How did you fit in exercise? (Full time work/school)

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  • AnotherDani
    AnotherDani Posts: 5 Member
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    Best thing to do - get a workout buddy. They help keep you "honest". When you're tired and making excuses your workout buddy will ignore you and insist you get active. You naturally do the same for your buddy. There are websites dedicated to finding workout buddies (even craigslist).

    Lunch workouts are "it" for me - but I'm lucky to have a flexible schedule which also allows me to get in a shower after (mandatory for me). The key for me was finding a gym close to work, so I could actually get a workout in.

    Also, find an exercise you love. Walking? Bicycling? Group classes? Swimming? The key is - you have to like what you're doing otherwise you simply won't do it.

    Also, since you're just starting out - maybe walk during your breaks?
  • Anonycatgirl
    Anonycatgirl Posts: 502 Member
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    I'll be one who'll admit that sometimes my days get crazy and I *don't* get in formal exercise. I just make sure to keep moving on those days: do some light yoga, work in the garden, lift my dumb bells when I have ten minutes, take a walk, run up and down stairs more than usual. It's not the same as an hour of power yoga or a hike, and it certainly doesn't burn many calories, but it keeps the muscles working and the blood flowing. At least a couple of times a week, I will do that power yoga, and I'll hike for several hours on the weekend, and it all balances out.
  • smashley_mashley
    smashley_mashley Posts: 589 Member
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    I use my lunch break. I am fortunate to have a gym in my office building so I go on my lunch break. If I don't go to the gym I typically work through lunch so in order to take my break, I go to the gym
  • nespinosa3
    nespinosa3 Posts: 116
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    Best thing you can do is get up earlier and chip at it before the day gets busy. Usually I'm at the gym by 6-6:30am, get in a good workout and I'm at work by 8am. Also, learn how to be flexible. There are days where I just don't/can't get up that early, so then I plan to work out during lunch or afternoon. For example, tomorrow I'm going to work from 7-5:30 (with overtime) and at 5:30 I will fly to the gym and get in a good hour of cardio.
    Something else that has helped is looking for convenience. I have a gym right at work, so it's super convenient, but not everyone has that. If there is a park/jogging trail close to your house, get up at 5:45 and head over there. You can get a really good sweat, come back and shower and still make it to work at 8. Same thing, if the entire day goes by and you stop being busy at 8pm, head over there for a nice night walk, look at it as "relax" time and think about the endorphins you're gonna get.
    I completely understand what you say with "me time". What I did was just turn exercise into 'me time'. If I'm working out in the afternoon, I do it between 5-7pm so I can watch one of my shows on the treadmill. If I'm doing Stairs, I bring my kindle with me and continue reading a book. If I'm running outside, I do a nice playlist so it just feels like I'm enjoying music. It's just a matter of turning it into a habit. I was used to getting here at 5:30 and becoming a couch potato. Now, I do exactly the same thing I would usually do, but while walking/doing stairs. If you want to work out but also wanna spend time with spouse/kids watching a show, buy a treadmill or bike and do it in front of the TV.
    And if all of that still seems way too much, break it up. Do 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in lunch, 30 minutes in the afternoon - that's an hour right there. Set your mind to it and just make it a habit :)
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    During the semester I get up at 4:45 to hit the gym and be back before my husband leaves for work at 6:30 so our son doesn't get left alone. You don't find time, you MAKE time.
  • mlt2908
    mlt2908 Posts: 123 Member
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    I'm fortunate to have a small gym and locker room in the downstairs of our building where I work, so I always use my lunch break to exercise (run outside or use the treadmills/stair steppers/elliptical). In my previous job (and before kids!) I got up at 4:30 am so that I could go to the gym before work. I have found it is much easier to get it done earlier in the day than to try to squeeze it in after work. It became an easy thing to do (getting up early and doing it before work) and I did that for several years.
  • wishings
    wishings Posts: 13
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    I worked my way up to it. I started with fitting in 5 minute work out videos that I found on youtube. Slowly I started to find a little extra time so I'd do a 10 minute one or so. Then eventually it was easier so I'd do the 10 minute ones. Kept going from there. 5-10 minute trainers are great for busy people who need a boost. The great thing is you can rip them from youtube put them on a phone/ipod/ipad and do them through out your day. I even put weights in my car and did them on my lunch break. It seemed weird at first, but got easier.
  • stormbornkraken
    stormbornkraken Posts: 303 Member
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    Some really great advice on here. I also work full time (40+), wife, mother of 2, and grad student. Like others said walk on lunch breaks, park on the other side of the parking lot, HIIT, you always need down time. Get a set of dumbells and do weights, crunches, planks while watching shows and decompressing. Recently I paid for a gym membership and I stop at the gym on my way home. The bag is packed and in my car. It helps me split of work and family time and makes life much better. Even when I can only stay 40 mins it helps. Getting started is hard but worth it!
    I would love to do 4am but haven't made that work for me.
    Best of luck!
  • nayhru
    nayhru Posts: 2
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    Just want to say thank you everyone for the great advice! I'm struggling to wake up early and will try to set my alarm for earlier times every day until I can get into a rhythm. I do stay up late (oops) but because it's the only time I get to spend with my S/O, so I'll try to make minor tweaks into my day to start making room for some exercise. Will update!
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
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    I do HIT in spurts. I do short but hard workouts in ten or fifteen minutes. I drop and do push-ups during the day. I do pull-ups when I can. I do 20 or 30 squats when I can. I do the wall sit many times throughout the day. No excuse for not getting in exercise.
  • hj1119
    hj1119 Posts: 173 Member
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    Put another vote down in the "get up early" box. I work full time 730-4 (45 minute commute) and spending evenings playing taxi for 2 kids. I'm usually up and out for a run by 5:45 am. Sometimes even earlier than that.
  • ink_b1tch
    ink_b1tch Posts: 101
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    Honestly, I have "cut" the tv out and now "my time" is when I am working out. You will not miss that TV.
  • DAM5412
    DAM5412 Posts: 660 Member
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    I am sensing a common theme here, lots of busy people sacrificing some sleep to get up early to work out. I did it 20 years ago as a single mom, working full time and going to school and I do it now, married mom with one crazy job, but 3 crazy kids. I wish I had been consistent throughout all the years in between...But it is hard. Getting out of bed when it's dark or cold. The first few days (weeks) are incredibly hard, but like anything...the more you do it, the better you get at it.

