RE Post: Retail workers Come & Help!

THISisTARRAN
THISisTARRAN Posts: 487 Member
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
Hello to all the people out there who work retail. Hello twice to people who also have children. Let me start off with a Siiiiiigh. Okay. So I've researched this online and have not really come up with any great advice. 1st of all let me say that I know that there has to be some solution and I may just be looking over it. So I work in a job where I work on commission and hourly and my hours vary. Some days I have to be at work at 8 am and get off at 6, sometimes I have to be at work at 1130 and get off at 830 pm or 9. My biggest complaint is that I cannot have a SET schedule everyday as far as what time to eat breakfast, lunch, exercise, shower, go to bed... All together my life just seems chaotic because of my hours (and probably some other things). I am seeking advice as to how I could have a set schedule, short of having a new job. The reason having a child is important is because it seems like the only way I could have a daily routine (which is what I deeply desire) is to have go right before work to the gym (but then I have to shower at the gym, which is what I don't like because 1. I don't want to haul all of the stuff everyday and 2. because I would have to drop my daughter earlier and give up time with her. I work 40 hours a week and go to school 7 hours a week. She begs and cries for me to not go to work as it is. lets face it, I might get 1 or 2 hours in the morning with her and mayyyybe 1-3 hours with her at night.) or I could go to the gym or exercise right after work, but again the time changes make it so that the only day I get off early enough to spend significant time with my daughter after work is going to be taken up by going to the gym. I know some of this is excuse, but its also a real life problem and I'm sure MANY people deal with it. I'm just looking for working parents or working mothers, maybe full time like me, who work retail and deal with the same problem and/or the guilt. I think the guilt comes because I always felt like I didn't get enough time with my mother and didn't have a father and/or because my closest friends are stay at home moms (not that its easy to stay home).

IF anyone has advice on how to have a more organized life and work retail so that I could have a more routine day-to-day life I would greatly appreciate it. So far the best plan I've heard is getting up really early to get things around the house done and exercise. Sometimes I don't get home from work until 9:30 or 10 depending on what time the last customers left, which just means I would need to come home and go to bed like immediately.
I am sorry about the run on sentence (S)

-Tarran

Add on: I never really had a big problem with losing weight or staying in shape when I was a waitress and had a set schedule, also because of the walking. It has been the biggest problem since I started working where I work now (7 years ago).

Replies

  • kbitzonefour
    kbitzonefour Posts: 114 Member
    2 jobs, college, and still lift 4 times a week.
    If you have to get up at 4am to work out, get up at 4am and take a nap. Sleep later and go after work.
    Do not make excuses and join 90% of the world who does. Most gyms I see have child care in them, don't let that be an excuse too.
    Stop letting things get in the way of your health. Make time for them.
  • THISisTARRAN
    THISisTARRAN Posts: 487 Member
    I already said these are somewhat excuses and a LOT of guilt, but also real life and things that are important to me. I work 45 hours a week, and an hour and fifteen 5 days a week commuting to work, Also in college. Lets say I get up at 4 am. Get to the gym at 430am, stay there for an hour, get home at 530 am, take a shower, get ready for the day takes me to lets say 6 am. Then lets say best case scenario I work at 9...It could be awesome, I get home at 7 PM... Oh wait I would need to be in bed by 8 in order to have 8 hours of sleep or 9 if I want 7. So I would be then making/preparing a meal for 30 min and hour and have either 0-1 hour to spend with my daughter. I'm not saying it CAN'T be done. I'm looking for someone who has a similar problem and has found a solution. I want to be able to have the same Wake up/go to sleep time/routine everyday. Same scenario, I wake up at 4 am to go to the gym and get home at 9 PM or 9:30 and STILL haven't eaten dinner. I would have to get a lot less sleep, which I already struggle with getting enough. I would have a couple extra hours in the morning, but you can't just randomly take a nap when your 3 year old wakes up and expect her to just understand. Its not that simple to just say stop making excuses. I KNOW IT CAN BE DONE. I'm looking for a good, healthy, semi-permanent daily solution.
  • hendelk
    hendelk Posts: 22 Member
    Work out at home or incorporate your daughter in your exercise routine. I'm a nurse and work rotating 12 hour shifts, have 3 kids and find time to do some sort of exercise nearly every day. I don't have a gym membership so either walk/run outside, do the elliptical at home, or do an exercise DVD. It's all about finding what works for you. If making the time to go to the gym is too difficult and taking too much time from your daughter then its time to try something else.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    One word: FLEXIBILITY

    Forget about having a set schedule. Learn to be flexible with your schedule. You have a different schedule every day so work with that. One thing you can control is getting up at the same time every day. Do that, and use your 'free' time on days you work later to exercise and be with your child.

    Find an exercise to do at home if going to the gym is too much right now. The gym is not the only place to exercise so don't let that interfere with either parenting your child or working out. I do this DVD every day: Leslie Sansone 5 Mile Fat Burner Walk + Cooldown. I don't have to go anywhere, I just pop it in the machine and get walking. Now, I don't have little kids anymore, but when my kids were your daughter's age I would take them for walks.

    Simplify your meals. It should not take you 30 minutes for food prep. Find 5-10 simple meals for dinner and rotate them. Same with lunch.
  • THISisTARRAN
    THISisTARRAN Posts: 487 Member
    Thank you both for your ideas. I suppose working out from home will be the best solution and also incorporating her into my exercise would also help a lot.

    Yuck...flexibility, hahaha. I just want it to be the same everyday, I feel like I would thrive more that way. However, you are right, where I am in my life right now...that isn't realistic.

    My meal prep takes sometimes more than 30 minutes, and sometimes an hour to cook, but it is a good idea to look up some faster meals. Usually since it takes so long, I end up wanting to just take the easy route (fast food). I appreciate the advice.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    You're welcome! :smile:
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