How do you find the time for exercise?
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MereExtraordinaire2 wrote: »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.
Dig it!
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I workout over my lunch hour, and go to the gym after I get my 3 kids to bed.
You just need to make time.0 -
That's just an excuse.BluffMeAllIn wrote: »I am so NOT a morning person to be able to get up early and work out.
Another excuse.BluffMeAllIn wrote: »By this time I'm exhausted
Yet another excuse.BluffMeAllIn wrote: »not to mention our apartment is so couped up that I have to shift around a couch and chair to make room to workout
You'll make time if it's truly important to you. And if it's not, you won't.
Everyone has different priorities. If your priorities are sleep and poker, then that's fine... but own your priorities... don't whine about not having enough time. No one has enough time to do EVERYTHING they want to do, so we make time to do what's more important and sacrifice what isn't.
You need to decide what's more important, then own that decision.
This is EXACTLY what I was going to say... You make excuses when you don't truly want something. If your really want something you won't FIND the time, you will MAKE the time.
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I feel ya, I struggle with this also. I just have made it a habit over the years. I can't exercise early in the morning due to a heart condition so I break it up over the day. 40 mins walking at lunch, then a 30-40 minute jog after work OR today, I plan on spinning for 45 mins before dinner.0
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I don't find the time, I make the time to exercise. I get up at 4:40am and I'm at the gym by 5am (ish) for an hour work out before work0
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Maybe you'll be more of a morning person if you go to bed earlier. Do you really need to stay up til 12-1am playing poker?
Do research for cheaper gym options, but only if you think you'll actually go. Otherwise it will be a waste. I go to a gym that is $10/month. There are many for that price, or just slightly above (15 to 20).
Even better is to do some things for free. You don't necessarily need equipment. fitnessblender.com and youtube have plenty of videos.
You can lose weight just by calorie counting alone, anyway. What exactly are you making for dinner?0 -
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – Life’s Little Instruction Book0
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Either you want it or you don't. If you want it bad enough, you'll stop making excuses and just do it.
I get up at 4:45 to work out because I prefer to spend time with my husband in the evenings instead of working out after being at the office all day. "I'm not a morning person" is a sorry excuse. I turned myself into a morning person because I wanted it bad enough. These days I'm usually awake before my alarm goes off.
Force yourself to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. Simple fix.0 -
i start training clients at 5 am. i work til noon. i come home... clean the house... laundry... then take a lil snooze. the reason i take a lil snooze is cuz im out running at 2 45 in the am. i wasnt always like this, but now i am a morning person. you CAN learn to adapt to mornings. you just have to stop making the excuses and do it!0
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BluffMeAllIn wrote: »thx for the feedback all, true it's a must make time as opposed to find time....I get that but guess I just don't make the time and not really any point in listing anything else of excuses although many of the things mentioned currently arn't applicable to be doable (-40 degree weather being one, 120$+ 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).
I kind of feel like you asked for help and then gave up because you didn't like the answer that the only way to make time for exercise is to just do it and you've given up before you even started. Why ask for help? I think it really is just about revving yourself up and telling yourself "just do it". Get yourself pumped. Don't just give up so easily. None of the great things in life come easily.0 -
You can always make time. Typical workday wake up at 4:30, am at work by 5, work til 2:30 in the afternoon, get my hour and a half of gym time in, shower at the gym, go directly to class, study for an hour once I get home and and im bed by 11. On days I consult at my second job I get up earlier and do my workout before work and get to work early to add another 2 and a half hours in the afternoon to do my part time job.0
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I work a full time job and have two kids (hubby is only home on weekends), so I had to stop making excuses and make time. I have started using 20 min of my hour lunch to walk. I also determined that there was no way I was going to be able to work out with my kids, so at the suggestion of someone on here, I incorporated my kids into the workout. We have a "dance party" several nights a week. I put on music and we dance as crazy and fast as we can for at least 20 minutes. I have an 8 month old and I hold her when I am doing it and lift her up. Her and my 4 year old son, giggle and laugh so hard. My son actually asks to do it. I just made time, because I wanted to be a better version of me, not only for myself, but for my family. We also do walks at night, but due to the time change, we don't now.
I agree with others, you sound like you are making a lot of excuses.
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Not getting enough sleep is also working against you: http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/12/01/skipping-sleep-is-career-suicide/2/
I find that I need to get my exercise right after work, if I head home and get into the evening routine, it is harder to break free and do it. Go to bed earlier.0 -
I have five kids, a dog, a job, and a household to run (single mom) and still manage. I run, I hit the gym ($20.00 a month Planet Fitness--I can take one of my daughters with me for free if I go in the evenings), do home workout videos, or do a 10 minute Tabata type workout--whatever fits on any given day. When I was stuck at the hospital with my daughter after her surgery, I'd walk the halls, do the stairs, etc.
