Strength training and full time work/school/family.

While 3 times a week would be nice, all is not lost if you can't get in 3 sessions a week. You can do strength 2 days per week and a bodyweight circuit on nights that you aren't able to get to the gym or don't have much time.

Something like this would be a decent place to start: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/2-day-simple-ab-split-by-steve.html

You can add in a short HIIT session after you lift if you have time.

A good place for body weight circuits is this group/thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/929012-for-those-starting-out-in-bodyweight-weights

As well as this: http://www.paradisocrossfit.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Comprehensive-Bodyweight-Workout-List-v1.5.pdf (all scale-able to whatever your current fitness level is)

I agree with this advice. Also think of it as your time out. Do you enjoy lifting? It seems you would be under a lot of physical and mental pressures at home and with school and work. I find exercise helps me to deal with the other parts of life. Please also remember to eat well. Eat enough calories, and try and fit in healthy foods you enjoy. I feel this is so important too.

Body weight circuits can still produce great results. Check out the Nerd Fitness site for a handful of good ones and if you don't mind repetition just cycle through those a few times a week and since you can't do too much high intensity/impact work try going for a half hour walk a couple to a few times a week as well as an active recovery activity.

I also have a busy schedule and have found the best option for me is early morning workouts. I wake up at 4am and allocate one hour to working out Monday - Friday. I lift Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, and Tuesday and Thursday are my active recovery days - either intervals on the treadmill, Leslie Sansone walking DVDs, or Balance Ball/Core workouts. I do everything from home, as I certainly would not waste any of that valuable early morning time driving anywhere (and nothing would be open in my small town anyways :-) As suggested above, there are plenty of body weight exercises out there that require no equipment at all. Personally, I like the lifting enough that I have acquired an entire, fully equipped home gym over time...

I find that by making this block of "me time" early in the morning, not only are there no excuses (like I always seem to have at night), but it really helps to start my day off on the right foot. I feel energized (once I get going, usually after the first 5 minutes) and ready to start my day off right. I can also go through the rest of my day knowing that my workout has been completed and I have nothing to dread when I am exhausted at night... I also find that exercise is an excellent way for me to deal with the stresses of life, and it certainly sounds like you have your share of that. Consider it "you time" and try to enjoy it --- sort of like a manicure or pedicure, only with sweat! :-D




I admire people who can actually get enough sleep waking at 4 am and workiing out. I will not be getting home much before 9:30pm on most nights and since we have only one car I predict that I will also be doing some after school trips to Walmart. I think that I will workout on Friday and Saturday evenings and make myself pick one night after school during the week and stick to it.
It is certainly not easy to hear that alarm at 4am, but that is what works for me. Sounds like you just need to pick a time and commit to it. It certainly does not need to be every day - three days a week of strength training is plenty - then just squeeze in some kind of activity on those "off days" as your tendonitis allows.I have considered that but it just is not doable for me since I will not even be getti g home much before 9:30 on weeknights. If I get up early to do anything at all it will be to study! For me it has always worked out better to do it inthe evenings. I think I am just going to have to spend 30 minutes on Fridays and Sundays then just pick a night during tbe week to get it done.