Finding time to go to the gym

Can you go before work or at your lunch break?

I used to have the same excuse. I just had to decide that it was a priority, and I started going directly after work before I came home. Just like grocery shopping, working, cooking dinner, etc. So is maintaining my health by working out. There were days I couldn't make it to the gym because of other things that were higher on the priority list, and when that happened I just picked it back up the next day and didn't beat myself up over it. Another option would be getting up and going in the mornings before work. Here recently I decided to invest in a home gym so now I can just go down to my basement which makes it a lot easier.

I do not know your situation and I certainly don't want you to feel guilty about what you choose to prioritize, but that's what it ultimately comes down to. When I worked in corporate wellness I routinely heard people say that they "don't have time to workout". The reason people "don't have time" for anything is because they are not making it a priority. Plain and simple, if you don't make something a high priority you won't make time for it. This is of course much easier said than done but it is the harsh truth. I have a paper I have wanted to get published for about a year and a half and I could certainly watch 20-30min. less tv each night and work on that paper but I don't because I haven't made it a priority. I'm sure if you thought hard about what you do in your leisure time you could find an hour or so of time that you spend and less beneficial habits and swap it out for gym time. I know plenty of people that could easily spend less time on their phones scrolling the social media outlet of their choosing and instead get a workout in, or read a book. To cut down on time you could do some simple cardio and bodyweight movements at home, at least until you have successfully made working out a new habit/priority. Make it easy for yourself to workout and it will be easier to prioritize.

It depends how badly you want it. If you want it bad enough, you will find time.

Do you have fixed working hours? Kids you need to get to school before going to work etc? I used to work 9 to 5 and didn’t go to the gym on work days (part-time worker here), then switched to working 8 to 4 and going to the gym straight from work. That way I’m done with the gym at 5, and I can come home and start my evening the same time I would normally do.

this is me, too. or has been. i really, really love my job -- too much, maybe? i lost my sense of balance. i'm technically 8-4, but i rarely leave before 8 and i have an hourlong commute. by the time i get home, it's 9 or 9:30, sometimes 10-- and if i want to be able to work out, shower, cook/eat/cleanup etc, it pushes my bedtime further and further back. i don't fall sleep easily (lifetime insomniac here), and lack of sleep was starting to feel noticeable (affected my memory, my mood, etc) so a few years ago i had to undergo some pretty heavy sleep training and i had to prioritize sleep and manage work, working out or eating around it... and a girl's gotta pay her bills and eat.

now i have a handle on sleep MOST of the time, and enough seniority at work that i have a big enough team where i can delegate a little more of what i was doing before. i CAN leave before 8, now. so i just. need. to. do. it.

when i was working w/ a trainer, it was easier-- if i'm late, session sucks or is cancelled w/o a refund (ouch). but trainers aren't in my budget this year, so....


i just need to leave work on time. or close to on time. or like... by 6. if i can leave by 6, i can work out and not mess up my sleep schedule. i just need to do it. someone help me do it. ugh.

Do you have time for diarrhea? Before you scroll down and read the next message, think about it. If you were at work, or at home with your family, cooking dinner, or out at a movie, in a restaurant, anywhere at all.... and the cramping and churning started.... would you make time for it? Or would you say, "I'm too busy?"

I don't remember where I heard this, but I do remember how the question made me think about how we make time (or don't make time) for things that are important to us. I can't speak for anyone else, but saying "No" to diarrhea is not an option. It's just one of those things I will always make time for... no matter where I am, who I'm with, or what I'm doing.

I'm grateful for your post today about 'finding time'. I've been sitting too comfortably in the 'don't have time' chair for a while and needed this wake-up call.

You don't have to be at the gym to lose weight.

tirowow12385 wrote: »

You don't have to be at the gym to lose weight.

This is very true. For me, going to the gym or going for a walk keeps me away from the refrigerator. Out of sight, out of mind.