Is it possible to work 2 jobs and be healthy??
deltamoon_22
Posts: 7
So here is my dilema. I work 2 jobs, putting in an average of at least 60 hours a week. I get up at 6am and sometimes I dont get home untill after 10pm . I usually only have 1 day off out of every 14. So my Question is, is it possible to eat healthy on a limited budget with next to zero time to prepare the food?? and when am I suppose to work out? The most common reply that I get to this question is " make the time". How??! I am far to exausted to workout in the mornings and usually in too much of a rush to anyways...and I really do not want to lose an hour of sleep in the mornings. My gym closes at 9, and I do not get off of work untill that time, I can workout at home, but then I am wide awake and even more exausted the next day because I couldnt fall asleep untill 2am. Its a vicious cycle. My one day off, is the only day that I have to do laundry and pick up some groceries, and run any arrands that I cant do during the week. How is it possible to "Make" or "find" the time to workout?
Is there anyone in the same situation as me? What do you do?
And trust me if I could afford to keep a roof over my head I would get rid of the second job. But I cant so that's not an option.
Is there anyone in the same situation as me? What do you do?
And trust me if I could afford to keep a roof over my head I would get rid of the second job. But I cant so that's not an option.
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Replies
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30 minutes a day is all you need. If you want to loose the weight, you will find the time. It's not going to just magically disappear.. good luck!! :P0
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Even if you don't have time to exercise the key to have the body that you want is : to eat the right amount of calories and whenever you got a little bit of time you can exercise for at least ten minutes. I've done it before so can you. Have a great day :-)
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Hi, i also work two jobs have a normal 9 - 5 job during the week and then work in a night club for 3 nights as well.
I suppose im lucky in one way that my second job is in a nightclub it means that i can work out inbetween the two jobs, but it really is a case of fitting it in when i can. I have to force myself to work out when i could be chilling out before i start the second job.
So really im not much help because if your work circumstances are not going to change then it really is a case of making a choice of when you want to work out either in the morning or after work but you are not alone in the work and working out balance
Gem x0 -
So here is my dilema. I work 2 jobs, putting in an average of at least 60 hours a week. I get up at 6am and sometimes I dont get home untill after 10pm . I usually only have 1 day off out of every 14. So my Question is, is it possible to eat healthy on a limited budget with next to zero time to prepare the food?? and when am I suppose to work out? The most common reply that I get to this question is " make the time". How??! I am far to exausted to workout in the mornings and usually in too much of a rush to anyways...and I really do not want to lose an hour of sleep in the mornings. My gym closes at 9, and I do not get off of work untill that time, I can workout at home, but then I am wide awake and even more exausted the next day because I couldnt fall asleep untill 2am. Its a vicious cycle. My one day off, is the only day that I have to do laundry and pick up some groceries, and run any arrands that I cant do during the week. How is it possible to "Make" or "find" the time to workout?
Is there anyone in the same situation as me? What do you do?
And trust me if I could afford to keep a roof over my head I would get rid of the second job. But I cant so that's not an option.
Wow, You do have alot going on, Its going to be extremely hard. first buy lots of plastic baggies! lol since your always on the go youre gonna need to make alot of to go bags so when your in a rush you can grab stuff and still eat healthy , buy oranges and branflakes, fresh veggies. measure them and put em in bags. When you work out at home you should do it in the morning before work, so that way you are extra energized and by the time you get home from work youll be so exhausted you will fall right to sleep no problem , so that way you can go to bed early ( to make up for wakin up early to work out ) and you wont have the " cant fall asleep " problem. I know its hard but just keep trying!0 -
I'm not in your situation, but my advice would be to maybe just start off with watching what you are eating and making healthy or at least healthier choices. I don't workout a lot (I just do the Wii at home, walking, and swimming and our subdivision pool with my boys), but I am EXTREMELY dedicated to watching my calories (and other settings) each day.