    What works for me:
    I wear my work out clothes to bed.
    I keep my sneakers right outside my bedroom door.
    I wake up, brush my teeth, wash my face and GO...

    And really, it's a great way to start your day on a healthy note. The days I work out in the morning I am a lot less likely to eat crap.

    Good luck, I know it's hard. But it is so important.
  • kimberlyblindsey
    kimberlyblindsey Posts: 266 Member
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    When I both worked and went to school full time, I did a number of things, like access the gym at school after classes or between classes sometimes, since there are showers on campus. I brought my running shoes in my car and ran around campus either before or after classes. Sometimes for a couple extra units I took gym classes like step class or weight lifting, now that's killing two birds with one stone, or as others have suggested get up an hour earlier and do a HIIT workout or hit the treadmill. It can be squeezed it, but you gotta make it a priority.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
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    I get up at 4:45 to fit in the gym. I work full time 8-5 and have school M-Th from 6-8 or 6-10 (Depends on the class) so I am out of the house for 17 hours at a stretch. Planning out clothes and preparing/rationing out food ahead of time is helpful. I have a coldpack bag that goes in the freezer and I load it up with half my day's worth of calories so I always have something to eat.

    Once you get into the habit of getting up early, getting dressed and running out the door to work out it becomes second nature. It's definitely hard, especially when I don't get enough sleep the night before.
  • zcb94
    zcb94 Posts: 3,678 Member
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    I know exactly how you feel, OP! :flowerforyou:

    I don't work, but school is (sadly) the center of the universe for me right now. That leaves no time to work out, let alone be with family and friends. Even worse, I can't even be still with God as much as I know I need to. :sad: Others have suggested studying when it's not their turn in a game with friends, and reading during family time.
  • SSawney
    SSawney Posts: 69 Member
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    I would go for walks on my lunch break find a gym close to my job and exercise on my lunch break and eat at my desk on a good morning I would wake up and do some form of exercise.
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
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    I go run during my lunch time lucky for me where I work it really does not matter if im sweaty I work at a industrial facility but if it was in a office enviroment Im sure I could not get away with it.
  • joejordan77
    joejordan77 Posts: 6 Member
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    I work 3 jobs, one desk job(full time) one warehousing and janitorial (part-time).. They are all M-f my day typically begins at 5am and don’t typically get home until 11pm. I also have 4 children that need “Dad” time. Thankfully Tuesdays and Thursdays I’m home by 7pm. I don’t have a lot of “me” time, this is my solution. I stopped driving to work.

    On M-W-F I bike to all jobs mileage ends up being 9.41 miles a day. On Tuesday and Thursday I walk which ends up being 7.9 miles between two jobs. The Saturday mornings I sleep in until 6am and go for a 10 mile ride and typically home before the family wakes up. The rest of the time is devoted to my family. So far in the 30 days I’ve been doing this I have lost 25lbs. I decided to walk two days a week because my knees were hurting badly from biking.

    The other thing that has really helped me out is my wife pre packs my meals every day. I Put them in my backpack along with my work clothes and all I have to do is worry about waking up on time. ( some days are better than others) I do have a gym membership but I haven’t been using it because of my lack of time. The other plus side of not driving is money saved on gas. I am happy with the results from cardio so far and one day when I don’t have three jobs maybe I can make better use of that gym membership.
  • warriorprincessdi
    warriorprincessdi Posts: 617 Member
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    one_hour_workout2.jpg

    I have this posted in my home gym :) It helps me...

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