Fitting in workouts

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JKolb72
JKolb72 Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
First a little about me: current 5'6" 170 lbs. goal is to get to 130 lbs. I am a single working mother. I drive 1 hour one way (2 hours a day) to/from work. I live in the country and garden, have a huge yard and help out on a ranch during the weekends. During the weekdays I wake very early to get me and my son off to school/work. When I get home it's a rush to get dinner and get the things done I need to get done before I crash in bed exhausted. I work at a desk and don't get really any time away from the desk. I have invested in a varidesk and have started doing exercises at my desk 2 times a day for about 15 minutes. I feel this isn't enough exercise but I just don't know when/how I can fit in other exercise. I have adjusted my diet and am curious as to how other folks like me fit in a workout.

Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    MAKE time.


    I know it sounds like a non-helpful piece of advice, but if you make it a priority it will get done.

    If you have a smart phone, download the "freeletics" app. You can easily squeeze in a 10-20 minute workout that can be done without any additional equipment.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
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    Although I'm not a mother, I do have a very busy day and used to question constantly how all of these fitness people have time to hold a full-time job while also maintaining an excellent fitness routine. It's all about making fitness a priority. And nutrition (which takes time when you're properly prepping, etc.)

    I have a total of a 3-hour commute to work (sometimes more, pending traffic) spend 8-hours in the office, about 90-minutes in the gym per day and then go home to make dinner for my family, clean the house (which is uber stressful right now because it has to be 100% clean at all times since we are in the process of selling) and still attempt to get some "me-time." Most days, I get to the gym in the morning. I wake up early, because I value the short amount of time that I get to spend with my family after work way too much to have a fitness regimen cut into that. If I know my S.O. will be away in the evening, I make sure that I spend time with him in the AM and go to the gym in the PM. It's hard to prioritize, and oftentimes I have my family requesting more time with me because I have a habit of cancelling plans/not going out just so that I can get to the gym. After you start seeing results, the motivation to be in the gym every free moment you have is much more significant.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    I walk 15 minutes on my morning and afternoon break, and 30 minutes on my lunch break. I also work on a multi-level building on the 4th floor, so I use the bathroom on the 1st floor and take the stairs every time. I get almost 12,000 steps per day - working a desk job!
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I am lucky in that I only need to drive 12 minutes to work. I do my workout early before the rest of the world gets up. I also thought it was silly to drive somewhere to run or workout so I run from my house and if going to the gym I run there and back. It just worked out for me and the kids are grown and gone so I don't need to work around that.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
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    Gardening is exercise. Taking care of the yard (and helping on a ranch!) are exercise. If you want to add more, I would suggest fun activities with your son on the weekends - hiking, swimming, playing soccer or other active games. Not all of us here have a planned workout program and many of us have never set foot in a gym.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    Spend time with your son being active. It doesn't have to be some dedicated, defined, exercise, but just being active. And on the weekends it sounds like you are already active doing ranch work.
  • JKolb72
    JKolb72 Posts: 15 Member
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    Thank you all for the great advice. I spend every minute I can with my son. Given the advice from you great folks, I am going to add additional activity during my day and incorporate a "walk and talk" session with my son after dinner. It will get us outside, exercising, and chatting about the day.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
    edited September 2016
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    geneticsteacher wrote: »
    Gardening is exercise. Taking care of the yard (and helping on a ranch!) are exercise. If you want to add more, I would suggest fun activities with your son on the weekends - hiking, swimming, playing soccer or other active games. Not all of us here have a planned workout program and many of us have never set foot in a gym.

    Agreed. My mother struggles to stay out of Underweight and the vast majority of her activity is from "non-purposeful" activity such as gardening, yardwork, house maintenance, etc.

    @JKolb72 I'm intrigued by your varidesk. Can you post a picture?

