Finding time to exercise

HPLW0705

I asked this same question months ago and got the same type of responses. Honestly, I work out when I get home from work or class, even if it's after 11 at night. I'm mentally drained by then as well, but I've been doing it for so long now that I just feel like I have more energy. No one on here is going to give you the magic solution because everyones situation is different, but if you're wanting to make a physical change in yourself, you'll figure it out just like I had to. I work full time, go to school (in class, not online) full time, and because my husband works out of town, I play single mommy to our 2 kids a lot. I understand being tired. You can do this!!

bushidowoman

I've been asking myself this question for a long time. I wake up at 5AM, get ready for work, and get home from work at 8PM. If I get myself on the treadmill at that time, I'm tired and wind up eating dinner at 9:30-10PM. 11PM I go to sleep. With that schedule I wind up skipping the workout just because I'm exhausted by the end of the day. I would have to get up at 3:30AM in order to get my workout in the morning before work. I need to do something, because doing nothing hampers my weight loss efforts. Does anyone have any suggestions?

This is my husband's schedule. He leaves the house at 0530 and gets home at 2000. (I'm just the opposite; I leave the house at 1730 and get home at 0800). Once we get home...we have seven children, including two in diapers and a nursling. So we have to spend some time loving on them!
(Thankfully, we both only work three shifts a week, opposite each other, so one of us is always home with them.)

First of all, I plan out my meals and snacks and take them with me. I don't wait to eat when I get home, because I know that I'll have children who missed me wanting to sit in my lap and tell me about their day. I also plan meals that are easy to eat "on the run" when I am at work. Boiled eggs, cut up veggies, nuts, fruit, yogurt, etc.

OK, so working out. I do short workouts on my work days--thirty minutes when I wake up. I alternate days of full-body strength/weight training with 5K running or hitting my heavy bag. If I can't squeeze in thirty minutes before I go to work, I do 20. Or 15. Or heck, even 10 minutes of jumping jacks, pushups, lunges, etc. before getting into the shower. But most of the time, I can make room for 30 minutes. Yeah, I'm tired and don't feel like it, but I really need that little shot of endorphins before a long shift.

Getting up earlier works for me, but it doesn't work for my hubby. He grabs a quick dinner at work and does his workout when he gets home. Or occasionally, he hits the hospital gym during his break.

Then on the days we're home, we do a full workout. We have turned our backyard shed into a gym/dojo, and the kids often join us for workouts.

Our parents both have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, etc. (my dad died at 55 from a heart attack.) I am 40, and he is 47...neither of us have any health problems, nor are we on any medications so far, and we hope to keep it that way as long as we can. And we need energy to keep up with our large family. So skipping the workouts are just not an option.

SprinkledWithEmotion

If you want to you will find the time. Can you walk to work? Take a walk on your lunch break?

popsicklestar

It is hard for me to make it to the gym after I get off work and I'm tired, but I always go straight to the gym when I wake up on my days off. That means that even on a terrible week when I'm super busy and exhausted, I always exercise at least two days. Usually, I can get my act together and make it in at least one or two of the 5 days during the week, so that puts me at 3 or 4 days a week. On a good week, I make 5. I do pretty intense workouts, so I make them count. Sometimes it helps to take your gym stuff and a little snack and go straight from work, so you don't go home and get too comfy. I'm not a morning person, so going at 5am is out of the question for me.