Work life balance

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cathrynjtaylor
cathrynjtaylor Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Have not exercised in the last three days through work and exhaustion. Anyone got any tips on balancing everything. Do you feel bad And try and make up when you’ve missed a day/days exercise or do you just carry on when you can As normal

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  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
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    cathrynjtaylor wrote: »
    Have not exercised in the last three days through work and exhaustion. Anyone got any tips on balancing everything. Do you feel bad And try and make up when you’ve missed a day/days exercise or do you just carry on when you can As normal

    I try to be gentle with myself on this journey. Eat bad for a day or two, that's OK, it's a long term project. Miss a workout, that's cool, there are going to be those days. Etc. I don't think being hard on myself and feeling bad helps anything and I really try to be positive and look forward. I remember back in April with coronavirus, after losing 72 pounds I regained 6 of them VERY quickly and I was really despondent that I was losing control and it was all going to fall apart, but then I regrouped, and from that I learned that dealing with setbacks is part of the game with this diet thing. You have to just roll with it. Fighting every minor reversal just makes you crazy.

    That said, I try really, really hard not to miss workouts. I think they are just so important to life, health, fitness, mindset, mood, everything. I would rather tough it out and get in a small workout than miss it, no matter how tired I was. Maybe you could just do some light 10 or 20 minute thing even when overworked, just to keep it going. Then this wouldn't even be an issue.
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
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    I agree with the others, workouts aren’t necessary for weight loss. However, I’m firmly in the same camp as lgfrie, it’s important to overall quality of life, and for me they are major mood boosters.

    It’s still hard to balance them with work. The key thing for me has been to make working out as easy and as routine as possible. In pre-covid times, I specifically chose a gym that’s directly on my commute route, right on top of the subway station where I switch from subway to bus on my way home from work. I pack my workout gear to work with me and then go on my way home. If someone told me I should leave home again at night after coming home from work? Nu-uh, once I’m home, I immediately switch to my lounging clothes and relax. There’s no leaving the house after that.

    During lockdown and full-time working from home, gym was closed and I definitely worked out less than would have been good for my physical and mental health, but what worked for me was that immediately after finishing work for the day I went for a walk. This allowed me to get some fresh air and exercise, faked a commute that allowed for a division between work and free time, and gave a break to stop work things crowding my mind all night.

    I’m currently experimenting with a hybrid model of part-time office work and working from home. I’m avoiding the after-work crowd at the gym, so I’m going to the gym in the middle of the workday during my working-from-home days as I’m lucky to work in such a flexible company where it’s completely fine.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    edited August 2020
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    I have an office job. I aim to get to work a little early in the morning (it helps that there is no school traffic on the roads at present) and walk for 20-30 minutes. I also aim to walk for 20-30 minutes at lunch. I have a kettle bell at work, that I can use during a few reasonable 5 minute breaks during the day.

    Walking/activity/exercise is for me and my own mental well-being. By fitting it in before/during my work day, my evening is free for making/having dinner and family time. Yet by having multiple time slots in my day for activity, if things come up and I 'miss' a session, its ok! I just do my best to keep the cycle going the next chance I get.

    This is how I find balance between family, work and me-time.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
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    I try very hard not to miss the gym. Missing the gym effects my schedule as well as my mood. I do much better when I stick to the schedule, things are less chaotic even though I'm doing more.

    I'm like a toddler, I do better when I have a routine and stick to it. Getting out of that routine makes my whole life feel chaotic. The gym is part of my schedule.
  • MeganD1704
    MeganD1704 Posts: 733 Member
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    I used to work 80 hours a week- this is partially why I am back here again.
    Towards the end of my time at that gig I'd make myself an alarm for just even a walk- I'd also meal prep.
    Its more the mental health side vs the actual workout. If you have time to workout on the weekend great- but if not- go for a walk, listen to a relaxing book or podcast and it helps prevent burnout.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,052 Member
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    2 thoughts:
    1) Sleep comes first. I tell myself I have no business exercising if I'm not getting enough sleep. Prioritize it!
    2) come up with 2 or 3 15-minute routines - maybe one HIIT, one or two strength workouts (e.g. upper body and core). Even the busiest people can find a way to tuck in a 15 min workout. NYT even has a 7 min HIIT routine. If you can, slip one in while your lunch cooks and another right after dinner. Maybe not ideal, but better than nothing.

    I totally agree about the mental wellness aspect. If you have success with short workouts, take it as a win.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
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    cathrynjtaylor wrote: »
    Have not exercised in the last three days through work and exhaustion. Anyone got any tips on balancing everything. Do you feel bad And try and make up when you’ve missed a day/days exercise or do you just carry on when you can As normal

    I was a more productive employee when I exercised, so I made it a priority.

    Sometimes it was difficult to break away for my lunchtime cardio, because there was a lot going on and everyone took lunch at different times, so it was hard to disengage. But I felt so much better when I did and more able to handle work stress, so I disciplined myself to create the habit of exercising at lunch time.

    (At other times in my life it worked better for my schedule to workout before work, or at night.)

    Most of us do have schedules that allow for exercise; we just need to make it a priority. And if someone does not have the time, it may be time to evaluate life choices that lead to this over-scheduling.
  • mc62412
    mc62412 Posts: 195 Member
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    I work 55 hours a week. It’s tough between work, house chores that need to get done. Spending time with family. And finding time just catch up from all the go go go that I’m doing all the time.

    Sometimes if I feel like it, on part of my lunch break I’ll walk around the building.
    Sometimes on my days off or later work shifts I’ll do some kind of exercises at home.

    I still am trying to get my self the exercise regularly. Some days I get it done, but most I days I don’t.

    Fit in what you can if you want.

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