As for having the time to eat healthy, I would just go to the grocery store on your day off and buy veggies, fruits, chicken, and any other healthy stuff you like/will eat. Prepare what you can on that day and separate into containers to have for your lunches and dinners throughout the week.
As for squeezing in time to workout, maybe during your lunch/dinner break or something, just taking a walk outside (not sure where you work) or doing some extra movements (squats, calf raises, standing crunches, etc.) could help a little.0 -
Are they both desk jobs? I brought hand weights to work and use them during the day. I also have a stretchy band tied to my chair arm and I do arm & back exercises. Every hour on the hour I get up and run up and down the stairs or do wall squats or lunges. I park as far away from the building as possible and take the stairs whenever possible. Also, in order to stay sane, I plan my meals for the whole week - write them down and get the ingredients so that I don't get in the dilemma of eating processed or fast food. I bring all my food to work on Monday morning so that it is there and available all week. Good luck!0
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I recently switched from working out in the morning to the evening. My fiance started a new job in which he has to get up much earlier. We run together so it was either workout at 4:30 am (and I have never been a morning person to begin with) or switch to evening workouts. For his and my sanity we switched :-)
Working out at night is an energizer for me too. But only at first. For the first 2 weeks you will have to force yourself to sleep earlier (a low calorie cocktail usually does the trick for me). After the first 2 weeks your body will adjust. It's almost like my body knows: "okay this is the last thing we're gonna do today and then REST!" I know it's not pleasant at first but if you push through it you'll start to feel great!0 -
I feel your pain. I work M-F 8-5 in an office and thurs/sat/sun as a waitress and have a 4 year old boy. At least i get alot of walking in waitressing but it is hard to make time for everything. I would say, at least to start, be really dedicated to the food you consume. That is something you have time for. It only takes a few minutes to pre portion a bunch of food into baggies that way you can grab and go. I have a whole shelf in my fridge that has pre portioned food. From my experience, if you start with the healthy eating, eventually, in time, you will have more energy and may be willing to try working out in the mornings. Remember, slow and steady. You don't have to do everything at once. Each small change will add up!! Feel free to add me if you need someone to talk to, I am relatively new to this as well!0
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First off, if you aren't using the gym membership, drop it. It sounds like you just don't have a schedule that meets theirs right now so that would be a little extra change in your pocket each month.
I work full time and go to school part time, so I'm definitely feeling your pain. Here are some of the things I have been doing:
* Park as far away from your destination as possible, whether that be the back of the parking lot or on the next block.
* Avoid elevators. I have a "no elevator" policy, I take the stairs. One of my classes last semester was on the 9th floor and it became a challenge to make it all of the way up without a break and still be able to arrive at class breathing normally. I did manage it eventually. :laugh: Going down was easy and I'd go as fast as I could. I could usually beat the 20-somethings who took the elevator down.
* Walk as much as possible. I had an hour between classes last semester and I'd spend at least half of that walking around the campus mall and doing stairs in the 4 story building where my second class was located. I probably got a reputation as being "the crazy older lady who walks around and around" but who cares?!?
* Walk during your breaks at work. I spend my 15 minute breaks taking a quick restroom break then spend the rest of it walking about .7 miles. That extra 1.5 miles makes a difference!
These things might not seem like much but they do add up. There really are no excuses for not getting in a little exercise each day. Take some of that money you'll save from the gym membership you aren't using and buy a pedometer. See if you can hit 10000 steps every day.0 -
60 hours per week is not really that much that you can't find the time. If you work 13 of every 14 days like you say, then you are averaging 9 hours 15 minutes of work a day. You sleep 8 hours, so that leaves 6 hours 45 minutes a day average. Since you work a 2 different places, I can assume you have a reasonable amount of commute time as well, so let's say or argument's sake you only have 4 hours per day left after that.
