Suggestions on getting in exercise.

Hmmm it's a toughie... I work shifts so if I have 2 12 hour days in a row I don't exercise for that 48 hrs but I can go on the morning of my 12 hr night and all the days off inbetween.if you work 5 days a week why don't you leave 30 mins earlier and park 30 mins away from work and walk or jog it... Or do you get an hour lunch break? You could fit 30 mins in there... Or go out at 7pm and exercise with say a couch to 5 k style app...it's hard but I guess you just have to find the time somewhere... It also helps to have a supportive family I guess. You gotta be creative with that time eh ! :-)

I work 5 to 6 days a week 6a to 4p or later and make it a priority to go for a two-mile run at least two days a week and to do a 30 minute HIIT video another two days a week. It helps that I have to hold my husband accountable for our exercising, but really I don't care for excuses so I don't make them. I just do it. If I don't exercise one day, I'll fit it into another

I know your struggle. My day starts when I wake up at 5:30 AM. I then commute an hour and a half to work, work an 8 hr, then commute the same time back, usually arriving home at around 6:30 PM.

It sucks. The exhaustion of that is what has kept me back for so long. I'm now really pushing myself, and I know I will have good days and bad days.

Things that are working for me:

- Assembling a home gym. So much easier to stay motivated when you have it right there.

- Having work out partners to keep you on track. My boyfriend and our roommates are all trying to get into shape, so when I come home and they are working out it reminds me to hop onto the elliptical!

- Be prepared. Try and pre cook meals when you can, and eat a snack on your way home so you can wait until after work out for dinner.

- If possible, try to get some activity in at work. Depends on your job of course! I work with young children, so for me this looks like playing tag more!

- Don't be too hard on yourself! You work hard hours and you are doing the best that you can. Make baby steps.

Hope this is helpful

Feel free to friend me if you want some support from a fellow early bird!

yoovie wrote: »

Cut out TV, boom - tons of time.

Or watch TV while you work out. I stream shows to my phone while doing indoor cardio.

It is mostly easier to just not let yourself stop moving :-)
Arrange to go to the gym straight after work. It will help you clean your head from work issues if there are any, and then you can go home and be done for the day.
Cook big batches of food in advance, and freeze them in serving size portions. Reduces day-to-day cooking to a minimum.
Clean as you go. If everything is put in its place immediately after use, cleaning is mostly reduced to a minimum.

You're up at 6:30...FYI, that's not early...and you get off work at 4? You just need better time management...there's plenty of workout time in there. I'm assuming you go to bed around 10 or 11...just from the time you get off at 4, you have 6-7 hours...you can't tell me you're doing "house stuff" for 6-7 hours.

A solid workout can be had in about an hour...you could really kill it with 90 minutes...frankly, you have plenty of time.

I plan/cook for the week on Sunday so that I can eat dinner quickly during the week without spending an hour cooking it.

Make exercise a priority and work around it. Don't sit down when you get home from work until you've completed your exercise. You won't get back up.

It sucks getting up early when you're not a morning person, but I have found it so much easier to make exercising a daily habit by getting it done first thing in the morning. I workout at home, so it really only adds 45-60 minutes to my morning. I just go to bed a little earlier to make up for it. It's very rare that I wake up with excuses to not get it done.

I work 8-5 and coach 6-9 twice a week and all day saturdays. On my non-coaching days, I don't let myself eat dinner until I have done my workout (I eat better afte a workout anyway). On my coaching days, I work out when I get home at 10pm. Is it ideal? No, but it's the best option that I have.

You just have to find a way to MAKE IT WORK. I struggle with early mornings too, so I have to SUCK IT UP and do evening workouts even though I may be exhausted before I even start the work out.

Once you get into a routine, it gets easier.

Here are my suggestions:

1. Try squeezing in a small workout while cooking dinner. Sometimes it takes 30 min to bake chicken so drop down and do some burpees, pushups and body weight squats while its baking. Also, consider investing in a crockpot. Instead of getting up early to workout, get up 15 min early to throw some dinner in a crock pot so its ready when you get home.

2. Try working out on the weekends. Thats two extra days a week that you can get a workout in without worrying about being tired after work and then maybe try to squeeze in 30 min 2-3x during the week.

3. Try doing 10-15 min of exercise here and there. Go for a brisk walk during your lunch break at work. Do some yoga/stretching right when you get out of bed in the morning. Do some body weight/light weights while watching tv at night. For me, it doesn't feel as daunting when its broken up, and half the time you forget you're "working out." You can get a very effective workout in 15 min if you push yourself.

4. Being active is a lifestyle. The more you do the better you'll feel and look forward to working out everyday. Personally, I need exercise everyday in some capacity to deal with mental distress and stress relief. I have an alarm set on my phone for 9pm to exercise (when I'm usually in front of the tv) to make sure that I do a little bit everyday. So when that alarm goes off and I haven't done anything that day, I'll get up and do a mini 15 min workout and I ALWAYS feel better afterwards.

Best Wishes.