Work Makes Exercising A Really Hard Challenge

tsilfavan10001
tsilfavan10001 Posts: 1 Member
edited May 2018 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi guys! So, I know how important exercising is and all that, but somehow, no matter how hard I try, work makes exercising a really difficult task because of my very tight schedule. However, I do really wish to maintain my weight now (146 lbs). So I just wanted to ask you guys if you think doing a simple 5 minutes home workout everyday would work? And/Or if you guys have any other recommendations that could maybe potentially solve my problem? (PS: I'm an endomorph by the way which means I'm naturally the heavy type of body type with a slow metabolism.)

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    tsilfavan10001 wrote: »
    (PS: I'm an endomorph by the way which means I'm naturally the heavy type of body type with a slow metabolism.)

    ^^^^^ No somatotypes are twaddle and don't let it become an excuse. Heavy is a choice and unless you have had your metabolism tested it's unlikely yours is significantly different. ^^^^^


    You can maintain weight without any exercise.
    But for health yes you should exercise and five minutes a day, although better than nothing, is far too little. Make health a priority, schedule the time just like you schedule other important aspects of your life.



  • tirowow12385
    tirowow12385 Posts: 697 Member
    edited May 2018
    Got off from work (8 hours), went to exercise, 5 miles of walking and jogging and I'm overweight (184 lbs). I do it because I like running but it seems you just want to maintain your weight, you could probably do that without exercises.
  • Styggian
    Styggian Posts: 465 Member
    Maybe the thought of 'exercise' is putting you off, is there any home projects you can do that requires physical activity gardening, DIY or a hobby like dancing, sailing anything that you actually enjoy doing. The usual advice is try to do an extra 90 mins of activity 3 times a week on top of your normal routine.

    I started by cleaning and decorating :) Good luck
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    If you can't fit in formal exercise, look at upping your daily activity.

    Here is a thread with tons of suggestions.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    Also, look for 10-15min workouts that you can do on you tube. I like nerdfitness and HasFit, but there are many more options.

    You don't need to exercise, but as posted above, your health will benefit from doing some. Just remember to eat those extra calories back so you keep maintaining your weight.

    Cheers, h.
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    edited May 2018
    Workout in the morning. I never thought I'd be a morning workout type of person, but after a couple weeks of starting it last fall it's become a habit to get up an hour earlier. Doing it first thing in the morning eliminates the chance of skipping due to "not feeling it" or "unforeseen circumstances". Now I'm to the point where I feel like crap if I don't get a workout in. Now that the weather's warmed up, I bike commute and add 7 extra miles to my ride in to work vs going to the gym. I weight train in the afternoons several days per week. If I have to postpone a weight session, I don't get too down about it because I've already gotten a workout in that day. If weight training is your priority, you can do that in the morning and do your cardio in the afternoons as time permits.
  • ChelzFit
    ChelzFit Posts: 292 Member
    I love to exercise and right now I currently get up at 4:45 four days a week to work out for an hour. The other three days I walk. Now, I am only working part-time so I have the afternoon to clean the house, do laundry, prepare dinner and spend time with my little ones. Next year I am going back to work full time as a kindergarten teacher. I really worry if I am going to have enough energy to still get up early to work out, make it through my day with 25 5 year olds, come home and parent a 3 year old and 4 year old plus grad work. I'm comfortable right now with my weight and love the fact that my workouts allow me an extra 400 cals a day. Just worry if I can take it all on.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    You can still maintain your weight without exercise if you keep monitoring your calorie intake and keep it where it needs to be. 5 minutes is better than nothing. You can also explore hobbies that are Active or just doing little things throughout the day to increase your activity. I work full time and I go to the gym directly after work. I keep my workouts short (30 min) because I am very busy and want to get home to my family, make dinner etc. in another season of life maybe I will workout longer but this works for now.
  • elothen
    elothen Posts: 155 Member
    Yeah, I just started back to the gym this week and it's tough fitting it in but sooo worth it! You can totally maintain your weight based on diet, in fact that's the key factor. But a huge part of your total health picture is exercise. I really believe that 20 min/day 5 days/wk is the bare minimum and you should make whatever the necessary changes are to accommodate that. This is about your health, the length of your life, and more importantly the quality of that life.
  • Annalee82_
    Annalee82_ Posts: 320 Member
    elothen wrote: »
    Yeah, I just started back to the gym this week and it's tough fitting it in but sooo worth it! You can totally maintain your weight based on diet, in fact that's the key factor. But a huge part of your total health picture is exercise. I really believe that 20 min/day 5 days/wk is the bare minimum and you should make whatever the necessary changes are to accommodate that. This is about your health, the length of your life, and more importantly the quality of that life.