A work out need not be more than 30 minutes. You strictly get almost no benefit after yo keep your heart rate in your target zone for 20 minutes, so add some warm up time to get you into the HR zone, and some cool down time to stretch and such, that is about 30 minutes if you plan your exercise appropriately. If exercising after you get home mean you can't get to sleep, then go to sleep earlier and wake up 30 minutes earlier than normal to do your workout. For most of the benefit, you only need to do that 3 times per week.
As to making healthy food, you should be able to...
1) Grill 3-4 days worth of meals of chicken
2) Cut, cool, and bag the chicken into meal portions, then refrigerate
3) Bag up meal sized vegetable/salad mixes to go with the chicken.
... in just an hour or 2. Doing that or something like it twice a week, and that should only take half of your free time 2 days a week. You could also allow yourself a few less healthy restaurant meals for variety.
Also don't forget crock pot cooking, which doesn't take long at all from a preparation standpoint.
Make a pledge to yourself to work at it. you can do it. Ask for advice here from all these good people. I bet they have plenty of tips.0 -
I work full time and go to school full time as well as being a wife and mom, and I have probably had the craziest 6 months of my life so far this year but I have been healthy. The first and most important thing is to eat healthy. During school, I had a 15 minute lunch break between classes & didn't even have a microwave or fridge to put my lunch in so I had to pack my lunchbox with the "blue ice" and I would pack a salad with the small bottle of dressing, some crackers, fruit, etc. or even just a Slim Fast shake (in the cans, so I just have to open it up and drink) with crackers or fruit. Buy healthy food that is easy to take with you: bananas, crackers, dried fruits, apples, etc. for snacks on the go. If you have to eat at fast food restaurants, spend some time on your day off looking up the nutrition info for several places nearby so you can always make the healthiest choice possible if something comes up or you can't eat your regularly scheduled meal. For breakfast, I have way too much to go before work & school to actually cook, so I have a glass of milk, lowfat yogurt, and 2 Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patties most days. It really fills me up until lunch and can be cooked and eaten in under 5 min.
If you can just eat well and stay within your calorie goals that way, you can take off some stress about working out. I think you should work in exercise, but do it over time. Don't try to make the change overnight because it will be too overwhelming and too much of a change for your body to adapt to quickly.
There were some weeks I only worked out twice, but I made those workouts count: no breaks and putting in as much effort as possible the entire time. Many times, I went to meetings at school sweaty and still in shorts and t-shirt from my run because the only time I could workout was in the 30 min. between work and that meeting. If you have a desk job, you can google or search on here for desk workouts. There are tons that you can do without breaking a sweat.
One thing at a time. Start with eating right, it will be the easiest considering your lifestyle & at the end of the day, the calorie count is what matters (in the grand scheme of things), so keep it in check and you will be on your way to being healthy!0 -
I forgot to mention that I spend almost 2hours getting to and from my jobs. I do not have a car so I am at the mercy of public transportation. If I had a car it would probably only take me about 20 minutes. I wake up at 6am, shower and get ready. I have to be out the door by 7:20 to catch my bus. I walk 2 blocks to get to the bus stop. It drops me off 1 block from work. Which is a desk job, that I litterly type all day, so cant do a desk workout even if I tried. On my 15 minute breaks I get up and walk around, I only have a 30 minute lunch, so by the time I'm finished eating its time to go back to work. I work at my other job a couple days a week, I catch the bus and it takes almost 45 minutes to get there as my jobs are on opposite ends of the city. My second job is retail. Its a small store so I can only walk in circles so many times without looking like a crazy person. lol. Then I get off of work at the second job around, 9pm and I catch the bus home. I usually dont get home till 9:45pm, so I tidy up my place a little and go to bed. On days when I dont work at my second job I walk home, which is a 35 minute walk but Im usually so tired by the time I get home I dont have the energy to do anything else. And weekends I always work at my second job, every saturday and every second sunday. On my one day off every 2 weeks thats when I get all my arrands done, I get my groceries, and clean, do laundry (I have to go to a laundrymat) etc. And I usually walk everywhere on that day. So its not that Im not getting any exercise at all, but I know Im not doing enough to lose weight, and I honestly dont know where I can find the time or the energy to get in a good workout. I never have time to cook, and I hate leftovers, to me they taste disgusting. So I usually end up with something that I can grab fast , like a frozen dinner. Which are horrible for you because of all the salt.
