Burned out and need advice
ashowers36
Posts: 83 Member
I work two jobs and by the time I get home it is 6:30 at night and I am just mentally exhausted. All I really want to do is just relax and basically not think or do anything. What I need to do is get off my butt and workout. I could really use some advice on who to recharge my batteries when I get home. I am so not a morning person so getting up early to work out has never worked for me in the past.
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The first few weeks can be the hardest. I would pick an exercise to do 3x/week for 15-30 minutes. Stick to it for three weeks no matter what and my guess is that your energy levels will start to improve and you'll look forward to it.0
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ashowers36 wrote: »I am so not a morning person so getting up early to work out has never worked for me in the past.
If you want to have something different, you need to do something different. Get up just 10 minutes earlier. Walk in place or pace around inside your house for 10 minutes. You can do this in your pj's and sneakers. If the weather's nice, go outside and walk around your house for 10 minutes. 10 minutes. You can do anything for 10 minutes, can't you? (Yes, you can!)0 -
Do you have any days off?0
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The best thing I ever did was start working out early. I was never consistent with exercise, I'd always make every excuse known to man. When I started working out before work, that went away. It is tough the first few weeks, but when you get used to it, it's easy to maintain0
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My trick is to not sit down when I get home. I change directly into workout clothes and leave for the gym. If I sit down, I won't get back up and make it to the gym. If I didn't have to pick up my son, I would take my workout clothes to work and stop at the gym on my way home.
The other thing is that I sneak in walks on my breaks and lunch. I get approximately 8-10 thousand steps just by doing that.
Ultimately, weight loss is eating less calories than you burn. It's more about what you eat. So, if you plan out your meals, pack your lunch and snacks, and meet your calorie goals for the day, you can lose weight without any exercise.
Good luck!0 -
I hear you on this, I work a 9 hour day with a hour long commute both ways, so by the time I'm home, I'm usually done for the day. It can pretty much take all I have just to get dinner going for us, however, these past few months I've started using the Walk at Home program. There are DVDs you can get to learn the moves, and once you've done them a few times, you don't even need the DVDs and you can just do it while you watch TV. I'm not into exercise, though God knows I've tried so many times to be, and I've found this to be the most accessible thing for me, no gym, don't have to go outside in the cold, no shoes and it's been easy for me to keep up with. You don't even have to put on workout clothes if you don't want to. I recommend looking into it.0
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Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I think some of you are right about the sitting down part when I get home. First thing I always do is go up to my room and change into something more comfortable. The minute I do I am in trouble because then all I want to do is lay in bed. I know some of you strongly suggest getting up even ten minutes earlier in the morning to exercise but it just really isn't an option for me. I sleep poorly as it is waking up many times throughout the night. I only get 6.5 to 7 hours a sleep on average so I need every single second of sleep that I can get just so I can function through my work day without falling asleep at work or on the drive to and from home.
I should have mentioned that I do deal with depression and anxiety so when those flare up it can be even harder to find the motivation because all I want to do is stay in bed an sleep. 0 -
My DW works long hours and she basically went from work to ballroom dance class after. Of course it helps that I'm home and do all the cooking and other stuff, but there's no reason a spouse can't help out to give the other their daily hour to themselves.
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I can tell you that if you can get into exercising more, it will help with your anxiety. Exercise is the best medicine and it is truly what helps me. The hard part is getting yourself into the habit of working out, but once you're in a routine it's easy. I think an accountability buddy is the best thing to have because they won't let you slack on your workouts! Find a friend or a trainer who will notice if you don't do your exercise- that'll make you go! I know at my gym, if i don't show up for a few days, I end up being questioned by quite a few people haha.0
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I found that once I started walking, and losing weight, I started sleeping better.0
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Working out does help with the depression and anxiety as I noticed that in the past. It also seems to help me sleep better as well. Those are some of the main reasons I want to find a way to deal with my burned out state when I get home from work.
I wish I could find an accountability buddy. My husband also needs to lose some serious weight but I can't seem to get him motivated to do so. He would rather sit at his computer playing games on his days off and he really hasn't been helping with the house work much either. Which makes me feel even more stressed out and overwhelmed coming home to a dirty house day in and day out. All of my friends have kids and live at least 15 minutes away so I can't really use them as accountability buddies either.
To give you guys an idea of my weekly schedule I wake up at 6:50 am to get ready for work. I work my two jobs from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. By the time I get home it is around 6:30pm. And because I am so tired a lot of the house work doesn't get done until the weekend, since my spouse doesn't seem inclined to help me out there, so I do house chores all weekend. I never really feel rested or relaxed at all and it has been like this for a couple of years now.
