Stupid working hours and workouts

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passenger79
passenger79 Posts: 257 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know that I don't need to exercise but it has definitely helped me create bigger deficit /eat more and feel good .
Problem is I recently increased my hours ,I am still working until 6:30 pm but now get up at 5:30 to start by 6:30 am .

I study for degree ,3rd year starts in October and have a young kid ,also starting another diploma course I'll be doing on the weekends soon.

So life is busy but so far I 've managed but 5:30 am starts are killing me,I'm not a morning person in the slightest but I thought I'll get used to it by now ,just over a month in but nope.

I just feel tired all the time and by the time I finish work I got paperwork to do so "me " time doesn't really happen until 8:30,9pm and by that time I'm ready to faceplant the bed .

How do I get around this ?/Please dont tell me to get up at 4 am because I'd rather die .

I got used to workout 3-5x a week now I barely manage one or two and I feel rubbish for it .

Do I a) suck it up and do it same frequency
b) workout on weekends when I had some rest
c)chuck it all in and stay fat.

Ok c is not really an option .Also I have Bipolar so I get my ups and downs but generally I really enjoy working out no matter how I feel .

Any advice is appreciated

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Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    What are your goals? Weight loss is about calorie deficit, not exercise.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    i work 2 jobs and work out at 9pm because i am not a morning person at this time in my life.
    i have been the 430am person. but i find work suffers
  • passenger79
    passenger79 Posts: 257 Member
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    I know its all about calorie deficit that's literally the first thing I said lol .I was saying that I ve been struggling to exercise as much as I used to ,my goals are to get fitter ,lose my weight easier with bigger deficit( who doesn't want to be able to eat more ) and just generally feel good .
  • passenger79
    passenger79 Posts: 257 Member
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    mbaker566 wrote: »
    i work 2 jobs and work out at 9pm because i am not a morning person at this time in my life.
    i have been the 430am person. but i find work suffers

    Can I ask how many workouts a week do you manage ?
    I used to run couple of times a week,do weights 2x a week and yoga almost daily .
  • mountainmare
    mountainmare Posts: 294 Member
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    With that work schedule and caring for a child and going to school you have a very busy life. Will the work slow down in the future? If so I would just go home-do some at home exercise, youtube for weights or other exercises and keep a little yoga for your head and on weekends play outside with your kid. I feel tired just reading your schedule. If work tapers off then you can see if you have more time.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,900 Member
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    Daily exercise is critical for my mental health so I make the time. I would prefer to do it before work, but that doesn't work with my schedule anymore, so I do it at lunch and at night. (I rarely feel like it at night and have to force myself to start.)

    How much of your schedule is optional? You said you increased your hours at work - was that mandatory?

    You seem over-scheduled now, and sounds like it's just going to get worse. How much of this is a choice?

    How old is your child? Can you be active while spending time with them?
  • passenger79
    passenger79 Posts: 257 Member
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    Thanks everyone ,yep that's my Bipolar trait I want to be a superhero and get pissed when I burn myself out and crash ...which does happen
    I have been told by MH nurse to cut down on my hours and not take on much but I chose to ignore it because ,well I ve always worked hard and not giving a 100 percent makes me feel like Im weak and lazy .

    I just miss regular workout routines and feeling I am doing something good for myself .Course I will be starting in September has nothing to do with my current job and its basically learning a new skill so I can start a business /2nd job and work in the evenings and on the weekends for extra cash .

    With my job I dont get regular breaks but often hit 10.000 steps a day and it can be hectic .

    Maybe I should stick with weekends and couple of really good workouts would still be better then nothing .
  • passenger79
    passenger79 Posts: 257 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    What's more important? A little extra cash or your quality of life and being able to spend time with your child?

    I think you should drop the September class for now. Especially since that sounds like it is in addition to the degree program you are already in.

    Im doing all this so I can provide more for her O have no family in UK and Im raising her by myself .

    Yes it would be in addition ,side job if there's enough interest .

