How to get exercise into busy schedule.
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Personally I would get up half hour earlier at least to get your workout done, thats what I have been doing each week day for the past 3 yrs, it starts my day off on a high, gives me energy etc
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I get up 4:30 to make it to a 5am gym class. Everyone thought I was bonkers but I did it anyway. 6mo later and I miss the class if I can't make it!
I do the class MWF, and do C25K T Th S evenings to break it up. I tried every morning early and I was falling asleep by 8! Working some mornings and some evenings gives me energy for a late night (though bedtime is 10pm on workdays!)0 -
Packerjohn wrote: »Sounds like you have a block of time available between 9 PM and 7 AM, Need to find out why you lay wake for 2-4 hours.
Personally, I go to bed at 10, asleep in less than 5 minutes 95% of the time. Up at 4:10, eat, get to gym when it opens at 5. Workout shower and be at my desk 45 minute commute away around 7:15.
This! 5am workouts cured me of insomnia!
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You just have to make time for yourself.................if you want it bad enough, you find a way.
I joined Anytime Fitness because I can go anytime. I get up at 1:45 a.m. and go in to the gym before work. I work long hours, have a 40-45 minute commute one way and know I will not do it after work.0 -
My husband is the same way with his sleep cycle. It doesn't matter what time he gets up in the morning, he's awake till midnight or latter. So when he works out its at night. Sometimes in the afternoon, he works by the call so his days are never "normal".
I can be the same way, until I consistently workout, then my sleep schedule gets more normal. I prefer to get my workout done first thing so I don't make excuses after work. There's something pretty awesome about hitting 3,000 steps before breakfast. I am chained to my desk during the day and I'm lucky if I hit 4500 steps for the day without exercise.
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I have to get up at 5:30 to get ready for work, get my daughter ready and get out the door and to work by 7. I work until 3 and then have meetings most nights and do not get home until 6. Then it is dinner time and bedtime routine. I made a deal with myself that every time I had to go in the basement I had to do 10 min. on the treadmill. Sometimes I do 30 min. after my daughter's bed time and do not get to watch tv. The important thing is that although I have a very busy schedule, I make time to exercise.0
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Getting up at 7AM? Well, wake up at 6AM, and exercise. Go for a run/walk during lunch, or hit the gym.
In bed relaxing at 9PM, but your brain doesn't click off until 2AM? Then got for a run/walk/gym at 9PM. Some gyms are open 24 hours a day.0 -
Your down time after you make dinner and leave would be time to fit in some HIIT or a quick body weight routine. Check out Fitnessblender.com. Or do it before making dinner. Also, getting up at 6 isn't too much earlier and could fit as well. This may even help you fall asleep earlier.0
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No matter what your schedule, if you really want this, you have to make time. I have 2 boys and a husband at home. I work 50+ hrs a week. Weekdays I get up at 4:00-4:15, make lunches for the day, then my husband and I arrive at the gym at 5am. We spend an hour - then it's back home, make breakfast, get ready for work, take my youngest to school, and I am at work before 8am. Yes, by 8pm I am ready to be horizontal.......but this routine has been the best thing I have ever done. Even on the weekends, we rarely sleep past 6am. Good luck - I hope you find what works best for you.0
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Lack of time or busy schedule isn't your problem. You have many free hours in what you have listed here- more than most people I'd say. Your problem is motivation. I don't say that to be derogatory or mean. I've had the same problem. Many of us have. But the first step in doing something about it is acknowledging that it exists and that many people are doing more with less to work with. You've heard some great options here, many to choose from. You could get up earlier. Will you like it? Probably not. Most people won't. I've been getting up at 4 am to make it work and I still don't like it. You also have between 6-8 free to do nothing but make dinner. Crockpot meals or sandwiches 3 days a week will make more time for you. Take your daughter on a walk with you. Or you could try something after 9. Consistent early wake ups or a good workout may even kill that insomnia.
All that said, if your biggest concern is weight loss, start by focusing on diet, and find just 15-30 minutes per day for some walking. As you lose weight with diet, you'll start to find more energy and motivation to fit in the work out.0 -
If it only takes you less than 15 minutes to drive to work, you probably have time to walk to and from work.
Even at only 20 mph, which is a very low estimate, this is about four miles which would take over an hour. And who would want to work with a hot sweaty person who just walked over an hour to get to work? It takes me 15 minutes to get to one of my client's office ten miles away. That would be 2-1/2 hours of walking for me, and on the highway, where I'm not allowed. Really!0 -
Miaslifejourney wrote: »...So, how do I work in exercise. I usually get about 10k steps a day or more at work alone and by the time I get home, all I want to do is. Standing on my feet nearly 9 hours straight is hard on my knees and ankles, especially with all of this extra weight. It is down right painful. I want to exercise, walking is great way to get the blood pumping, but it is hard to be motivated to do it when you are in so much pain.
