Not enough time for exercise.

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  • jedibunny
    jedibunny Posts: 321
    I know this feeling SO WELL! I had to kick myself in the butt to get out of the "I don't have time" mindset... and granted, I wake up later than you do for my normal work day, but it's a 40 minute commute for me to the office and back. Plus, I just love bed. :P Over a year ago I bought a workout video and used it... twice. I had a YMCA membership for... a month. I just kept saying I don't have time. I really thought I didn't.

    There's a gym (well, more than one, but one major gym) between my place and my office, and I always felt guilty passing it... one day, though, I posted something on here about no time/money and was put in my place pretty quickly. One of my MFP friends asked if there was a Planet Fitness near me (that's the one I pass which is literally midway between office and home), because PF is $10/mo for a single gym membership and $20 for a "Black Card" which allows reciprocal use at other PFs nationwide. Now, I know there are a bunch of them around the city, and some near my other family outside of the area.. and considering that another gym I'd looked at wanted $75/mo for reciprocal membership, this was a no-brainer for me. I looked at their site and signed up online that day. Then I just needed motivation to go.

    My bf works earlier than I do several days out of the week, so when I got my gym membership I had him wake me up at the same time so I could get to the gym before work. That helped. It also helped that he used to work out at least once a day five days a week, so he knew that I was going to have to make a solid commitment if I wanted to see any results... so now he tries to get me out of bed even on the days he doesn't go in early. At first I was still reluctant (and sore). Then I started actually wanting to go, waking up on my own, etc. - and it's only been two weeks!

    I admit there are days I just want to sleep, and it's usually after having been working intensely for a few days in a row at least. I let myself sleep, but then feel lazy. lol

    Obviously your situation is different from mine. My advice, though, is find something that changes up your normal routine enough that you are making a conscious decision to do it, and let your family know you're doing it. That way they can be there to push you out of bed. :)
  • Jessi40
    Jessi40 Posts: 75 Member
    I live in Western WA, by RAIN FOREST!

    I have a hubby and four children.

    4:50 AM I get up at with my baby: change her, love, lay her in bed with daddy
    5:30 AM out the door with four year old in toe. She is in her jammies with her game
    6:00 AM work out at work gym
    6:30 AM shower me and daughter and to work by 7
    7:00 AM - 3:30 PM work
    take breaks and walk around a baseball field, 8 minutes each x 3 breaks about 3 mph rain or shine (not in snow)
    3:30 PM - drive home to get 7 year old off school bus
    4:00 PM snack with children, start dinner (hubby finishes dinner)
    depending on day: Monday, Tuesday are laundry and cleaning nights, Wednesday piano lesson with 2 children 1.5 hours with commute time, Thursdays swimming lessons 1 hour with 2 children, Friday ballet lesson 1.25 hours with 1 child
    6:30 PM -dinner
    7:00 PM -bath for 1 and 2 year old every other day, bath for 4 year old every other day
    7:45 - 8PM story time
    8 PM - bedtime, hubby stays home
    8: 00 - quick walk around block with family dog, no matter the weather.
    8:20 - pack my bag for next day, lay out children's clothes for next day
    8:40 - sit down, check email, banking, etc
    9:00 - bed

    I read somewhere this quote: Someone busier than you is running right now

    I have health issues too and if I don't squeeze in these little walks and don't lose this weight, I will die. I have atelectasis where my lungs are collapsing and I can't breath very deep at all. I have planter's fasciatis and special inserts in my shoes and yes, it's hard, yes, I'm tired and yes it can be done.
  • kd80538
    kd80538 Posts: 97 Member
    How it is for me:

    Wake up 7AM - Get ready - Leave house at 8.20AM
    Out until 4.30PM
    Working at home after 4.30PM ... varying levels, could take me all night.
    Gotta squeeze in dinner, shower, relaxing time etc.
    Bed at 11PM.
    {quote/}

    I can relate to this feeling. For a number of years, I had the same thoughts...which was that I didn't have time for it. I have a similar schedule...up at 6am, kids out the door at 7am, work until 6pm, homework with the kids, dinner, late night email catch up, meeting prep, etc. Typically, I'm wrapping up my day around 10:30-11:00. I came to a realization that the only way I was going to be successful was to find a way to incorporate exercise and movement into my daily activities...as there would always be "something" that would get in the way.

    I started small by committing to myself that I would do a 30-40 minute DVD at home 1-2x a week. I tried waking up earlier...reality is...I'm just not a morning person, and my workouts were not effective. I'd either oversleep and be stressed about not getting a full workout in...or found that it took a good 15-20 minutes for me to get in the groove of the workout. It just didn't work for me, personally.

    So...I started scheduling it in on a given day each week that worked with our family calendar. If we had a scheduling conflict come up...just like any other appointment, I rescheduled it. And after a couple of months, I realized that my workout time was "MY" time, and my time alone...it became very sacred to me, as it was the one time a day that I could really do something for me, and so I started adding another day to the mix.

    When the weather warmed up, I started incorporating walking into my day...that I could do in the mornings, and was a great way to start the day...allowed me to prepare mentally for the day, and burn a few extra calories. Some days it was only a 20-30 minute walk, but it was movement.

