Fitting in exercise with a busy schedule?!?

Contrary to every other person on this thread, I work out at night. I used to work til 9pm, and I'd go to the gym right after and get home by like 10:30. Nowadays I only work til 4pm, but I still go to the gym right after. It's hard enough for me to wake up in the morning, so asking me to work out then just doesn't fly. It's all personal preference - as long as you find some time, you should be good. And you CAN find the time, if you really want to! Good luck )

I didn't read all the replies, so I apologize if this is repetitive. I work almost the same schedule. I go in at 5am. Yes, that means I'm up at 4:30. My routine is about 45 mintues, I come back home, eat, shower and go to work. I do this 4 days a week. Mon and Tuesday. Then, Thurs and Friday. My evenings are free.

At first, you will want to die. But, after a while, you are going to be amazed at your energy levels. After a few weeks, you will never feel exhausted again. Seriously. Lift heavy, don't just do cardio.

I didn't see if you had kids or not. I assume not because you didn't mention them. I have kids too. Single dad. So, if I can work it out, anyone can.

My daughters name is Jemma.

The reason I chose mornings is not because I like it, but because the evenings at the gym are absolute chaos. Too many people, everyone is grumpy and in a hurry to get in and out. In the morning, everyone is happy, and there are not that many people. I mean every single station and machine is wide open. It's very nice. I recommend going early.

I work 830-530ish, depending on when the last kid is picked up. I started with DVDs at home after work, I am not a morning person.
After several weeks it was normal and now I go to he gym. I found not making myself have a set time but just doing it, was easier for me sometimes I do it at 6 sometimes at 8, sometimes in the afternoons as long as I do it.

I also coach my daughters cheer team from 6pm-8pm two nights a week and games on weekends. On practice days I try to bring a change of clothes and run and stretch with the girls.

You could try to walk during lunch if you have a long enough one.

Good luck

HI, I can understand a busy schedule I work 60-70 hours a week. I find it most help full to work out in the mornings. at night I am just to tired. Also having a plan of what you are going to do for your work out is key. If you have a plan it is easier to force yourself to do it.

Good Luck!

A lot of the time I feel too tired to exercise, but I have found that if I just get up and make myself do it and after i FEEL SO MUCH BETTER and actually have more energy.

A friend of mine on MFP made a post about making time for exercise and she made some really good points...here are some quotes from her post:

"Here's the answer. You MAKE the time. You MAKE yourself a priority. BE selfish about this. It's your health, it's your life. It is important.

Do you spend ANY time watching TV? Take that thirty minutes and exercise instead.

Do you spend ANY time checking facebook, MFP, Instagram, reddit, message boards, Pinterest, etc? TAKE THAT TIME BACK.


Reprioritze. Chances are that you DO have thirty-sixty minutes a few times a week to give up something you're doing, and replace it with fitness.


Incorporate YOUR fitness into your schedule.

Are you a busy parent with kids in activities? Schedule yourself exercise time right into that busy schedule just like you would an activity for your kid.

Are you a busy student spending loads of time studying? Schedule in your exercise just like you would a class or study session.


If you want this badly enough, I promise you, you can make it work.

It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it.



No more excuses."







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I work 10 hour shifts getting home at 330 am, so I walk on both of my breaks and at lunch. We have a treadmill and weights at work, so it does make it easier. I haven't started the weights yet, this is the start of my second week of mfp. Good Luck. Try to fit in short bursts of any exercise whenever you can.

As bad As I dont want to come off *****y I feel like there should be no excuses. It really comes down to the point if You make it priority or want it bad enough, you will make the time no matter what comprise you may have to make. That being said, I would first try making a small goal to yourself.. maybe like at least 3 times a week or something. even if you say I will go straight to the gym or workout STRAIGHT after work before I do anything else for at least 20 min. Most the time, You will feel so good and endorphines will be flowing, and you will push yourself to go a little longer. Even just 20 min of fitness is better than nothing and if you push youself hard enough or do HIIT workouts in that time-frame, you can still get a decent workout and burn in for those 20 min I dont know if your planning on going to a gym or not but Jillian Michaels has great circuit training workout dvds out there, that are usually no longer than 30 min and its strength, cardio and abs all in one 30min workout. That would be a good workout to do even if you pick 3 times a week and go from there. I am not a morning person, So i would just go STRAIGHT after work and tell myself ill go for a certain time, if you go past that then all the better. its just getting a routine going that is the hardest. Once you put your mind to it and keep in mind WHY your doing this, the routine will get easier and it wont seem so tiring to you. Set small goals and dont try to go too hard at first. 3 days a week, 20min hard working workouts A week is a start and better than nothing It will become easier and more habit after awhile and then you can up your workout times and go from there. Start SMALL, keep positive, stay consistant with your goals no matter how small or big they are and keep reminding yourself what you want from this and why your doing this for yourself. most of all do a workout that you actually enjoy, you will be more likely to not want to skip out on it

Watch this , it helped me to re-frame the problem: with all the other things we make a priority can not find 30 min a day to save our own lives?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F5Sly9JQao

BTW: I am a first year medical student, spend 10-14hrs a day 7 days a week studying in high stress environments and they can have my workout time when they pry it from my cold dead fingers. You are number one and you are no good to anyone if you can't take care of yourself.

If you have a smart phone, there is a great app called Sworkit. It's a type of circuit program where you can tell it what you want to work (full body, arms, legs, anything goes) and how long you want to do it. It times out exercises in 30 second increments, building in breaks. You can do it first thing in the morning for 20 minutes before you hop in the shower... you can do it when you get that weird burst of energy right before you're planning on going to bed. It's nice because you can do it anywhere and it varies the routine so you don't get bored. I do it in the laundromat while I'm waiting.

At the risk of sounding rude - you are in the same position as most, if not better as many people on here also have kids to look after and they make the time.

You just have to make the time. Go to bed earlier and get up earlier to fit in a morning workout. There are a lot of different ones you can do in a relatively short time, many of which have already been suggested.