Finding the TIME to Exercise??

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  • mseneschal
    mseneschal Posts: 2
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    I've got a few suggestions:

    A.) Get a Fitbit. It's a pedometer that tracks your steps throughout the day. Just having that information will empower you to walk more. You can also link it up with MyFitnessPal and see your calories burned vs. your calorie intake right there at your fingertips. In it's pure basic form, calories going in vs. calories going out is what you want to be mindful of. You don't need a gym to monitor that, and make subtle (but huge over time) changes with the data you've collected with the Fitbit and MyFitnessPal.

    B.) If you want to find more time... systematically look at where you're spending your time and determine if what you're doing adds value to the crux of your day. Most people spend 80+% of their day doing things that don't matter for the big picture. So many people that have no time can have lengthy conversations about the many many TV shows they watch. In hindsight, do you care what was on TV sitcoms 5-years ago? Nope. Do you wish you have been going to the gym for 5-years now. Yes. Now, I'm just using TV as an example, maybe you don't watch TV, but you get my point.

    C.) The power of making it a routine. I've seen a few comments where people say they don't find time, they make time. What they are really saying is, they have made going to the gym a routine in their lives. Do you find time to watch TV? No, it's a routine... oops, I'm back on TV again. Let's think about a different routine that everyone does in the morning. Most people spend 45-minutes to an hour getting ready in the morning. Getting ready = shower, brushing teeth, combing hair, doing makeup, getting dressed (I'm sure most women try on like 4 different outfits in the morning). Taking a shower, brushing our teeth, getting dressed are things we've been doing our entire lives, so we don't think of these things as tedious because they are engrained in our routine. We don't think twice about spending an hour every single morning doing this. That's the power of a routine. Make the gym a daily or weekly routine and you're not finding time for it, you just do it.
  • mgoetsch1982
    mgoetsch1982 Posts: 392 Member
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    Plenty of moms doing this. Read their stories.

    ALL SUCCESSFUL ladies ---> http://www.venusindex.com/transformation-contest/

    Many are young moms. This is an excellent women's workout, all body, designed to make you look good and be strong, its different every day. Just 1 hour for 3 days a week. Some break it up. Check out what it did for those ladies and you can even listen to their interviews and see how they fit it in.

    How much is that program? I went to the website and it looks good. I'm just wondering how much it costs. I'm a single mom and would love a program that works like that.

    But to address your question, I workout after my girls go to bed. I find it harder to get up in the morning than to do them at the end of the day. The whole point is that you have to find what works for you
  • howdeelightful
    howdeelightful Posts: 385
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    That's great then. Weight loss happens when you sustain a healthy caloric deficit. And that doesn't require any exercise, just good eating. So you don't have to find time for anything... you just have to eat right.

    That's great!! I'm working on that as well! That makes me feel a little better. I'm still going to try to get in some exercise, but I won't feel as bad if that is the case if I can't do it as much as I would like to.
  • melsmith612
    melsmith612 Posts: 727 Member
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    I don't have kids but I have a husband who is extra needy in the attention department so I count him when considering responses to posts like this... my suggestion? Find a way to be active WITH your family. If there is time you'd normally watch TV, try taking turns doing Wii Boxing instead (if you have a Wii). If you would normally order a pizza and watch a movie with the kids on Saturday night, take them bowling instead (this is by far my favorite workout). Plan some window shopping with a friend if you get an hour to yourself. Take your (hypothetical) dog for a walk at the park before it gets dark and before dinner to help the whole family build an appetite. Or tell your hubby that certain days you need him to make dinner/pick up the kids/or whatever so that you can have time to do a workout DVD and then freshen up afterward.
  • howdeelightful
    howdeelightful Posts: 385
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    C.) The power of making it a routine. I've seen a few comments where people say they don't find time, they make time. What they are really saying is, they have made going to the gym a routine in their lives. Do you find time to watch TV? No, it's a routine... oops, I'm back on TV again. Let's think about a different routine that everyone does in the morning. Most people spend 45-minutes to an hour getting ready in the morning. Getting ready = shower, brushing teeth, combing hair, doing makeup, getting dressed (I'm sure most women try on like 4 different outfits in the morning). Taking a shower, brushing our teeth, getting dressed are things we've been doing our entire lives, so we don't think of these things as tedious because they are engrained in our routine. We don't think twice about spending an hour every single morning doing this. That's the power of a routine. Make the gym a daily or weekly routine and you're not finding time for it, you just do it.

    I love the thought process behind actually making it a routine! Then you don't really think about it, you just do it!
  • skb12573
    skb12573 Posts: 202 Member
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    I walk (fast) around the parking lot during my breaks at work. It may not be much but it's better than nothing. I started out walking for 3 minutes at a time because it's been a long time since I got any kind of exercise so I had to start out slow. I just got back in from my break and I walked 10 minutes this time.

    I do this too! My work days are 11.5 hours plus nearly 1 hr commute one way. I try to utilize my breaks and lunch at work to walk the block or parking lot each day I am there. Some days I can get over 3 miles in!!
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
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    You don't find time, you make time.

    I am stealing this quote...Best answer to the OP question even without reading any further.
  • DonniesGirl69
    DonniesGirl69 Posts: 644 Member
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    Ok, question for everyone. What are your suggestions for great, fast, effective workouts? I am an extremely busy wife and mother who works both a full-time and a part-time job. Finding it really hard to find the time and energy to exercise. HELP!!!

    I'm a single mother, also with two jobs......you simply have to make exercising a priority. I get up at 5am and run and if I don't get up at 5, then I make myself go run at night after everything is done.

    "If it's important you'll find a way, if it's not you'll find an excuse." :smile:
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I have been in your shoes! When I joined MFP I was working full time, drove an hour each way to work, volunteered 3 nights a week, plus had a 4 year old and husband to deal with :) I started slow (and it proved to be enough) working out 2 to 3 days a week for 30-45 minutes. If you ever sit and watch a half hour show on TV, the you have a half hour to exercise. Not that I never watch TV now (honestly I watch it a lot more b/c I am sidelined from exercise due to health issues AND not working right now), but I find that there is nothing that I feel like I HAVE to watch, I just want to do things that are beneficial to me and my family now!
  • Cathcandoo
    Cathcandoo Posts: 107 Member
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    There's a program called 10-Minute Trainer by Tony Horton (the guy who created P90X). It's an at home Total Body workout that u can complete in 10-12 minutes. I can answer questions if u have any. :)

    I have heard about this! Is it really effective in just 10 minutes a day? What other workout would you add to this to round out your daily exercise? Do you have to follow a special diet to make it work?

    Sorry for jumping in and asking questions but I have really thought about starting this.
  • kcoftx
    kcoftx Posts: 765 Member
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    I told myself I cannot go to bed without doing a workout. I bought the 30 Day Shred too. Initially I alternated between that and walking at least 2000 steps.

    At first I wasn't finding the time and because I promised myself, I was sometimes stuck doing these workouts at 11pm. I'm not a night owl really so this sucked. I was proud of myself but I didn't want to always be tired when I did it. It took a few weeks of shoving it here and managing it there and getting stuck at such a late hour that I told myself the only way to make it better was to plan it. At first that just meant I plAnned out that single day and thought about a good time to try to fit it in (as well as a back up plan). Then soon, there was a pattern going. Once in awhile I became stuck but mostly I had a good thing going.

    Now I commit to the gym every MWF morning and plan my shedule around my gym time.

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