How do you fit in workouts during your busy schedule?

I have two jobs, one full time and one part-time. I'm having trouble making myself go to the gym when I could easily fit it in because I'm just so damn tired. What are some ways y'all motivate yourself to just get in there and get it done? Do you give yourself incentive by promising yourself treats? Or do you have some other way of motivating yourself to get to the gym?

Replies

  • blti
    blti Posts: 6
    I do things I like like ballet and yoga and have many classes I can go to, so if I miss one or two classes a week, I still feel OK. Could you incorporate exerciser into your routine, like walking from one job to the other, or taking the stairs more often?
  • milele_transfome
    milele_transfome Posts: 18 Member
    Sad but true answer: I don't. And my schedule is not even that busy. The fact is, I like to sleep in, and I like to get home by 6 so that I can cook dinner and hang with my husband, and the in-between time is work. I could easily workout during lunch, but I don't want to take the shower. So basically, exercise is not a priority.

    HOWEVER, I have found ways to compensate for this sorry state of affairs. I walk mile to the train station each day. If it's not dark or raining when I get home, I walk the mile from the train station as well. I always take the stairs. And on the weekend, I clean the house like it's my job and try to do something active one of the two days.

    I am recognizing that in order to achieve the "look" I want this is probably not enough, so I'm struggling with deciding whether the "look" is more important than not having to exercise.

    BTW- I'm not completely shallow and don't think of exercise as being beneficial only for how it makes me look. I recognize the importance of health as well, but for some reason that does nothing to get me out of bed in the morning ;-)
  • rc429
    rc429 Posts: 12 Member
    The thing that makes me most consistent is having my friends - we send out our workout schedules to each other at the beginning of the week, so there's no excuse - someone is pretty much working out every day before work or after work!
  • Are you able to get out at lunch? My current office doesn't have showers, but my old one did-- so I could go for a 20-30 minute run, shower, and be back at my desk in under an hour (then eat at my desk, which I tend to do anyway).

    Now, though, my office doesn't have showers. So if that's your situation you could either (if you work in a city) get a gym membershop closeby, or even get out and go for a long walk at lunch--that's what I try and do. A friend of mine lives very close to my office and has a dog, so I offered to start walking it on my lunch breaks. Win for me (dog needs you! you have to go out!), win for friend (free dog walker!), win for dog.
  • I start work early (6:30) so there's no way i'm getting a workout in before work. What helps me to go to the gym when I get home is to not sit down when I walk in the door. I walk in pull things out of my purse I need, sort the mail, change, grab my gym bag & waterbottle and go. If I sit, I'm toast! Another way I've been trying to get exercise is to walk to our corner market when we need one or two things. I could just swing by on the way home, but instead I will walk from my house. I only listen to podcasts when I workout, which also motivates me... I can't wait for the next one! I sometimes also do that with a good book. I admit, it's still hard though and sometimes I still don't make it
  • I have EASports Active II for Wii. Even if I can't get to the gym during the work day, I still try to play the game.
  • AlisalGal
    AlisalGal Posts: 88 Member
    There's only one way for me: I must, must, must exercise in the morning. Fortunately I'm a morning person so it works for me. I realize many people aren't. But it's easier for me to get up at an ungodly hour (sometimes even 4:30 a.m. if I have a conference call with east coast clients), stretch and walk my two endlessly energetic dogs. I swear, dogs are the very best exercise motivators. They are not to be denied. I walk almost every morning except during the worst of the icy, snowy days, and try to do yoga or something similar at least every other days.

    Emphasis on try. Obviously if I was more diligent, I wouldn't be committing myself to My Fitness Pal!
  • Dino924
    Dino924 Posts: 47 Member
    I have not been able to exercise consistently since graduating law school. I did Jillian Michaels 30 day shred for a while. Telling myself they're only 24ish minutes helped. Sometimes I can get in a good gym routine for a month, and then hell breaks out at work. At least when work is crazy I eat less!

    I just have no motivation anymore, I don't enjoy exercise like I used to, and I work too much.
  • pamelak5
    pamelak5 Posts: 327 Member
    It took me awhile to get it sorted out, but I'm in a good routine. Basically, i decided that certain days were workout days, no matter what. (First 4 days, now 5 days). I do a mishmash - some days I work out first thing in the morning, other days at lunch. If I know I have lunch plans Tuesday and will be working late, I make myself get up as early as I need to in order to get the workout in, even if it's a 20 minute workout. Days where my daughter is sick and I"m home with her, I work out before checking e-mail (when she falls asleep for her nap), or I chuck her into the jogging stroller and take her for a run. This approach has been FAR more successful for me than having a goal of working out X times per week. I have been doing this since May.