having a long day at work ( and a long ride there and back )

saraannefrazer
saraannefrazer Posts: 66 Member
edited October 5 in Motivation and Support
Does anyone have a long commute to work or a long day, have plans of gyming it all day and then not go once you get home? or perhaps you talk yourself into it?

I make excuses all the time by the time i get home i really cannot be bothered going to the gym.

I need some ways of talking myself out of being lazy and not going because im *too tired* any suggestions of how i can talk myself out of this would be greatly appriciated.

or even if you can share what you guys do to get yourselves to the gym after a long day

Replies

  • jakejacobsen
    jakejacobsen Posts: 584 Member
    I go in the morning before work less excuses for me. I do miss the sleep some days but its worth it.
  • anemoneflynn
    anemoneflynn Posts: 87
    What I like to do is take 20-30 minutes while dinner is cooking (easier if my hubby cooks, but still doable if I throw something in the oven) and do my strength / circuit-type training in the living room. It's a simple workout, and I usually have a good appetite afterwards!
  • Kyliechristie
    Kyliechristie Posts: 85
    I go in the morning before the long day....otherwise it would not happen. After the first week or 2 it ends up giving you more energy to get through those long days.
  • bigdawg025
    bigdawg025 Posts: 774 Member
    If my workday is too long I will skip my workout sometimes. My commute is an hour each way. I just don't have the energy or the time to fit it in sometimes with needing to make dinner... work on school work... and know that work is coming the next day.

    I make up for it on other days, though, and I work out longer or harder. :)
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
    I work 12 hour shifts every night. I also spend my breaks and lunches speed walking laps around the building.

    Plus I have a second job that I work during the day.

    I still convince myself to go to the gym after I get out of work in the morning from my first job (6am).

    How do I do it? Don't give myself a choice. Don't even stop at home. Keep my gym bag in the car, and drive straight there. Then I have no excuse. Now, when I try to convince myself to wake up early for another workout, NOT HAPPENING. I only get four hours of sleep as it is. :P
  • MissingMinnesota
    MissingMinnesota Posts: 7,486 Member
    I leave the house at 5:30 am and don't get back until almost 6:30 pm. I make sure not go to home and head straight to the gym after work. The minute I step in the house the excuses start.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I go in the morning before work less excuses for me. I do miss the sleep some days but its worth it.

    This works for me too, it's too easy to make excuses in the afternoon, so I get my exercise in first thing in the morning.
    This suits my schedule too because my husband starts work early, so I get up when he does, have a cofee and a snack with him and then go for a run or workout before work.
    If you can't exercise in the morning.... my best suggestion would be to have everything ready so you have less excuses not to go. Could you go direct from work, change into workout gear before you leave work? Make an appointment with a friend or personal trainer so you have an obligation to go?
    Good luck with finding what works for you!
  • saraannefrazer
    saraannefrazer Posts: 66 Member
    thankyou everyone.

    yeah atm i cant really go straight to work as i work in the city i refuse to drive in the streets on melbourne i hate hook turns ect. moving offices in twoi weeks closer to suburbia so i will be driving then i thin k ill just make sure i have all my gym gear in the car and drive straight there after work it seems like a wonderful idea.

    i struggle to get out of bed in the morning. when i was going the gym all the time last year i used to bget up at 5.30 and go. i might try doing that as well although it shall be a challenge.
  • stayxtrue
    stayxtrue Posts: 1,186 Member
    Well I am lucky at the moment I live 5 minutes from work, So I go to the gym in the mornings and then a run at night.

    However this could change if I go for this job in Melbourne.... Decisions
  • stayxtrue
    stayxtrue Posts: 1,186 Member
    thankyou everyone.

    yeah atm i cant really go straight to work as i work in the city i refuse to drive in the streets on melbourne i hate hook turns ect. moving offices in twoi weeks closer to suburbia so i will be driving then i thin k ill just make sure i have all my gym gear in the car and drive straight there after work it seems like a wonderful idea.

    i struggle to get out of bed in the morning. when i was going the gym all the time last year i used to bget up at 5.30 and go. i might try doing that as well although it shall be a challenge.