Also on a side note any suggestions about eating supper when I get home? I don't know if I should eat supper when I get home or wait until after I workout. I know it isn't good to eat too late or too close to bed time but like I said I don't get home until 6:300 in the evening. 0 -
I find if I do my workout in the morning it gives me a lift that keeps me going throughout the day.0
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Experiment by drinking a Red-bull or equivalent an hour before leaving work for the day. Don't drive home first as you could become distracted but, head directly to the gym, school track or wherever you wish to exercise. The added beverage pep may be just what you need to tip the end of the day motivation scale. Since we are talking about a high concentration of caffeine close to the end of the day, you will need to experiment if this causes other issues such as sleeplessness. This method may not be for everyone. Remember, consistency is 90% habit forming routines. Once established you can adjust or eliminate caffeinated peps. Just my 2 cents. Good luck0
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(Believe me, I get not being a morning person and the people with that helpful "Get up earlier" advice will never get it. It's easy for them, killer for us!) My advice is to find something that's fun to do that you can do while 'relaxing' in front of the tv at night. I bought a hula hoop, and started with ten minutes in front "Big Bang Theory". It felt fun, and my overworked brain still got relax and have a laugh.
If Hula Hooping doesn't do it for you, buy a set of those fitness bands, or handweights, or get one of those 'ab roller' things- Anything to get you moving for a few minutes a day. Once you start doing it, you'll want to do a little more, and a little more after that.
Also, you might grab a pedometer or fitness tracker and take a look at just how active you are at your jobs. I was stunned to discover that I was putting on 10,000 steps just running around the office at work! 0 -
KareninLux wrote: »
Just have to say I LOVE the crayon box.
Thanks!!0 -
Experiment by drinking a Red-bull or equivalent an hour before leaving work for the day.
This is a totally bad idea for me. Those kinds of drinks make my anxiety so so bad. Almost panic attack level.ElizabethOakes2 wrote: »(Believe me, I get not being a morning person and the people with that helpful "Get up earlier" advice will never get it. It's easy for them, killer for us!) My advice is to find something that's fun to do that you can do while 'relaxing' in front of the tv at night. I bought a hula hoop, and started with ten minutes in front "Big Bang Theory". It felt fun, and my overworked brain still got relax and have a laugh.
If Hula Hooping doesn't do it for you, buy a set of those fitness bands, or handweights, or get one of those 'ab roller' things- Anything to get you moving for a few minutes a day. Once you start doing it, you'll want to do a little more, and a little more after that. Also, you might grab a pedometer or fitness tracker and take a look at just how active you are at your jobs. I was stunned to discover that I was putting on 10,000 steps just running around the office at work!
I do have a Fitbit One. I have two desk jobs so unfortunately I don't get that many steps in throughout the day. When the weather is nice outside I usually try walking outside when I get home from work, but as it is winter here now and a whopping 17 degrees out side with wind and blowing snow I'm not that keen to go for a walk around the block. lol. Hula Hooping might be fun. I've been told before that I should try a weighted one. I will have to look into how expensive they are as money is very tight right now. 0 -
Try not to think about how tired you are, and just put on your gym shoes. Somehow that gets me pointed in the right direction every time. Just put on the shoes.0
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Small steps will get you where you want to be. Even though you have desk jobs, try to increase your daily steps... go the long way round to the printer, take the stairs instead of the lift, walk to the water machine every hour.
Set yourself an achievable goal, maybe you're not ready at the moment to get home, get changed, get out, go exercise.
So how about, get home, do a 10-20 minute exercise video (free on YouTube or Fitness Blender) - you can choose one that's simple and easy. Doesn't require any equipment. Aim to do that three times a week.
Then it's 7pm and plenty of time to make dinner and relax.
Don't overwhelm yourself by thinking you have to turn your life around in a day, it's not going to happen. Super small changes will make you feel better and will spur you own to perhaps then progress to 30 minute work-outs four times a week and so on.
Good luck, you can do it!0 -
become a morning person0
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Capt_Apollo wrote: »become a morning person
This was not helpful advice. Please see previous comments about mornings.Elegra2006 wrote: »Small steps will get you where you want to be. Even though you have desk jobs, try to increase your daily steps... go the long way round to the printer, take the stairs instead of the lift, walk to the water machine every hour.
Set yourself an achievable goal, maybe you're not ready at the moment to get home, get changed, get out, go exercise.
So how about, get home, do a 10-20 minute exercise video (free on YouTube or Fitness Blender) - you can choose one that's simple and easy. Doesn't require any equipment. Aim to do that three times a week.
Then it's 7pm and plenty of time to make dinner and relax.
Don't overwhelm yourself by thinking you have to turn your life around in a day, it's not going to happen. Super small changes will make you feel better and will spur you own to perhaps then progress to 30 minute work-outs four times a week and so on.
Good luck, you can do it!
This has probably been the best advice. Maybe I am trying to change too much too soon. I just need to sit down and maybe rethink my workout schedule. I think I am probably overwhelming myself with trying to change/break so many old habits at once and this is probably setting me up to fail at what I am trying to achieve. 0 -
ashowers36 wrote: »Working out does help with the depression and anxiety as I noticed that in the past. It also seems to help me sleep better as well. Those are some of the main reasons I want to find a way to deal with my burned out state when I get home from work.