    You make good points though I know .
  • mkculs
    mkculs Posts: 316 Member
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    Honestly, see if you can find a different way to earn cash — but cut back the hours now.

    When I got divorced, I found ways to increase income that didn’t require more work hours away from my kids and allow time to workout. The simplest of these was renting a room to a tenant. I was very careful to interview and do background checks bc of my kids. But it worked great—a few hundred dollars extra a month. I put one of my kids in my bedroom to free up the space in an otherwise small apartment.

    Maybe you can find some way to earn more without increasing your work hours—heck, maybe ask for a small raise. But I think your MH and physical health are too important to persist in what you are doing. So even if you can’t immediately find another solution, cut back those hours.

    Good luck, whatever you decide.
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
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    When I was in school, for a while I had class, clinical rotations at hospitals, + a night/ weekend job at another hospital - it was a 8-9 day per week schedule. I kept the workouts simple, squat/ OH press or a bench/ deadlift , I kept the volume low/ moderate & weights moderate/heavy. My concern was to keep my strength & not wear myself out & need a lot of recovery. I couldn't afford the time for rest & recovery
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,900 Member
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    mkculs wrote: »
    Honestly, see if you can find a different way to earn cash — but cut back the hours now.

    When I got divorced, I found ways to increase income that didn’t require more work hours away from my kids and allow time to workout. The simplest of these was renting a room to a tenant. I was very careful to interview and do background checks bc of my kids. But it worked great—a few hundred dollars extra a month. I put one of my kids in my bedroom to free up the space in an otherwise small apartment.

    Maybe you can find some way to earn more without increasing your work hours—heck, maybe ask for a small raise. But I think your MH and physical health are too important to persist in what you are doing. So even if you can’t immediately find another solution, cut back those hours.

    Good luck, whatever you decide.

    Yes, some years back there were big medical expenses in my family and I asked my employer if I could go back on hourly b/c I thought I could make more money than on salary and they gave me a raise instead :)
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I totally understand wanting to keep up your workouts because they help you feel better. Can you try to get in some walks with the kiddo after work, and do a short 20-30 min workout at home a couple times a week and a longer one on weekends?

    Give some more thought to taking the advice of your MH nurse. You've added work hours, so maybe something else needs to be taken off your plate to compensate. It sounds like you can cut back somewhere in your life, like the extra class, and still give 100 % to everything. Giving 110% to too many things sometimes ends up that we can only really give 80% to anything because we're never at our best.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    @mkculs luckily my second job is at a yoga studio, so i manage about 5 hours of aerial yoga a week. i run at least a mile a day. some days more than a mile, some days run walk a mile. what's nice is i can include my dogs in that and maybe with a stroller you can include your munchkin. if you are at a park, maybe use the play gym to do tricep dips, angled push ups and that sort of thing.
    i run right when i get home. immediately, change my clothes and go do it. no matter the time of night. i do not sit down, i do not look at my phone or do other chores. because any excuse not to, i will take advantage of it.

    if my second job was not active, i would and have take active breaks with quick walks and stairs, and do bodyweight work when and where i can

  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    Would it be possible to get in a 10 min brisk walk or jog right when you get up, and then another at lunch? Maybe some body weight exercises right after work? A total of 30 min daily, but broken up to fit your schedule. You can always add more if you have time on the weekend.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    When I was in graduate school I also was extremely busy. Since you walk a lot, 10,000 steps, you could do what I did, which was to wake up and work out for 20 min. I chose to buy a cheap little rowing machine although now I’d get a small stationary bike. You can get a good workout 3 days a week if you push it.
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
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    fiddletime wrote: »
    When I was in graduate school I also was extremely busy. Since you walk a lot, 10,000 steps, you could do what I did, which was to wake up and work out for 20 min. I chose to buy a cheap little rowing machine although now I’d get a small stationary bike. You can get a good workout 3 days a week if you push it.

    I do 10 mins of rowing and I feel like I'm dieing and that is with breaks; I go at the vigorous row rate according to myfitnesspal! It definitely exercises most of the body. 20 mins would definitely be a good workout.

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