Im really not trying to make up excuses, but it feels like all I do is work, and Im so tired at the end of the day that I would rather sleep then try to push myself thru a workout and only half-*kitten* it.0 -
I understand you dihlema. One thing if you can try it, provided the area you live in is mostly safe, you could get off the bus earlier and walk home the rest of the way?
Also, instead of the frozen meals, you might want to peruse your grocery stores deli section, many times they have pre-made refrigerated meals that are not only healthy, but still cheap enough to buy without spending too much and still get great nutritional value! That way at least the first two days of your week you could be eating non-frozen items that are more filling with lower sodium count.
Also, I'm not sure how much it costs you to do your laundry at a laundromat but there are companies that will wash your clothes for you, extravagant I know, but you'd get back probably 2-3 hours on your day off to either work out or maybe try something new like bike around a park or something. It all depends on expenses, and if you're working two jobs things are probably pretty tight. Or you could be like me, trying to pay off debt. I simply make things easier by extending the time I'm doing all this hard work by making it more enjoyable.0 -
I'm in the same boat that you are. I get up at 5:45 travel an hour to work, I have to take a 1/2 hour lunch in order to leave in time to drive an hour to the second job. I work until about 10:30 and still have about a 45 minute drive home. I know that I could eat healthier and I do really well for a couple of weeks and then I slip up and start bad habits again. I know that the only time I have to work out is in the morning and I hit that snooze button as many times as I can before I have no choice but to get up and feel disappointed that it was yet another morning that I did not accomplish my goal to get up and exercise.
My first job is in a copy center and it's not a lot of exercise until I deliver 20 cases of paper once a week and my second job is sorting mail, so I'm either lifting or walking around the warehouse which has kept me at the same weight (ie: not gaining anymore) for awhile.
My issue is, I either get good exercise but eat bad, or eat healthy and don't exercise. We all know what we need to do to lose the weight, but the commitment is either not there or it's not there for long.
I have to decide if this is the life I want, do I want to be overweight? I already have knee and back problems and i'm only 38. There is a lot of good advice on here pertaining to our dilemma and I guess I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone and I'm going to give it a try. Slowly, because I do agree that trying to change it all at once is going to cause me to fail. Good luck!!0 -
Well it felt like I did 2 jobs, but I worked from 9am till 11pm at night 6 days a week for 12 years doing door to door sales. Still found time for at least 30 minutes to exercise. Eating was a challenge though since I ate out every day of those 12 years.
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I forgot to mention that I spend almost 2hours getting to and from my jobs. I do not have a car so I am at the mercy of public transportation. If I had a car it would probably only take me about 20 minutes. I wake up at 6am, shower and get ready. I have to be out the door by 7:20 to catch my bus.
What are you doing in that 1 hour 20 minutes it takes you to get ready in the morning? If you're so pressed for time I'd really recommend making some changes here. Take a 5 minute shower, pack breakfast to eat on the bus (that's the nice thing if you're not driving, you can eat something) which is another 5 minutes, 5 minutes to get dressed and another 5 for hair and make-up. You could be out the door in 20 minutes (i'm a girl, I can do it to, so no complaining about how hard it is to do make-up in 5minutes). This would save you an hour per day! Also, since your waiting on the bus get in some squats and lunges, nothing to heavy as you don't want to get sweaty, but just do some. If you walk in your 15 minute breaks that should be enough exercise really, especially if you make sure it's a brisk pace. Of course you could do more with more time, but for now that's good enough.
Take half an hour that you saved in the morning to prepare some healthier food, for two days at once.