I wish I could find an accountability buddy. My husband also needs to lose some serious weight but I can't seem to get him motivated to do so. He would rather sit at his computer playing games on his days off and he really hasn't been helping with the house work much either. Which makes me feel even more stressed out and overwhelmed coming home to a dirty house day in and day out. All of my friends have kids and live at least 15 minutes away so I can't really use them as accountability buddies either.
To give you guys an idea of my weekly schedule I wake up at 6:50 am to get ready for work. I work my two jobs from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. By the time I get home it is around 6:30pm. And because I am so tired a lot of the house work doesn't get done until the weekend, since my spouse doesn't seem inclined to help me out there, so I do house chores all weekend. I never really feel rested or relaxed at all and it has been like this for a couple of years now.
Also on a side note any suggestions about eating supper when I get home? I don't know if I should eat supper when I get home or wait until after I workout. I know it isn't good to eat too late or too close to bed time but like I said I don't get home until 6:300 in the evening.
Have you talked to him about this? Directly and non-confrontationally? We all have different "standards" of clean around the house, so I'd talk to him about this. Decide what chores you will do and what chores he will do and be specific. Carrying this burden around and not addressing it will only weigh you down.
As far as exercise goes, start small. Do you intend to workout at home? Is a gym a possibility? If you prefer to work out at home then set your workout clothes out in the AM. Put them on immediately when you get home. It's all about mindset and habit.0 -
Glad you found my advice potentially useful. The smallest of changes can be all that's needed to create new habits.
Do something that will be achievable for you, if that's 10 mins twice a week then fine, it's a start! The rest will follow as long as you keep reaching your goals and setting new ones.0 -
ashowers36 wrote: »Thanks for all the helpful suggestions. I think some of you are right about the sitting down part when I get home. First thing I always do is go up to my room and change into something more comfortable. The minute I do I am in trouble because then all I want to do is lay in bed. I know some of you strongly suggest getting up even ten minutes earlier in the morning to exercise but it just really isn't an option for me. I sleep poorly as it is waking up many times throughout the night. I only get 6.5 to 7 hours a sleep on average so I need every single second of sleep that I can get just so I can function through my work day without falling asleep at work or on the drive to and from home.
I should have mentioned that I do deal with depression and anxiety so when those flare up it can be even harder to find the motivation because all I want to do is stay in bed an sleep.
Well we could be twins. I can't get up any earlier than I do, and even if I did, I simply have ZERO energy in the morning. Believe me, I've tried and tried to do some workout in the morning, and it just doesn't happen. So, I bring my gym bag with me to work and go straight to the gym before I go home. I work Mon-Fri, and only go to the gym 2 days during that time - Tues and Thurs. My other gym days are on my days off. I'm lucky in that my hubby is on board with healthy cooking, since he does the cooking 90% of the time. I help with grocery shopping and food prep on the weekends.
I also deal with depression. However, taking my mild anti-depressant daily is a life-saver. It helps keep me energized and feeling upbeat. Over Xmas I let it run out and I'm paying the price now, waiting to see the doctor. I'm irritable, feeling really down and fighting self-destructive feelings (by that I mean wanting to eat junk and not workout - not hurting myself physically), which is mentally exhausting on top of my mentally exhausting job.
You'll need to discuss house work and cooking with your family, and also set a schedule for working out. You don't have to spend hours at the gym. Even 30 or 40 minutes will make a big difference. You can do it!0 -
ashowers36 wrote: »Capt_Apollo wrote: »become a morning person
This was not helpful advice. Please see previous comments about mornings.
i'm sorry. instead, try and sleep faster.0 -
Capt_Apollo wrote: »ashowers36 wrote: »Capt_Apollo wrote: »become a morning person
This was not helpful advice. Please see previous comments about mornings.
i'm sorry. instead, try and sleep faster.
Sleep faster? I feel like you are trying to troll me.0 -
Is going straight to the gym/to class after work--not stopping at home--an option? I find that, as soon as I'm home, that it's all over for me, too.
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Let me just say... you are absolutely preaching to the choir. I work my full time job and then 3 or 4 hours at my part time job just about every single night during the week... (plus about 10 hours on the weekends as well -- no days off, ever!). I have found that working out in the morning in my only option. Plus, I feel like it sets me up for success the rest of the day! I have a great workout and then I'm ready to bring on whatever the day throws at me. It's hard the first 2 weeks or so, but you find yourself getting into a routine.0
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Something else: you don't have to exercise to lose weight. I've lost 60 pounds with diet alone.0
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Eat a snack on the way home and drink water. Then work out ie a short walk or video or whatever floats your boat. Then supper.
Sounds like time for a talk with your husband. Tell him he needs to do more housework as he lives there.
Take back some time on weekends for something you enjoy. A hike? a swim? time at gym?0
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