out your workload
- Keep your goal in mind
- Avoid distractions (this may be easier said than done, but is absolutely necessary)

If you have children you may need to wait until they go to bed to study. You may need to carry your textbook to work with you and read during lunch. If you take public transportation you can read on the bus, train or subway. Take your textbook with you to a doctor appointment - you'll be sorry if you don't because you never know how long you may have to wait.

One of the best tips I can give you is to discuss the decision to start or continue your education with your family, friends, co-workers and boss. All of these people are your support group and it is important they understand what this means to you and how you need their support to keep you on track and help you to manage your time to reach your goal.

hendrijm

I am a full time grad student with two jobs and research on top of classes. I'd like to see what advice is out there for this topic. I do better as the semesters go by, but it never seems to be enough.

DontStopB_Leakin

I'm a full time mother, so I'm on the clock 24/7.

Everyone is busy. Everyone has things they have to do. The bottom line is, if you want it badly enough, you'll find the time to make it work.

JessWolf1002

Trust me, it's hard!!! Not only do I work full time 9-5, I also go to school 2 nights a week and online, I have a husband who is in the military so he works late a lot and is gone sometimes and I have 2 little ones. It's definitely do able. I plan everything out on the weekend and prep all my food. I get up at 5 am and do a 45 minute work out, then I shower and get ready and get my kids up and ready for school. It is difficult and I feel like I'm always on the go and never get time to sit and relax. I do longer workouts on the weekends since I have more time then. Don't worry, you can do this! Go on a walk on your lunch break, park farther away in the parking lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator. All these little things add up! You could also do 2 mini workouts. Do a 15 minute mini work out when you wake up and another before bed. Good luck!

Guines9

Give one Up. I tried it for years and either one or the other or both will suffer, not counting yourself. It really is not worth it.