But really, get that 1 hour 20 minutes under control in the morning, that's a major time drain that you don't need!0 -
I work fulltime (50+ hours/week), am in grad school parttime, and have a two-year-old. I get it. I wake up at 3:40 every day to work out. You have to sacrifice something, and for me it's sleep. I average about 5.5 hours/night and it sucks, but I do it.0
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I work 60 -72 hrs a week right now, and have for years. I work out every day, and eat as healthy as I can.It can be done, you just have to commit to it, and do it. Even when you don't really want to, or feel like it. It can be a PITA, but it is worth it!!
I leave my house at 1:30 am, and get back in home around 4:30pm almost daily. I work 12 hrs days, and still manage to get a good workout in.
You can do it !! just commit to it!0 -
I'm in the same boat. I have to get up at 4:30 in order to get a quick 30 min workout, then shower and ready for work 5 to 5:30. two kids ages 5 and 3, they have to get up at 5:30 and ready so they can eat breakfast and be out the door by 6:15. when it's nice outside, I work on my 30 min lunch break, and eat my sandwich at my desk. I pack every day. salad, sandwich, carrots, etc.
I get home from work at 5:15, make dinner for the family, do dishes, laundry, take care of 3 dogs, 5 cats and a bunny, get kids shower, and ready for bed by 8pm and then off to work again. thankfully I"m lucky enough that my 2nd job I work from home. but I work from 8-11 most nights. weekends I work at least one job sometimes two.
but the only way I can manage it all, is if I get my butt out of bed at 4:30 and get that 30 min exercise in. and then on my lunch break at work. it's the only way. sad to say, but I had to give up some sleep. I"m averaging 5 1/2hrs a night.
another idea, when I go to bathroom at work. I'll do squats or pushups on the sink for a min. just gets your heart rate up for a little bit while sitting at my desk. not sure if it helps, but it makes me feel like I'm putting more effort in. LOL0 -
Definitely make use of your morning - I do a 20 min DVD workout before breakfast. Even when I had two small children to get ready for a childminder I didn't spend more than 1 1/2 hours getting three of us ready (including packed lunches for all three). Stay on the bus for fewer stops - either get on later or get off earlier, walk around your buildings on your breaks, or up and down some stairs.
Did you know that many sandwiches freeze very well? I used to make up whole loaves of tuna mayo, chicken mayo etc. and just take a small box of salad to add in at lucnhtime. You can take the sandwich right out of the freezer and, unless its really hot, you won't need an ice pack even. Cook big pasta bakes/lasagnes, huge pots of soup etc and freeze in portions. Get a slow cooker (they're honestly not expensive), put it on in the morning and when you get home dinner is ready - make enough for several servings and freeze what you're not eating. Then in a very short time you'll have a freezer full of yummy home-cooked meals, and you can control serving size, calories, fat etc. While your washing is going round you could read a recipe book and/or make your grocery list so when you hit the store you already know what you want and won't be tempted by naughty things
I'm not saying its easy, its just about the planning. Time invested on your day off will give you those precious minutes on owrking days.:happy:0 -
I did not read all the other replies so I hope I'm not duplicating anything. With your busy schedule, my best advice is to use your one day off as a food prep day for the following week. Also, you may look into a different gym if you really want to be able to get some gym time in. Use your lunch breaks to fit in some exercise time too. Something is better than nothing! I too have 2 jobs and am a member at a gym that has limited hours so I have trouble fitting in the exercise as well. Some weeks, I only get there once or twice, but again, something is better than nothing. Good luck0
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Frozen dinners amount to someone else's leftovers - prepared food that just needs heating. If you would cook on your day off, you could make your own frozen dinners. I am having pulled pork today that was in the freezer from the crock pot. I often have chili - also usually frozen from a large batch. What I have quoted above IS just an excuse. With an hour's effort on your day off, you could prepare at least one week's worth of entrees. You can do it if you really want to.I never have time to cook, and I hate leftovers, to me they taste disgusting. So I usually end up with something that I can grab fast , like a frozen dinner. Which are horrible for you because of all the salt.
