Retail health

I've been in those shoes and with a whacky schedule and all those hours it's hard to be motivated to do anything after work! I'm not sure how much running around you do at your store. I'm guessing it's a lot. But maybe you could find ways to tweak how much activity you're getting while at work? We used to go out to into the mall to just walk around sometimes if there was a manager or lead to cover the break. Maybe sneak into your office from time to time and do a few jumping jacks? If you're not sure how active you are, get a pedometer to record your steps. Then, maybe you can get a ballpark guess about your activity level and set your calories accordingly? Otherwise and the poster above me said, try something on your days off that's both enjoyable and active such as a nice walk.

That's the average number of steps I get in a day (although I consider myself only lightly active, as I have an office job). Pay attention to whether you continue to be exhausted--you need to be fueling your body appropriately for a higher level of exercise, and you also need some time to rest so you are not constantly driving yourself. You just really have to play around till you reach a point where you are satiated, energized, AND meeting your calorie and nutritional goals.

Especially for lifting, make sure you are progressing on the weights (bumping them up as you master a smaller weight for a particular lift) and make sure you are getting adequate protein, generally recommended as .8 g per bodyweight. You haven't said much about your nutritional goals, but in general you also need to ensure you are getting a minimal amount of fat. One of the very best things I have done health-wise is ensuring that I get 7+ servings of fruit and veg every day, ideally 10+ servings. You may already know all of this but it is worth repeating.

Nutrition wise, as long as you don’t have any special needs or intolerances, it is hard to go wrong with lean proteins like chicken breast, fish, pork tenderloin, etc., whole grains like oatmeal, eggs and dairy like greek yogurt or cottage cheese, and plenty of fruit and veg (as stated above, 7+ servings). You need to experiment with what makes you full, which you will learn over time as you log. Protein, fat and/or fiber are very satiating to many people. For me, I am completely full on a grilled chicken breast, a heaping serving of romaine, and some balsamic vinaigrette. Since I am highly active I also manage to fit in plenty of carbs, including sugar, but while it is great for fueling a workout carbs don’t keep me that full. It’s just a matter of listening to your body, tightening up your habits a little at a time, and not beating yourself up if you don’t hit your goals on a particular day. Just try to hit them on most days. Do you have a particular calorie goal you are aiming for?

If you are stressed, something else you might consider as an activity is yoga. It won’t be a huge calorie burn unless you do the very aggressive types, but it can be very calming while burning enough calories to fit in a Greek yogurt and some honey. I have been very stressed recently and doing some yoga and breathing helps me a lot. Of course, so does a good round of deadlifts.