Hi @Miaslifejourney - I'm going to address just the knee pain issue to start. What do you do for work? Are you standing in one place where you or your employer could add mats? I've worked in kitchens with these, and they help a lot. I have decorative (and considerably cheaper, but still helpful, although less effective) ones in my own kitchen.
Have you been to a doctor about your knees? They will most likely tell you to lose weight, which tends to be accurate. I have knee issues and good footwear is crucial. Am currently wearing Asics Gel Enduro, which I believe were discontinued, but they have other Gel. My brother-in-law, an orthopedic surgeon, approves. If you can't wear sneakers at work, what about shoes designed for nurses?
My official diagnosis is "pain with activity" which isn't especially helpful, although the doctor did give me exercises and positions to avoid, like kneeling, lunging, and squatting, which was helpful. I can now hold lunge and squat positions as part of my yoga routine, however. Tried kneeling recently and the pain came back.
My doctor gave me these exercises to do:
I have been working since April to strengthen my knees, and except for that time I tried the kneeling position in my yoga routine, they've been much better. I walked around for 2.5 hours Saturday and they were fine.
Exercise I could still do when my knees were in bad shape in April:
No gym membership required:
1. Walk in the woods (not pavement)
2. Yoga
3. Garden
4. Swim (weather dependent or use a gym with a pool)
At the gym:
5. Recumbent bike
6. Some treadmill (prefer the track)
7. Over-head track
8. Some elliptical. (I can only do a few minutes at a time so worked this in between other things.)0 -
Miaslifejourney wrote: »Get up at 7
Get up earlier, see below.Miaslifejourney wrote: »Get my daughter ready for school, leave the house a quarter till 8.
Wasted trip. Combine with your trip to work or drop her off, then go to gym and get cleaned up there.Miaslifejourney wrote: »Come back home, get myself ready for work as well as my spouse, leave the house a quarter till 9.
Your spouse can get ready by herself.Miaslifejourney wrote: »Most days I work 9-6 and my partner will work 11-8. She goes in with me and takes the free-time to work on school work.
So are you your spouse's transportation as well? That's seems to be the problem. Your spouse needs to figure out her own transporation.Miaslifejourney wrote: »When I get off, I come home and get dinner on the table.
Afterwards, I sit until it is time to leave a quarter till.
Again, the problem is you are the only means of transportation.Miaslifejourney wrote: »When we get back home, it is my daughters bedtime we will do the bedtime routine.
By 9 o clock, my spouse and I are in bed relaxing for the day until we are tired.
She falls asleep sometime between 9 and 10, never fails, but I tend to stay up until midnight to 2. It's hard for me to fall asleep....It is hard enough for me to get up at 7, let alone any earlier. My brain doesn't shut off until close to 2 o clock. I have been this way for as long as I can remember, and as much as I try, it just won't change.
I was the same way. Exercise will help you fall to sleep. I now get up 5-5:30. In bed around 10 (with the TV on) and can typically fall asleep within 10 minutes of my head hitting the pillow.
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Miaslifejourney wrote: »Hello everybody. I have a problem and am hoping I could get some tips/advice. I'm trying to figure out a way to work around my schedule while trying to lose weight. My spouse and I have erratic schedules, my daughter starts school soon, and I am the only one that drives.
(when school starts, most days are something like this)
Get up at 7
Get my daughter ready for school, leave the house a quarter till 8.
Come back home, get myself ready for work as well as my spouse, leave the house a quarter till 9.
Most days I work 9-6 and my partner will work 11-8.
She goes in with me and takes the free-time to work on school work
When I get off, I come home and get dinner on the table.
Afterwards, I sit until it is time to leave a quarter till.
When we get back home, it is my daughters bedtime we will do the bedtime routine.
By 9 o clock, my spouse and I are in bed relaxing for the day until we are tired.
She falls asleep sometime between 9 and 10, never fails, but I tend to stay up until midnight to 2. It's hard for me to fall asleep.
So, how do I work in exercise. I usually get about 10k steps a day or more at work alone and by the time I get home, all I want to do is. Standing on my feet nearly 9 hours straight is hard on my knees and ankles, especially with all of this extra weight. It is down right painful. I want to exercise, walking is great way to get the blood pumping, but it is hard to be motivated to do it when you are in so much pain. I've tried the morning exercise idea, but I have never been a morning person. It is hard enough for me to get up at 7, let alone any earlier. My brain doesn't shut off until close to 2 o clock. I have been this way for as long as I can remember, and as much as I try, it just won't change.