Im really not trying to make up excuses, but it feels like all I do is work, and Im so tired at the end of the day that I would rather sleep then try to push myself thru a workout and only half-*kitten* it.0 -
And this^ - very good advice.Definitely make use of your morning - I do a 20 min DVD workout before breakfast. Even when I had two small children to get ready for a childminder I didn't spend more than 1 1/2 hours getting three of us ready (including packed lunches for all three). Stay on the bus for fewer stops - either get on later or get off earlier, walk around your buildings on your breaks, or up and down some stairs.
Did you know that many sandwiches freeze very well? I used to make up whole loaves of tuna mayo, chicken mayo etc. and just take a small box of salad to add in at lucnhtime. You can take the sandwich right out of the freezer and, unless its really hot, you won't need an ice pack even. Cook big pasta bakes/lasagnes, huge pots of soup etc and freeze in portions. Get a slow cooker (they're honestly not expensive), put it on in the morning and when you get home dinner is ready - make enough for several servings and freeze what you're not eating. Then in a very short time you'll have a freezer full of yummy home-cooked meals, and you can control serving size, calories, fat etc. While your washing is going round you could read a recipe book and/or make your grocery list so when you hit the store you already know what you want and won't be tempted by naughty things
I'm not saying its easy, its just about the planning. Time invested on your day off will give you those precious minutes on owrking days.:happy:0 -
So here is my dilema. I work 2 jobs, putting in an average of at least 60 hours a week. I get up at 6am and sometimes I dont get home untill after 10pm . I usually only have 1 day off out of every 14. So my Question is, is it possible to eat healthy on a limited budget with next to zero time to prepare the food?? and when am I suppose to work out? The most common reply that I get to this question is " make the time". How??! I am far to exausted to workout in the mornings and usually in too much of a rush to anyways...and I really do not want to lose an hour of sleep in the mornings. My gym closes at 9, and I do not get off of work untill that time, I can workout at home, but then I am wide awake and even more exausted the next day because I couldnt fall asleep untill 2am. Its a vicious cycle. My one day off, is the only day that I have to do laundry and pick up some groceries, and run any arrands that I cant do during the week. How is it possible to "Make" or "find" the time to workout?
Is there anyone in the same situation as me? What do you do?
And trust me if I could afford to keep a roof over my head I would get rid of the second job. But I cant so that's not an option.
60 hours b/w 2 jobs? Try one job 60+ hours. I'm up at 5 and don't stop till 10pm, if you want it you do it.0 -
Yes I work two jobs and go to college. It is possible, you have to stop waiting for the right time and just do it. Get up earlier go to bed a little later whatever it takes to just get it in even if it is 20 minutes you just gotta do it. A one hour workout is only 4% of your day you just gotta do it
even if it is only 20 minutes a few times a week it is infinitely better than nothing. Eat clean and really go for it during those 20 minutes, those are the moments that bring on change. 0 -
i work 84 hours a week and workout an hour and ten minutes 6 days a week...so, yep. no excuses0
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I do it;-) It is a choice to work in your time,what is important.;-) Mark it as an appointment for yourself;-) For me it helps keep me going. Good luck;-)0
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I did it as a single mom when I worked 90hrs a wk and literally didn't sleep on Sundays. It needs to be the ultimate priority.0
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Everything in here is amazing advice that I might even start using! There is always time to be healthy and squeeze in exercise even at the office. I hope you are able to use some of these great suggestions, it will help with your energy levels once you are eating better and you start to shed some of those lbs. Good luck! 0
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Do you have a slow cooker? Throw some boneless skinless chicken breasts in there, take 5 minutes to cube it or shred them, and you've got that to throw into easy meals(salad, stir fry) and to munch on just the chicken for an easy high protein snack.
Also, while working out for 30 minutes at a time would be better, getting 3 -10 minute workouts in throughout the day would be better than nothing and easier to work in. If you're on Pinterest, there's tons of short workout on there for busy people.0
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