Need tips on exercising with a busy schedule

Actress_Debrika
Actress_Debrika Posts: 3 Member
edited December 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I am extremely busy and can't seem to find time to workout. What are some exercises that I can incorporate in my daily routine?

Replies

  • dgobbett
    dgobbett Posts: 53 Member
    Actress_Debrika wrote: »
    I am extremely busy and can't seem to find time to workout. What are some exercises that I can incorporate in my daily routine?

    What line of work are you in? I think that is important in order to establish what is available to you. These are a few more general options that work for most but mainly directed at those in an office job.

    1) Walk more - there are simple ways to do this. If you drive to the office park at the back of the parking lot every day. This gives you a larger distance to walk each time you go to the car. If you use public transit, get off one stop earlier, to increase your step count. Also helps to walk at a more brisk pace as well.

    2) Stairs - If you live an in apartment or work in an office avoid the elevator like it is an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend. Take the stairs 1 flight or 10, it all helps and makes a difference.

    3) Stand while you work - if you are able standing engages the core and works the legs, it is simple but it beats sitting.

    4) Squats - What I did for a time was each time I went to the bathroom I would do 10 body weight squats. For any reason even if it was to wash my hands before a meal, I conditioned myself to do 10 each time. Everyday I was doing 50-60 minimum at work or at home. It takes about 1 minute per set and feels great.

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Any chance you can get up 30-40 minutes earlier for a workout? Fitness Blender is a workout site with over 400 free workouts, and they have a 5-day series called 5 Day Workout for Busy People. Each workout is 30 minutes or less, complete with warm up and cool down, and usually consists of some HIIT and strength training. Give that a shot and see if you can work that into your day - if not early in the morning, maybe after work - it's only 30 minutes, so pretty doable.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Can you wake up earlier? Can you use part of your lunch break? Can you find 3 10-minute breaks during the day? Do you have time set aside for hobbies or other leisure activities than you can convert to exercise time?

    It's hard to know exactly what to suggest because it's unclear what "extremely busy" means.

  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    There are tons of free workout videos on You Tube that are 30 minutes or less.
    Walking is easy.
  • miss_aims
    miss_aims Posts: 64 Member
    I have the same issue. My morning starts at 5:10 AM and I'm not usually home until 8:30 at the earliest, so finding time to work out is a challenge. You know what else is a challenge for me? Not being healthy. So I find the time. I walk on my lunch break, and when I do work out, I work out hard. If you can find 20-30 minutes, try something like 30 Day Shred, it's high intensity and lasts 30 minutes. Compound exercises (like a squat press, rows, deadlifts) work multiple muscle groups at once, so you get more bang for your buck, and you're able to get more out of the time you spend.
  • DrifterBear
    DrifterBear Posts: 265 Member
    I spend 9-10 hours a day at work, have a 1hr 15min commute each way spending 2.5 hours a day in the car, and find time to workout 60 minutes every day at least 5-6 days / week. I get up at 4:40am every day and watch very little TV. I would like to have time to watch more tv and read more, but that's not my priority. I would way rather workout.

    You have to look at your schedule. You have work, sleep, getting ready, chores, and other. You have to get really good at the chores and getting ready. Set clothes out at night, pack a gym bag, find quicker meals, all that will give you more time for other. Then, you have to prioritize the other stuff and set workouts to the top of the list.
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    DrifterBear wrote: »
    I spend 9-10 hours a day at work, have a 1hr 15min commute each way spending 2.5 hours a day in the car, and find time to workout 60 minutes every day at least 5-6 days / week. I get up at 4:40am every day and watch very little TV. I would like to have time to watch more tv and read more, but that's not my priority. I would way rather workout.

    You have to look at your schedule. You have work, sleep, getting ready, chores, and other. You have to get really good at the chores and getting ready. Set clothes out at night, pack a gym bag, find quicker meals, all that will give you more time for other. Then, you have to prioritize the other stuff and set workouts to the top of the list.

    This. If you make exercise a priority then you will find the time to exercise.
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
    edited April 2016
    You can squeeze a short workout in every other morning - cut out your evening TV time, sleep, or whatever.

    Worse case scenario, do tabata style workouts (4 to 8 minutes long, non stop exercises till you are gassed and your time is up). You DEFINATELY have <10 minutes every day. You can build it with 1 pulling movement, 1 pushing movement, 1 leg movement, and 1 ab movement.
    I.e. At home (with a pullup bar on your doorframe): 4 minutes of : 30seconds push ups, 30seconds chin ups, 30 seconds jump squats, 30 seconds ab roller, repeat until time is up
    or at the gym: 4 to 8 minutes of dumbbell bench press, dumbbell rows, goblet squat, decline sit ups, repeat until time is up

    Etc. You can scale your workouts for your level (i.e. can't do a chin up? put a chair under and keep your legs on it for assisted chin ups, or jump up to the bar and lower yourself as slowly as you can for negative chin ups... or push up on your knees or off a wall if you can't do a regular.. abs you can hold a plank).

    You can google 'bodyweight fitness' for different level of difficulty.

    Remember, there is ALWAYS a way to work out. No excuses, get to it!

    Edit: Also, when it comes to eating, the good news is that to lose weight you just need to control your diet - Eat under your TDEE for weight loss (-500 for 1lbs of weight loss per week). Some people I know cook for their whole week on Sunday (aka sunday meal prep) with everything portioned out and weighted so they will never go over their limit.
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    If it is important to you, you will find the time. I'm currently doing DDP Yoga which is a series of exercise DVDs. I usually do it right when I get home from the office (around 5), or on my lunch on days I work from home. If I work out too late I have trouble falling asleep. On the weeks I have my kids, we all to the workouts together. Two workouts ~45 mins :)

    Finding the time could mean simplifying your life elsewhere. Have you thought about meal prepping? Cooking all of your meals on one day, that way you don't have to cook when you get home.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Look at how much time you spend in front of a screen (tv, social media, non-work related Web browsing) and come back and tell us you don't have time.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    edited April 2016
    Get on craigslist: buy a cheap treadmill, or haul one away from someone who will give it to you for free just so they don't have to pay to dispose of it. Place directly in front of television set. Now you have time to work out suddenly:) (and to catch up on Breaking Bad:) )

    ETA: "But Coffee, no one gives stuff away for free!"

    The hell they don't. People who bought the thing for their new years resolution and dumped it in a corner or their basement after their resolve failed 3 weeks in are all too willing to let you do the work of getting that heavy monstrosity off their property and off their mind. I have acquired TWO separate treadmills this way.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    sleep faster
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    I used to think I had not time to exercise, too. I teach, so I am up at 5:00 and out the door by 6:15. I work from 7:00 ish to after 4. On days where I have meetings I don't get home until 6 or so. Then I have two daughters and a husband that I need to cook for and take care of, correct papers, plan for days to come, do laundry, pack lunches, get clothes ready for the next day , AND then finally work on my submission paper for my National Boards.

    My husband and I have spent about $600 on items from Craigslist: a treadmill, a schwinn airdyne ad6, a squat rack and some weights. We workout together about an hour each night, 5 nights a week. We both listen to our own music with our own headphones. Sometimes my 9 year old will join us and walk on the treadmill. I look forward to this family time each night! We spend less time in front of the TV and I feel like I have more energy to get the things I need to get done completed.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    I break mine up some days into 2 15 minute sessions. They say 3 10 minute sessions do just as good as 30 mins straight. So break it up into parts. There are just too many YouTube options to exercise at home to even list them, there's walking videos,pilates,whatever you want to do its there.

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