So please, any advice would be wonderful!
First issue you need to address is why you aren't getting enough sleep. If you starting waking up early enough, you should be tired enough to fall asleep much earlier.
Also, is there a reason why your partner can't get your daughter ready for school? Even if you don't wake up earlier than 7, if your partner takes on that responsibility, you'll have 7am-7:45 to exercise. Then your partner will have plenty of time to get ready from 7:45 until 8:45.
There is also the suggestions above to workout after you make dinner.
You don't seem to understand that you really have more time on your hands than you realize. My kids are awake at 5:45. This 7am wakeup time is a luxioury.0 -
this is true for me toocrazyjerseygirl wrote: »Packerjohn wrote: »Sounds like you have a block of time available between 9 PM and 7 AM, Need to find out why you lay wake for 2-4 hours.
Personally, I go to bed at 10, asleep in less than 5 minutes 95% of the time. Up at 4:10, eat, get to gym when it opens at 5. Workout shower and be at my desk 45 minute commute away around 7:15.
This! 5am workouts cured me of insomnia!
I used to have to take stuff to help me sleep and now between 5am runs and yoga, I fall asleep in ten min.
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this is true for me toocrazyjerseygirl wrote: »Packerjohn wrote: »Sounds like you have a block of time available between 9 PM and 7 AM, Need to find out why you lay wake for 2-4 hours.
Personally, I go to bed at 10, asleep in less than 5 minutes 95% of the time. Up at 4:10, eat, get to gym when it opens at 5. Workout shower and be at my desk 45 minute commute away around 7:15.
This! 5am workouts cured me of insomnia!
I used to have to take stuff to help me sleep and now between 5am runs and yoga, I fall asleep in ten min.
Add me to the 5 am workouts curing my insomnia crew! And I have tons more energy during the day!0 -
Sounds like daughter's school & your work are fairly close to home...start parking a few blocks away & walk the rest of the way. Great way to spend some Mommy & Me time w daughter, plus get her in fun exercise habits, and it won't make you have to rise too much earlier. Definitely after your partner goes to sleep, do something...the exercise will probably make you sleep a lot better.0
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You have time for a 20-30 minute workout. You just have to do it.
There are lots of workout videos on you tube. There are even some chair based workouts you could start out with- jessica smith tv, live exercise, prority one have some chair based workouts.0 -
Go to bed earlier and get up earlier.
Getting up earlier will help you go to sleep earlier. Doing an am workout will get you charged up for the day and ready to go.0 -
Thank you everybody for the advice.
It would take me an hour and a half just to walk to work. I live in Florida. I would be hot, sweaty, and nasty by the time I got to work then getting back home, I would have even less time with my daughter.
Since so many people are saying their 5am work out fixed their insomnia, I will give this a try. I am in the process of changing my bad habits one at a time, so this will be the next thing I work on. With my history, my sleeping habits have been rather erratic. It feels like, no matter how much sleep I get, I am always exhausted. I go days where I only have 5 hours of sleep and am completely useless to 8 hours and still feeling tired through out the day but this seems to be the best amount for me. I have even slept for 10 hours because I was so tired (not anymore, this was before I had my daughter). It doesn't matter, I am always tired. Also, I can lay in bed all I want, but if my brain doesn't stop, I won't fall asleep. I always have my fan on, no TV, on occasion there is music, but other than that, it's me and the ceiling.
I truly want to lose weight and I fully understand that excuses are only hurting myself. But I also understand that when my body is telling me it is in serious pain, I need to listen to it. I never thought about sitting to workout. It just seems odd. I'll give that a try as well, it is definitely better than nothing.
My job requires me to stand in one spot for the majority of the day, we aren't allowed to have any mats. We used to have them, but we were told they were not allowed anymore. My work area is concrete floors. No tile or cushion whatsoever. I know the knee pain is from my excess weight. Everyday, by the time I get home, my ankles are swollen to the size of grapefruits. I have never had this problem before. I know it is due to my weight though, this is one of the many reasons why I want to lose weight.
15-30 minutes of exercise sounds so much less intimidating than the hour/s I was thinking I needed to do.
Also, I don't get my partner ready, that was a typo. My partner does help in the morning, she takes care of preparing the lunches and takes care of the dog in the morning among other things, she definitely does more than I could ever ask.
Thank you Kshama for sharing the knee exercises.
I'll tweek my schedule with some of these tips, thank you again everybody.0
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