I never used to be a morning person either, but doing it daily has made it easier. I wake up at 6 AM to start the day, make breakfast, drive kids to school, get in a workout, go to work, pick kids up, make dinner, etc.
Like anything--if you want it badly enough, you'll find a way.
As for the pain-when I start a new routine (Like 30 day shred), I usually live on ibuprofen for the first few days. Worth it. Small price to pay.
btw: My desktop for my computer simply says, "You'll get a lot more compliments for working out than you will for sleeping in." TRUTH!0 -
BluffMeAllIn wrote: »thx for the feedback all, true it's a must make time as opposed to find time....I get that but guess I just don't make the time and not really any point in listing anything else of excuses although many of the things mentioned currently arn't applicable to be doable (-40 degree weather being one, 120$+ 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).
OP, not sure if you're still around/following this thread, but...
You're right. It is easier for us to sit here and tell you what you should do than it is for you to actually do it. No doubt about that.
But, realize that most of us have been in very similar situations as yourself. Some of us are single parents. Some of us work 60 hours a week. Some of us work odd or rotating shifts. We all have hobbies and interests.
The point is that we all have competing priorities and responsibilities, and most of us struggle to balance them, at least from time to time. Do what you can when you can, and make sure you're being honest with yourself about the effort you are giving and how you are prioritizing things. Accept that there will be good days and bad days, good weeks and bad weeks, but be in it for the long haul.
It's a process... you gotta work through it and stay with it.0 -
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).
One option is to use DVDs/YouTube videos/etc and workout from home. You can definitely get a good burn from just a 30 minute workout. Working out at home takes out the transportation time to a gym, as well as the cost of a gym. There will be an upfront cost if you go the DVD route, but I've found it to be worth the investment.
It may also help you to write out a calendar for yourself. It feels satisfying to cross off your workout for the day, and it may help you stay on track.
Another option is to do one of those 30 day challenges (just Google it - a bunch of sites out there). Even doing, say, 20 jumping jacks every day is something. IMO every little bit does help... and starting small may help you make it a part of your routine.
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I've seen them. I know. They don't want to sweat. They come to the gym in full makeup. I don't get the point of that.
yeah wait a minute lol
I don't go to the gym in full makeup. But I also shower and go to the gym when Im squeaky clean from head to toe. It's just a quirk. But I don't sweat. On deadlift day I'll get a stripe down my spine and across my collarbones, but that's about it.
Comments like that make me worry that every time I tell someone on MFP not to worry about other people judging them in the gym, that I might be wrong. There are people judging them for their makeup and for how much they sweat. That seems... like an odd way to waste energy on another person.
Thumbs Ups are better :flowerforyou:
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If you have time to play on the computer, you have time to workout. Priorities.0
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I'm fully expecting that the OP won't be back. He's made up his mind that he doesn't have time and until he changes his mind, he's right.
However, I'd like to point out that asking others for motivation, and expecting results, is pointless. Being disappointed and blaming others for failing to motivate you is silly and immature. It also highlights the fact that although you say you want to make changes in your life, you really just aren't ready yet. Until you are, stop making yourself feel guilty about it. You don't need exercise to lose weight but it certainly makes things easier as well as improves your quality of life.
Motivation comes from within; no one can "give it" to anyone else. I can point out the fact that my husband is 50 pounds overweight to him until I'm blue in the face. I can tell him that I'm worried for him and his health. I can remind him that diabetes and heart disease run in his family so losing weight and exercising would go a long way to improving his longevity and quality of life. But until he WANTS to make that change, none of that will motivate him to make it. Until he is ready, I will continue to provide a good example for him and try to change what I can in ways that will benefit him without driving him in the other direction.0 -
BluffMeAllIn wrote: »thx for the feedback all, true it's a must make time as opposed to find time....I get that but .....
1) -40 degree weather being one
2) 120$+ gym membership
3) it's just me the spouse hasn't gotten on board with the changes
4) having to often cook two different meals
5) can't exactly keep walking when the dog stops to take a leak or other business
6) probably can't do a squat in about 4 layers of clothing
7) it's not easy regardless of the situation.
8) It's easy for someone currently in a routine, and have made exercise a habit to say you have to make the time than it is someone who isn't doing it to actually make the time.
9) trying to find ways to motivate myself to make time for working out
10) having free time to relax and take care of some other things that I enjoy
11) I hope someday I will get the commitment to working out
12) everything is easier said than done unless your already doing it.
1) it's -40 degrees in your house? If not, here is a workout that will kick your butt and you can do it in your livingroom. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/
2) a gym membership is not only unnecessary, but I don't believe you have yet developed the discipline to make the cost worth it anyway. You'd have to be already prepared to put in consistent regular effort. Since you don't have to join a gym to get fit, this is a non-issue. A gym is a luxury.
