Working and Working Out

ebeachgirl
ebeachgirl Posts: 26
in Fitness and Exercise
I struggled for years trying to find the time to workout while working. Mornings, evenings, lunchtime....just couldn't consistently get it in or even find the desire to try at times.

And I do not even have kids! I can't imagine how difficult it must be juggling everything for all you working moms!!!

What's your secrets to find the time and exercise?

Mine is that I do it IMMEDIATELY when I get home. No putting a load of laundry in or starting dinner. I come home, change and do my workout. If I get sidetracked at all I am doomed and never seem to get to it.

I'd like to hear the way you juggle everything - how do you make yourself a priority?

tena

Replies

  • Biglovelovesme
    Biglovelovesme Posts: 133 Member
    Your post is so timely. I was just thinking about the same question. After much trial and error I have decided that the one and only way for me to get my work out in is to go straight from work to the gym or whatever it is I am planning on doing. Like you mentioned, if I stop and do ANYTHING prior to working out I too am doomed. My procrastination and relaxation skills are so finely tuned that it takes every ounce of energy to motivate myself to get up and out after dinner, homework, laundry, dog walking, dishes, etc.
    Bottom line is that I am still struggling to figure out how to be more committed to working out and how to make it a priority over everything else. Hopefully we will both find some interesting responses to your post.
    Best of luck. :)
  • nellieboo628
    nellieboo628 Posts: 9 Member
    Some things that I have done that work..

    Going to the gym on my lunch breaks

    Waking up early and working out

    Taking walks on my breaks or climbing the stairs in my building

    If you are a mom who has children on teams... I would make sure that I dressed appropriately to get my cardio in while my son did football practice

    All of these ideas work...but you have to commit to doing it.
  • anewyou21
    anewyou21 Posts: 1
    i am truggling with this i am gone from 8:00 in the morning to 7:00 at night . i have found a ymca that offers evening classes its just hard for me to stick with. i think i will try you way and just do it before dinner or anything else thanks for the tips
  • caveats
    caveats Posts: 493 Member
    The way I make "me" a priority is that 1) I bought a gym membership, and 2) I bought at 24 Hour Fitness so that I did NOT have an excuse for not using it.

    I generally get gym workouts in anywhere from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. (I don't work out for 2 hours ... that's just the workout window I almost always fall into).

    Reasons why (and this takes care of a lot of excuses):
    -- I've fueled up from dinner and relaxed from work
    -- running errands is done because businesses are closed for the day
    -- the gym isn't busy, so finding equipment is not a problem
    -- the gym isn't busy, so feeling self-conscious is not an issue
    -- the gym isn't busy, so finding parking is a breeze
    -- the gym isn't busy, so I don't need to plug in headphones to tune out the rest of the world
    -- the gym isn't busy, so I can watch my 10 minutes of Anderson Cooper 360 or Piers Morgan on CNN while on the elliptical without someone else requesting the TV get tuned to the <insert sport of the season> game instead
    -- the gym isn't busy, so the people who are there at that hour are generally those of the sort that are also serious about cranking through their workouts (motivates me to push an extra rep/set/whatever when I watch them in between my sets)
    -- the gym isn't busy, so I SHOULD GET BUSY! :laugh:
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    I wake up @ 5am and get it done
  • blisterpeanuts
    blisterpeanuts Posts: 67 Member
    it's hard. My 7-yr-old daughter wakes up around 7:20am, and has to be out the door by 8am.

    I try to be up around 6am, hop on my Schwinn elliptical for 45-60 mins., then quick shower.

    If weather's good, I'll go running instead for 45 mins.

    If you don't have a machine, I can highly recommend it! You can just hop on any time of day or night when you have a spare 20 minutes. I've been known to hop on for 10 minutes to pay for that extra 100 calories at supper time. $600 may be a large up front cost, but compare it to a year's gym membership.
  • CatGrooms66
    CatGrooms66 Posts: 24
    It's hard! I recently started working (this week) first time in 7 years. I have 3 kids and a husband with 2 jobs so I'm responsible for everything house/child related. I used to go to the gym every day, now with work I can't find the time.
    I bought and elliptical this week and have been on it all week at 10pm. Whatever it takes I guess.
  • SinIsIn
    SinIsIn Posts: 1,865 Member
    I wake up @ 5am and get it done

    That's awesome! Props to anyone that can wake up that early and workout!

    I did it for a month or so and I found I had more energy through out the day. I just can't seem to get in bed early enough to try waking up at 5am to work out anymore. My body just won't get out of bed! LOL

    What I do now is, leave work, go pick up the kids at school/daycare, get home and change and leave to the gym. I don't get home until about 8 and thats when I'll start cooking or doing whatever needs to get done.

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