    I exercise at lunch and eat at my desk. I am more energetic and productive in the afternoons and evenings when I do this.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    I work a minimum 40hr per week and am a mom. I commute 3 days and work from home 2. For me Insanity Max30 works. Its a challenging work out that only takes 30 minutes. I do this on my break when working from home and while my son starts homework the other days.
  • ashjongfit
    ashjongfit Posts: 147 Member
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    I'm not as busy now (also a mom) but when I was I woke up earlier, or worked out while dinner was being cooked.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    JKolb72 wrote: »
    First a little about me: current 5'6" 170 lbs. goal is to get to 130 lbs. I am a single working mother. I drive 1 hour one way (2 hours a day) to/from work. I live in the country and garden, have a huge yard and help out on a ranch during the weekends. During the weekdays I wake very early to get me and my son off to school/work. When I get home it's a rush to get dinner and get the things done I need to get done before I crash in bed exhausted. I work at a desk and don't get really any time away from the desk. I have invested in a varidesk and have started doing exercises at my desk 2 times a day for about 15 minutes. I feel this isn't enough exercise but I just don't know when/how I can fit in other exercise. I have adjusted my diet and am curious as to how other folks like me fit in a workout.

    isn't that working out?
  • BexTheSquirrel
    BexTheSquirrel Posts: 37 Member
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    JKolb72 wrote: »
    First a little about me: current 5'6" 170 lbs. goal is to get to 130 lbs. I am a single working mother. I drive 1 hour one way (2 hours a day) to/from work. I live in the country and garden, have a huge yard and help out on a ranch during the weekends. During the weekdays I wake very early to get me and my son off to school/work. When I get home it's a rush to get dinner and get the things done I need to get done before I crash in bed exhausted. I work at a desk and don't get really any time away from the desk. I have invested in a varidesk and have started doing exercises at my desk 2 times a day for about 15 minutes. I feel this isn't enough exercise but I just don't know when/how I can fit in other exercise. I have adjusted my diet and am curious as to how other folks like me fit in a workout.

    Hey there! Single working mama with a monster commute and a bagillion things on my plate too. :) You've totally got this! You can do it!

    Some ideas for brainstorming for you:

    -Split your lunch break into a dedicated fast workout time and food break. Pinterest has a ton of work out inspo. that are 10-15 minutes long.

    - Cooking? Do some squats while you wait. Showering? Do another 10 minute workout prior. Bed time? Make sure you do some planks and yoga to wind down.
    -
    - Driving to and from work? Do seated ab flexes. (flex, crunch down a bit and hold). Google tells me there are also some arm exercises you can do while driving too. I am hesitant to do too many in the car, personally. Safety first! :)
    - My coworker has one of those underdesk elliptical things, and it's been super effective for her.
    -
    - Get your steps in and walk. You work on a ranch sometimes? I am sure you have a lot of physical activity options. That sounds like hard work and I am definitely a city girl who has no idea what that entails but... add some weights to it.

    - Is it feasible to ride your bike with the kids? My kid keeps me super busy and she loves bike riding so that has been fun for us.

    Cheers!
    ~Bex
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    I simply get out of bed an hour early to do my workouts. If you're not getting enough sleep as-is then that might not be an option. I also purchased (yes, they are expensive) a Bowflex M5 that has a 14 minute workout. Just don't believe all the hype, 14 minutes a day 3 days a week isn't anywhere enough for me, but I'm a pretty big guy. A 14 minute workout on the thing will burn between 200-250 calories, I can easily burn 250 on it but someone who hasn't used one as much or built up the endurance on it would be at the lower end of that burn for 14 minutes. But it's certainly a good workout for 14 minutes, probably the hardest thing I've ever done, and been doing it over a year now for 30 minutes at a time for a 500+ calorie burn. There are other machines out there that will do short HIIT workouts as well, so that's an option, albeit not a cheap one.
  • JKolb72
    JKolb72 Posts: 15 Member
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    What great advice, you guys rock! I do a lot of walking, lifting, etc on the ranch and in my garden/yard so there is a good amount of exercise there.

    After reading all of the replies I have more ideas to get a few minutes of exercise in here and there. I think sometimes I get in the mindset "all or nothing" and your advice helps me to see that "some" is just fine. Thank you all so much!

    Here is the varidesk I have.
  • mommamia30189
    mommamia30189 Posts: 82 Member
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    I just posted almost the same thing in another forum. Its hard to fit time in but i always make time for the gym. I work 8-5 plus my hour commute. By the time I get home from the gym its 8pm. I usually use my crock pot alot, and recently have started back going to the gym at 5am instead of after work. Its hard to do but i feel so much better when i make myself get up and do it. Then I have the night to spend with my kids and not worry about working out.

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