How do you find the time for exercise?

you tube has lots of free workout videos. Everything I do is free.

How do I make time for exercise? I take #NoExcuses.

You will find me there at 5am and sometimes at 9pm. Saturdays. Sundays. Etc. Working out and training are a priority, therefore I make time for them.

You don't have to work out for a full hour, or spend a lot of money, for it to make a difference. I have a couple of pairs of hand weights at home. With them I can do the 30 Day Shred (or other workouts on Youtube), which are less than 30 minutes a day. 30 Day Shred does not take up a lot a room but you do need to be able to lie down on your workout surface. There are also HIIT routines if you search online that take about 20 minutes or less. These often don't require any more equipment than your body and a workout surface, and will improve your strength, balance/coordination, and cardiovascular fitness. Or, you can create a dance playlist on Youtube, and dance until you sweat (doesn't require a lot of room, and is something you can do with a partner). You can use bodyweight to build strength if you don't have enough money for handweights. You can do a lot of bicep curls before you get your biceps popping the way pull-ups from your door frame will. I go on 30 minute jogs. You can try picking up the pace as you walk your dog. My sister's dog likes to do short jog sprints with me. It's very start-and-stop, but sprinting works that way. You can also do standing stretches, walking lunges one or two back and forth), jogging on the spot, jump rope (with no rope), or jumping jacks while you wait for your dog to do his business.

Delayed onset muscle soreness does get better as you go. Eventually you will miss it (or worry that your workout wasn't as effective). Try to make sure you are getting enough nutrition and protein to feed your workout. You can try epsom salt baths, or just soaking in warm water. DOMS can be a case of "hair of the dog", to resolve. You can try light aerobic activity, or going for a twoonie swim, to get the blood moving and move that lactic acid out of your system. My sister swears by L-Glutamine, and I find it works for me too.

Working out has many positive impacts in life. It improves quality of sleep. I find I function better on less sleep since I started working out. Your brain likes to use the lactate that hard work produces, and this can help you think more clearly. Exercise can help improve mood (seriously, it works ). Working out helps ensure that you lose fat from your mid-section. Reducing visceral fat lowers your risk for a lot of medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Exercise also helps you hold onto your lean mass when you are in a calorie deficit. You don't want dieting to end up hurting your bones and muscles (like your heart). There is also a real sense of accomplishment as you find yourself able to do things you were never abe to do before, and see the gains in your strength, speed, and flexibility.

Good for you for making positive changes in your life. I realy hope you find a way to bring fitness into your weight loss journey. Good luck

So basically your original post is giving us your reasons why you have trouble exercising and you're asking what we do to get around it. I get it, telling you to make time doesn't help, you want to know what works for us to get around the excuses.

Cold weather - I get it, I'm Canadian. Layers of clothing don't get in the way. One of the best workouts I get in the winter is when I take my kids tobogganing and you have to hike back up the hill. If squatting is too hard, march on the spot. Lift your knees as high as you can. Jog on the spot. I go for brisk walks in the winter wearing snow pants and a parka. Ok, but maybe walking outside in the winter isn't a good idea. What else?

$120 gym membership - I don't have a gym membership, I workout at home. Went to the Walmart, bought a bunch of hand weights. I do exercise videos and get ideas off of pinterest for workouts. Last time I set foot in a gym was when I was in university which was a decade ago. If you really want a gym, does your local rec centre have a gym? Those are always cheaper. What about the Y? They take financial situations into account when it comes to membership fees.

Cooking two meals - I'm a vegetarian, my husband and kids aren't. What I do is, one night I cook a vegetarian meal and make enough for two nights, the next night I cook a meat meal and make enough for two nights. That way I only cook one meal a day but the whole family has cooked meals to each eat night. And again, you can cook a large batch of something and freeze it. That cuts down on dinner time.

Forum stuff - how intensive is it? Are you typing/working for four hours straight. Or can you do a little work, then do some squats, then do a little work, then do some push ups, do a little work, do some jumping jacks, you get the picture. It's like the whole "while you're watching tv, do some exercise at the commercials" type thing.

You've done great to already make changes to your eating habits and you're seeing the reward of it. Now you need to make those changes when it comes to exercising. And here's the thing - we were all in your place once. We all had to start working out at some point. We all had excuses. But we got around them. And that's why we have the time to work out now and you don't. Like you said, you just need the motivation. This thread should be it. Everyone here has found the time and motivation, you can do it too!

Tedebearduff wrote: »

Stop playing on your computer? problem solved....

Stop making excuses for everything too.... Let's be real here you said you went and it hurt guess what that pain is your body rebuilding it's self. Those pains go away over time and eventually you miss them!!

Seriously stop making excuses... you can wake up and early and go to the gym before work! I know your not a morning person... that's because your wasting your life on your computer at night!. Go to bed earlier and wake up early, eventually you adjust to it.

I think Tedebearduff has phrased this in a kind of unnecessarily unkind way, however I do have to agree. I thought similarly to you when I did some exercise last week (lol). I did some exercise (30DS L1(!)) and God, was my body feeling it. My elbows hurt SO BADLY. After a few days, and I did engage in some aerobic exercise but not too much during this time, my body returned to normal. I then did a few more days of exercise that involved strength training. I actually noticed, just from that exercise, definite definition in my muscles which is what's so cool about it. All that pain really wasn't anything to worry about and the new definition was obviously helping my body in terms of doing similar amounts of activity but with less pain.