    What time are you going to bed? I go at 9.30 the latest, this allows me to go to the gym at 5.30
  • saraannefrazer
    saraannefrazer Posts: 66 Member
    i try to make it 9.30 - 10.30

    although i have a few days that are exceptions but not too many.
  • saraannefrazer
    saraannefrazer Posts: 66 Member
    i think the train commute 5 days is just messing with me its a hour on the the n 20min walk both ways. i leave the house at 7am and get home at 7pm or around bouts.

    when i had my old job which was much closer (only 20 min drive from my house) i never had such a problem getting up in the mornings.... maybe i just dread the melbourne public transport *sardine can* trips
  • stayxtrue
    stayxtrue Posts: 1,186 Member
    Well the walks if you do them briskly will burn calories. but I do know how hard it is, as I was travelling to melbourne from ballarat for quite a while and its soooo hard to get any form of exercise in.
  • Ant_M76
    Ant_M76 Posts: 534 Member
    Get yourself a bike and cycle to work :)
    It's a great way of incorporating some cardio into the daily routine, without having to worry about not having time to do it. Depends on the distance and your circumstances, of course. I started out at 5.5 miles each way then moved further out and am now doing just under 11 each way, Mon-Fri. Perfect for avoiding public transport too! I would never go back to that :O
  • katfit59
    katfit59 Posts: 2 Member
    I've been facing the very same challenge. All I can do is try to think about how much better I feel after I go. It works most days.
  • Les_Lamb57
    Les_Lamb57 Posts: 57 Member
    ...same a sittingduck
    I used to consider my car/motorbike communte as "dead time" ...nothing good about it at all. Frustrating busy traffic, increasing fuel costs, maintenence etc. Now I cycle the 25 mile return trip and it doesnt take much longer than by car, no fuel costs, low maintenance and has helped transform my fittnes and weight. I get to work have a shower, large coffee and then feel good for the rest of the day.

    Just wish I had started cycling to work sooner.
  • KathMia
    KathMia Posts: 15 Member
    Hi - a long drive is quite common for a lot of us. However, you can make the most of that so called dead time by doing a few muscle toning exercises as follows:

    1. Tone Your Butt

    You can tone the gluteal muscles almost anywhere by squeezing together your buttock muscles for 10 seconds and then releasing. Repeat 10 times.

    2. Pull in Your Stomach

    Faltten your stomach by breathing out and pulling your stomach in towards your back as far as possible. Hold for six seconds and release. Repeat 10 times.

    3. Squeeze Your Thighs

    Squeeze your thighs together as hard as you can. Hold for 10 seconds and release. Repeat 10 times. If this is too easy you can increase the toning effect by squeezing something like a ball of sweater between your legs.

    4. Exercise Your Shoulders

    Keeping your arms and shoulders relaxed and holding lightly onto the steering wheel, lower your shoulders and pull back as far as you can moving your shoulder blades together. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 5 times.

    I find that these work wonders for me and make me want to go straight to the gym after I finish work.

    Good luck!
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    I started taking the train to downtown Toronto which takes 45-50 minutes and is great b/c I get to sleep or plan a weeks worth of meals on the MFP ap but the best part has been the fact that I realized my gym is a 7 minute walk from the the stop 1 before my regular stop (1 further from my home) so I get to walk to the gym and do my spinning class 3x a week and some elliptical on other days and then get picked up by my hubby. So my workout is done before I even have dinner, it's great!
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
    When I have to go into the London office I haven't got time to go to the gym (either before or after work) so I now walk the mile between my London stations instead of getting the bus. It's a 21min walk each way and I walk at quite a brisk pace.

    When I lived in London, I used to go to the gym that was just across the road from our office block, so that was handy... but then again in those days, I wasn't really in the weightloss business, just doing it to keep fit.

    Working from home, I go swimming in the mornings and cycle to and from the gym too.

    Unfortunately, when I'm up in Birmingham like this week, it's more difficult to find an outlet for exercise. The office is tucked away in a business park on the crossroads of 3 main motorways and the surrounding area isn't exactly pedestrian friendly. I've brought my dumbbells with me and am going to do a bit of a mini workout in the hotel room, but it's not the same :ohwell:
  • LindsayHein
    LindsayHein Posts: 73 Member
    I don't go home first. I know if I go home I will sit down and not want to move. I bring my gym clothes with me to work, change before I leave, and head straight to the gym.
  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    I pack my gym bag every night and bring it to work with me so I don't have to go home first. My gym is on my way home.

    When I'm at the gym, I use interval training and supersetting to make the most of my time there.
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