3) On behalf of all of us single people, and people with no families or who live very far from them all - doing it alone is not an obstacle to succeeding. On behalf of everyone who is married and surrounded by family that is ambivalent or against you making yourself fit, doing it alone is not an obstacle to succeeding. Having someone do it with you is cool. It's a luxury. Not everyone gets that rare luxury.
4) You don't have to.
5) stopping for less than a minute while the dog pees does not mean it is no longer a workout. When others go for a run or a jog or a walk or a bike ride - they have to stop at red lights, stop signs, avoid people and vehicle - does this mean they didn't get a real workout in?
6) why does it matter if you can do a squat in 12 layers of clothing? cant you do some indoors? Cant you do them during commercials?
7) It's not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to take effort. All the best things and biggest pay offs do. Being a human adult is hard. It's all hard.
8) It's easy for someone who has done the work and seen the benefit of doing so - to tell someone who isn't doing it - that it will work.
YES.
It's called sharing information. If you whine and complain for two hours cause you don't want to do the dishes - and then you get up and do them and realize it only took 11 minutes - who looks silly?
When those that have succeeded tell you that it's easier to just wash the dishes than to spend hours avoiding it, making excuses and trying to get out of it - listen to them and in 15 minutes you'll be back on your own time.
9) forget motivation. it doesnt help you lose weight. It just makes it easier. We've already established it's hard. If you wait around until someone else makes your job easier, you'll be waiting forever. It won't happen. It's up to you.
10) So you do have time, you just prefer to use it for other things that you deem fun.
11) Hope doesn't bring commitment. Decisions + Action bring commitment.
12) Everything is easier said than done unless you are already doing it???
How did all the people who are already doing it - get there?
BY DOING IT!
Good luck!
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1) it's -40 degrees in your house? If not, here is a workout that will kick your butt and you can do it in your livingroom. http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/
I told someone once I could kick my own *kitten* in less than 12 min- she said "you must not be in very good shape then"
LULZ.
Everyone else got a good chuckle out of it.0 -
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hehe here's a recipe:
I workout during my 30min lunch at work. But you could workout when you get home if you do crockpot days(btw crockpot liners - best invention ever!). Super simple recipe (assuming you eat meat and your religion doesn't shun pork products): pork shoulder plus dr pepper (or root beer or cola). Takes around 3 minutes to get the meat out of the dang wrapper, 1 minute to add to crock pot set on low and poor soda on, then a minute to wash your hands and be out the door to work. Workout when you get home, your not in the kitchen cooking you could do exercises in there and not have to move your couch. planks, lunges, tricep dips off the counter, jog in place....gotta start somewhere. When done shred the pork with some forks and "voila" you have pork sandwiches, or pork salad, or pork tacos etc...0 -
When it comes to money you'll find success investing what you need to and spending what's left over, not the other way around. Time is no different. Prioritize what's really important and the rest falls into place or goes away.
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Well, my assumption was wrong. The OP hasn't deacto'ed yet.0
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To the person that said I won't be back, I don't plan on going anywhere. I asked a question, got feedback and yes have owned up to the fact that I make a lot of excuses and obviously should try harder to just make the time.
I will also add lots of people seem to make lots of assumptions about the options available to me regarding the gym but won't go on further about that.
To the person mentioning motivation, its the most important of anything IMO. I have the dvd's, i have a couple of dumbells but obv lack the motivation to get off my *kitten* and use them.
Yup, I have a hobby that involves sitting at a computer for hours (a poker tournament can sometimes run for up to 8hours +). No I don't get paid to be a guide at the forum but that is my social life essentially, I enjoy i there and get more in return than $$$$.
These are not a list of excuses, just a defence to some of the things mentioned and as I said before I appreciate the feedback and obviously know what I need to do to make the time and will just have to do the work on making the time. I didn't expect any miracle responses on how to make it easier, just generally feedback as I'm sure I'm not the only one in this current situation but honestly given some of the responses don't blame anyone who is currently having the same issue to actually post in here at this point.
Cheers to all and gl on your own journies as well, I wish you all the best in getting on track or continuing with the great habbits that you have adopted. I know I will get there when I'm ready.0 -
"But"; the universal eraser.
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BluffMeAllIn wrote: »To the person mentioning motivation, its the most important of anything IMO.
IMO You just told a bunch of successful people that they are doing it wrong, and doing it your way - which has frustrated you into a corner that only you can get yourself out of - is the right way.
Motivation is 'wanting' to do something. You aren't motivated to do - meaning you don't want to do it. How is that anyone's problem other than the person who is standing in their own way?
Ponder self-awareness a bit and have a good long conversation with someone over the age of 60 about what it means to put hard work into something you claim to want.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw5kH7civTo
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