Is it possible to work 2 jobs and be healthy??

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!! :P

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 x

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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.

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. LOL