    I agree with this. You should definitely try to devote more of your time than 5 minutes a day to exercise. Not to just maintain your weight, but for the other health benefits not to mention the mental benefits that can come along with it.

    Do you get breaks at work that you could fit in an exercise? Maybe something as simple as taking a walk. The time doesn't need to be all at once.
  • ITUSGirl51
    ITUSGirl51 Posts: 191 Member
    Just add more activity to your normal day. Make effort to move more. Park further away, go to the bathroom at work further away, take the stairs when available. I go to the restroom one flight down and when I take a 10 min break, I walk. I go to the gym during my lunch break. It’s light out late now, so I take a 20 min walk when I get home if I didn’t get to the gym at lunch. These are all things I do to boost my “metabolism” and help maintain my weight.
  • MadisonMolly2017
    MadisonMolly2017 Posts: 11,152 Member
    Perhaps an exercise bike in front of the TV. Just 5 minutes! (And soon you’ll be saying “Oh I’ll just ride through this commercial...well okay till the next commercial...)

    Recommendation is 150 minutes a week, so 5 minutes M-F leaves you with 125 minutes for the week or 2 one-hour walks, bike rides, etc. in the beginning I broke these into 20-30 min chunks 2-3 times per day.

    Exercise helps your heart health, which is the number one killer.
    Exercise is what raises your HDL or “good” cholesterol
    Exercise helps your circulation getting nutrients to your cells so them can build new cells, heal your body, etc.
    Exercise lowers your blood pressure
    Exercise burns blood glucose, lowering chances of diabetes - simply a vile disease.

    One idea is a 5-10 minute stroll after most meals.

    Good luck to you! You CAN do this. A step tracker can be VERY motivating!!

    Beginning is the hardest part because it hurts but after you’ve done it awhile you can do MORE Painfree. REALLY!!
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    tsilfavan10001 wrote: »
    (PS: I'm an endomorph by the way which means I'm naturally the heavy type of body type with a slow metabolism.)

    ^^^^^ No somatotypes are twaddle and don't let it become an excuse. Heavy is a choice and unless you have had your metabolism tested it's unlikely yours is significantly different. ^^^^^


    You can maintain weight without any exercise.
    But for health yes you should exercise and five minutes a day, although better than nothing, is far too little. Make health a priority, schedule the time just like you schedule other important aspects of your life.



    All of this.
    Most people can find a way to fit more than 5 minutes of activity into their day. It doesn't mean you have to go to the gym, or run, or do typical "exercise" things if you don't want to. As mentioned, walking, dancing, gardening, cycling to work instead of taking the bus...all these things count so just find something you enjoy.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    edited May 2018
    Exercise for 45 minutes to one hour on your two days off...and try to find one or two other days where you can do 20- to 30 minutes. You could start with you 5 minutes ..and most likely you'll get hooked and find adding time easy. Exercise gets addictive...espeically if you find something fun. Speaking of that.. it is a beautiful morninghere..and i can't wait to go for my hour nature walk. I do it most every day now..when i first started i working at doing it 3 days a week.
  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    Weight is mainly about what you eat or do not eat.
    Exercise is about health.
    5 min a day is better then nothing but you won't burn significantly calories. Skipping 100 calo a day is easier then burning 100
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
    You can maintain without exercise.

    I think the choice to exercise is about prioritization. I could easily make the excuse that I'm too busy doing whatever else and don't have time. I made an effort recently to stop saying "I don't have time" and started saying "it's not a priority" and that really changed my mind set, especially about exercise.

    I work full time so to get exercise during the day I walk on my breaks either around the building or when it's nice out I go outside. I walk mostly with a co-worker so it's our chance to get outside and chat without taking up my work time.
    I have dogs and I made walking them a priority. They get a walk every day 1 - 2 miles during the week and 4-5 miles on the weekend. It helps me get out and get in exercise.
    I found an exercise I love doing and I set myself a schedule to do it and I stick to it even when I don't want.

    It really is about prioritization and maybe it's not a priority to you right now, and that's fine, you can maintain your weight without exercise you'll just have to be more careful about watching your intake.

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