Help!! Workaholic workout advice?!

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brittaney10811
brittaney10811 Posts: 588 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
ok, so .... at my job, my hours were bumped from 5 days at 40 hours a week, to 7 days at 70 hours a week! I work 7am-5:30pm, ((sometimes later than that)) and I am DEAD tired by the time i leave! I have a habbit of getting home and seeing my beautifuly comfortable couch calling my name, and i plop down and relax for a couple hours, and get to bed by 8 or 9 because i definitely need my sleep in order to even be able to function every day.... so my eating has been HORRIBLE ... and i mean .... HORR-I-BLE!!! (( i.e. pizza, breadsticks and chicken lo mein )) .... i even bought a cappuccino this morning because i'm dragging like crazy.

so i KNOW i need to get back on the healthy track... eat better, (which i know will in turn give me better energy, i just need to suck it up and go to the store, lol) and i really do want to work out.... which is rare, so now i feel like i'm missing out. I have a wedding coming in 2 months!!

i was just wondering .... to those who are "work a holics" like me .... how do you guys fit in exercise?!?!

Replies

  • sgs0342
    sgs0342 Posts: 1
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    I know for me trying to get in 30 mins of exercise in a day seemed impossible! I received some good advice that the 30 mins doesn't have to be 30 consecutive minutes. Even you can even get away for 10 minutes or take a longer route to your destination that maybe adds 5 minutes you can add these all up to make the 30 minutes a day. This is the only way I've been able to do it.
  • ETsambouris
    ETsambouris Posts: 51
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    There are some great 10 minute workout DVDs out there ( I have 3 :D) You can do 1 or several whenever you have time. They are more intense, but when you are pressed for time, 10 minutes goes a long way.
  • Jennra
    Jennra Posts: 43 Member
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    So if you are breaking it up into smaller time frames, does that mean that you are getting your heart rate up for those 5-10 min? I have a similar issue once school starts again - between my schedule and my daughter's schedule, I am on the run a lot and have a VERY hard time getting any exercise/eating healthy.
  • summalovaable
    summalovaable Posts: 287 Member
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    I wouldn't say i'm a work a holic, but i am definitly a gymaholic. But on the days that i am SUPER busy, i realize its quality over quanitity. 10-20 minutes of squats mountain climbers and push ups gets you WAY further than hours of cardio. If you have free weights at home its pretty manageable. I get all my work outs from body rock tv, but theres LOTS of different options out there!
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/03/10/angry-birds-workout-plan/

    Try this workout plan. It even describes how you can get the full workout in during your work day.

    Also, you surely have days off sometimes. Use those days to amp up your workouts a bit more than you can during the work week.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
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    with my work schedule and a family, I don't have a lot of time to work out either. I've read a lot about high intensity interval training (HIIT). its a great workout and you can do a HIIT in 15-30 minutes, 3 times a week, and reap some benefits. the basic concept of HIIT is that an interval consists of one segment of really high intensity work (i.e., 9 out of 10) and one segment of low intensity work...and then repeat. examples of HIIT that I do:

    1. sprint 10-15 seconds, walk back to starting point, repeat. 8-10 intervals of this will have your body burning fat.

    2. jog 1 minute, sprint 10-15 seconds, repeat. do as many intervals of this as you can. at some point, the jogging becomes walking for me.

    3. sprint 10-20 seconds, do a bodyweight exercise (i.e., push-up, hip raise, kong, spiderman push-up, lunge, squat, etc....you can find a lot of them on youtube)...then rest 20-30 seconds...then repeat and do a different bodyweight exercise.

    NOTES: if you're going to do any HIIT, especially with sprinting, warm-up for a few minutes first. stretch your hamstrings, hips and calves especially (and stretch your upper body a bit when doing bodyweight exercises). after stretching, I usually walk the length of one sprint and then do some knee raises on the way back to finish the warm-up.

    depending on your fitness level, you might want to start with a jog/walk interval instead of sprinting. work up to sprinting.