I guess it's the body going 'Holy *kitten*! What the bloody hell is going on here?!' after it's been pretty sedentary for a while. I'd suggest continuing to do evening/night workouts, and I recommend FitnessBlender as it's something I can actually focus on, cause what the hell, it's only 30 minutes/hour and I can load up some kind of non-exercise video for my post-workout entertainment. Essentially I can bribe myself with laziness to do non-lazy things.

greenfirearm wrote: »

Tedebearduff wrote: »

Stop playing on your computer? problem solved....

Stop making excuses for everything too.... Let's be real here you said you went and it hurt guess what that pain is your body rebuilding it's self. Those pains go away over time and eventually you miss them!!

Seriously stop making excuses... you can wake up and early and go to the gym before work! I know your not a morning person... that's because your wasting your life on your computer at night!. Go to bed earlier and wake up early, eventually you adjust to it.

I think Tedebearduff has phrased this in a kind of unnecessarily unkind way, however I do have to agree. I thought similarly to you when I did some exercise last week (lol). I did some exercise (30DS L1(!)) and God, was my body feeling it. My elbows hurt SO BADLY. After a few days, and I did engage in some aerobic exercise but not too much during this time, my body returned to normal. I then did a few more days of exercise that involved strength training. I actually noticed, just from that exercise, definite definition in my muscles which is what's so cool about it. All that pain really wasn't anything to worry about and the new definition was obviously helping my body in terms of doing similar amounts of activity but with less pain.

I guess it's the body going 'Holy *kitten*! What the bloody hell is going on here?!' after it's been pretty sedentary for a while. I'd suggest continuing to do evening/night workouts, and I recommend FitnessBlender as it's something I can actually focus on, cause what the hell, it's only 30 minutes/hour and I can load up some kind of non-exercise video for my post-workout entertainment. Essentially I can bribe myself with laziness to do non-lazy things.

Truth hurts.

Once you get into the groove, you wonder how you DIDN'T have time. There are so many little things you can do that really add up.

I pre-prepare EVERYTHING. I have 2 crockpots, and I use one to make soup for lunches that lasts me all week, and the other to make shredded chicken (different low-cal sauce every week!). I portion out my snacks for the week, and my breakfasts. BOOM! All done on Sunday night I have my weekday breakfasts, lunches, and dinners ready.

In terms of "not being a morning person", have you tried sleeping in your workout gear? Its comfy (or should be). And that way when you wake up you have no excuse not to go to the gym/workout (esp, if your breakfast and lunch are already ready to go).

If you bring your lunches, you can eat at your desk, and use your break for some exercise. My mentor at work and I will schedule quick "meetings" and talk while walking up and down the stairs.

BluffMeAllIn wrote: »

thx for the feedback all, true it's a must make time as opposed to find time....I get that but guess I just don't make the time and not really any point in listing anything else of excuses although many of the things mentioned currently arn't applicable to be doable (-40 degree weather being one, 120$+ gym membership another, it's just me the spouse hasn't gotton on board with the changes (which involves having to often cook two different meals), I do walk with the dog but i can't exactly keep walking when he stops to take a leak or other business and probably can't do a squat in about 4 layers of clothing).

Anyhow, all excuses I know.......obviously trying to get myself to stop making them and make time in my daily life for exercise but it's not easy regardless of the situation. It's easy for someone currently in a routine, and have made excercise a habbit to say you have to make the time than it is someone who isn't doing it to actually make the time.

I have made lots of changes to my eating for my health and am doing quite well, just trying to find ways to motivate myself to make time for working out without feeling like I'm giving up on ever having free time to relax and take care of some other things that I do like the forum stuff I mentioned and fact that I run poker stakes (ie. I play, they pay, profits split etc) which is as much a commitment as a part-time job.

Cheers to all, I hope someday I will get the committment to working out and find the motivation somewhere....certainly wasn't from this (i know its constructive criticism and I respect that but definitely not a motivation when mainly just everyone saying you just have to make the time..... like everything its easier said than done unless your already doing it).

At least you are honest about your current feelings. However, you also asked for a reason (your underlying desire to improve your health and most likely continue with more weight loss). Most of us started small. Walking more. Hand held weights. Body weight only exercise. 10 minutes here. 15 minutes there. Then increased to 20 minutes here. 30 minutes there. As the body adapted and the results start to show, we increased from there to make it and keep it a part of our routine. 4 times a week. 5 times a week. 6 times a week. Rome wasn't built in a day. Start small, and you will see how easy it is to work in 10 minutes a day here, 15 minutes a day there (in addition to your dog walks).

Nike has a great slogan:



Niner Bikes out of California has a great slogan:



Exercise releases some wonderful endorphins. Decreases your stress. Softens anxiety. Helps keep depression at bay. Promotes happiness. And it's a free drug!!!!

How did we all do it? We just did it, damn it! ;-)

What is important to you? If the answer is no change to your life then stay where you are. If you want change you have to make change. Do something you like and fit it in. You only need maybe an hour a few times a week. Find it!

Speaking personally, things like the tv, computer, and phone are the biggest distractions. I have to have a phone and I do like to watch the news, but I don't even own a computer anymore. When you learn to unplug, turn the tv off, and refuse to answer the phone, you will find a wealth of time in your day that you didn't know you had. Those things are not as important as they might seem.