    also, you can do HIIT with biking (either stationary bike or road bike) or with swimming. the key is to go really hard for one segment, and then reduce the intensity for the next part of the interval, and repeat.
  • ETsambouris
    ETsambouris Posts: 51
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    You have to look for very intense 10 minute workout DVDs to make sure you get that heart rate up! There are some out there that do not do the trick! I have found the dance ones great!
  • missphoenix
    missphoenix Posts: 67
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    I also work long hours, I don't normally get home until 8pm. I have started running 3 times a week for 30mins. I also have a few healthy ready meals that I can put in the oven (that take 30mins to cook), so by the time I get back from my run my food is ready. At least with running you don't have to drive to a gym or a class but it gets you outside and it's a quick but effective workout. I am following the C25K beginner running program.
  • beginnerrunner
    beginnerrunner Posts: 4 Member
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    My days are pretty long too, by the time I do my hour long drive home every day. That couch is always calling me too when I get home! It is all about habits though. If you are not a morning person, like me, and can not seem to get that work out done before work in the morning; try doing it as soon as you get home. I don't even look at that couch and get changed into to work out clothes, get right to working out. Eventually, it will be a habit and it will be what you do every day, just like laying on that couch. And, you are right, once you change what you are eating, your energy will be higher. You can do it! Good luck to you!
  • HeatherNordlund
    HeatherNordlund Posts: 3
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    I am also a workaholic like you! I put about 12 hours a day in 6-7 days a week and well what's helping me is hiring a personal trainer 2 times a week and heading to the gym right after work at least 4 times a week.. I know it sucks big time I just wanna go home plop on the couch and relax so instead of heading home like I want to I make myself tried as hell go directly to the gym work out for at least 20 minutes on an elliptical going fast 1 minute slow 1 minute alternating the entire 20 minutes and on the 2 days when my trainer is there she kicks my butt!! Then I go home shower and collapse!! I don't have the discipline to do it on my own and need to have someone in my face holding me accountable!! Well I am 3 weeks into it and already seeing some results! I am also instead of drinking cappuccino's drinking Monster Energy Zero sugar zero calories and adding Abbott Zone Perfect all natural nutrition bars around 200 calories each when I have a sweet craving! Wishing you the best!!
  • SetecAstronomy
    SetecAstronomy Posts: 470 Member
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    I guess it depends on WHEN you work. My schedule is 8-4:30, 5 days a week. I tend to have more energy in the morning, so I get up early (I mean EARLY...) to get on the treadmill for a 35-45 minute workout. Then I continue my routine of preparing for the day when I get home. Like you, I don't feel like going back out after getting home from work (and I work considerably less hours than you do). So I just personally find it easier to do it in the morning (that's what SHE said!) and get it out of the way.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
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    Here's a better question: why are you working so much? Can you just tell your employer to hire a new person?
  • scarletleavy
    scarletleavy Posts: 841 Member
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    I work all the time as well and what helped me in the beginning was Bodyrock.tv. The workouts there are super short and super intense. Most of them are about 12 minutes long, some shorter and some of the time challenges can be longer depending on how long you personally take to do all the exercises.
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
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    I get up before the sun 4-5 times a week, including weekends, to get my workouts in as scheduled. I find that having time to decompress at night is worth much more than the extra hour of sleep in the morning.

    For the short term, making it fit and running your butt off is alright, but in the long term you need to make some sacrifices. You can't be working those kids of hours and still expecting to make everything fit, including regular fitness, healthy eating, a social/love/family life and proper sleep and rest. I'm definitely struggling with this balance right now. Good luck :ohwell:
  • brittaney10811
    brittaney10811 Posts: 588 Member
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    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/03/10/angry-birds-workout-plan/

    Also, you surely have days off sometimes. Use those days to amp up your workouts a bit more than you can during the work week.

    right now i'm running 27 days straight of work.... that's not the "norm" for the entire year, but it does happen every few months
  • brittaney10811
    brittaney10811 Posts: 588 Member
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    Here's a better question: why are you working so much? Can you just tell your employer to hire a new person?

    lol, actually, i AM the new person... i am an intern and vying for a permanent spot, so the last thing i am going to do is refuse any hours :/
  • ZonePerfect
    ZonePerfect Posts: 17
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    HeatherNordlund, we're happy to hear you're a ZonePerfect fan! Sounds like you have a very busy schedule. Thanks for the reco! ~Brittany @ZonePerfect

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