    Fast forward to now - just over a year into MFP. I now aim to have a scheduled workout at least 4 days a week for at least an hour each time. I still do a DVD once a week, but found a Martial Arts class that I go to 4x a week in addition, and as soon as we get warmer again, I will be incorporating my walks again. My weekends, I try to find something active to do...hiking, biking, cleaning, yard work, anything that will get me from sitting! :happy:

    Some people do the gym, others do Zumba, others run...find what works for you and make it your time! Good luck!!
  • kayhatlen
    kayhatlen Posts: 46
    I leave home about 7am and don't get back til 6 or 7 pm depending on the day's work schedule. I'm not a morning person so I head for the gym before going home. If I'm hungry I eat an apple or granola bar in the car while driving home (it takes 30-45 minutes to get home from my work). Sometimes I walk at lunchtime if the weather is nice. The point is that I know I will come up with excuses if I don't head right for the gym. So maybe when you get home do your work-out first and then finish the other things you need to do. You must fit the exercise into your life. Hope this helps. :))
  • QuietDissidence
    QuietDissidence Posts: 32
    Kay put it quite nicely!

    I address your topic in my MFP blog, which can be seen via my profile, regarding "not enough time, no gym/just working out at home, & bad knees" (hope i got them all!) the post is labeled "overcoming excuses" and addresses the most common stumbling blocks (including yours) and how to overcome them.

    It is very long winded that's why I didn't simply post it here. Hope you find it useful.

    Feeling hungry, eh? I'm a 'grazer" (gawd it makes me sound like a cow!) but its true, i munch all day long and make sure to keep healthy snacks in my purse whenever I'm out and about so i don't get tempted. Breakfast is super important otherwise I can tell I feel more sluggish throughout the rest of the day. So for me its 3 small square meals with lots of snacks in between and a bit of water before and after just about everything.

    If you don't think it's your eating style maybe it's what you're eating? It's all about FIBER and PROTEIN to make you feel full. 6-7 servings of veggies and 3 servings of fruit and a few sources of protein do it for me. Bonus part of eating lots of veggies and fruit, low in calories and lots of vitamins and nutrients that aid in losing weight and speed up your metabolism. Just use the rainbow method to make sure your getting enough variety (thats where you incorporate fruits and veggies from all the different colors of the rainbow =) I'm honestly not the biggest fan of veggies so its all about preparation in order for me to eat an appropriate amount.

    I don't eat red meat (if you do, go for lean cuts) so I get my protein from beans (mmm homemade chili or hummus sounds so good right now...), fish, chicken, & turkey. Nuts are good sources for protein as well but they have a lot of fat so be careful about portions. There is always tofu to help with the protein aspect.... but I'm not a fan =/


    Ooh and another thing to consider ~heart rate monitor to get a more accurate total of how much you're burning doing stuff around the house! You may burning more than you realize.
  • 2coolboyz
    2coolboyz Posts: 7
    Try the Fitbit...I don't have a lot of time either, but at least it measures your walking throughout the day and syncs with myfitness pal! At lease you can see that you are making some progress without even really trying!
  • DonPendergraft
    DonPendergraft Posts: 520 Member
    You need to get up earlier and exercise. I'm not a morning person, but to make it work for me, I get it up anywhere from 3AM to 5AM just so I can run between 1 and 3 hours a day. Just remember, somewhere some busier than you is exercising! I know it's sounds harsh, but it's true. It comes down to motivation. Seriously. What if I told you that if you got up at 5am instead of 7am every day and exercised faithfully for 30 days that I would give you $10,000,000 (and I was good for it). Would you do it? Of course you would. Why? You would be motivated. You just have to find what it is that motivates you to get it done. Good luck!
  • GlitterGoldJem
    GlitterGoldJem Posts: 73 Member
    30 jumping jacks
    5 pushups
    25 high kicks
    10 crunches
    7 squats
    30 butt kicks
    5 pushups
    10 crunches
    30 jumping jacks
    1 minute wall sit
    10 crunches
    repeat 2x

    Do that ... it takes maybe 20 minutes and it will kick your *kitten* .... it's a start ... do it in your room before bed or in the morning when you get up ... exercising is just doing SOMETHING then progress from there ... I do this routine when I have little time and it's a great way to kick some *kitten* on a small time frame!
  • rkgb
    rkgb Posts: 22
    Hello,
    If it is taking a block of time to workout that seams difficult to do break it up. No one said you have to workout for 3 min all at once. Do 10 in the morning 10 in the evening and 10 during the day. I don't know what you do for work but i walk while on the phone habit really but it helps. Get a step or a wood plank and do step ups in place. I try to do that 5 min at a time when I don't have time for a workout. Squeak it in.
  • rkgb
    rkgb Posts: 22
    30 min not 3 min LOL
  • Aperture_Science
    Aperture_Science Posts: 840 Member
    Honestly, "not enough time for exercise" is equivocal to "I don't prioritize this enough". Sorry to be straightforward, but those who want to find a way, will. Those who don't want to, won't. I know, because that is the same excuse I used to use all the time.

    Try to shoot for bed earlier and squeeze in an early morning workout. I get up at 4-4:30 am to get a run/gym session in before work. Go for a walk on your lunch break. Make time on the weekends for exercise.

    As far as food choices, you can find more filling, fiber and protein rich foods. You can look at my diary to see what I tend to eat if you like.

    Make a commitment to getting healthy. Don't accept excuses. Make working out/exercising a big of a commitment as your job.

    A great post. I agree 100%
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 994 Member
    Get up at 6am do an at home workout until 7am,

    Work out over lunch time.

    2 easy options.
  • madmickie
    madmickie Posts: 221 Member
    Barack Obama has time to work out..nuff said.
  • Plumbvz
    Plumbvz Posts: 6
    Most workouts can be done in an hour. I know that P90X is geared to at home and roughly an hour each exercise. In my case. I get up at 4:30, at the gym by a bit after five. Home by 6:30sih. Gather work day stuff. Work 10 hours (physical work also), come home and help the three kids with school work. Laundry, dinner, ect. It can be done. I thought that I wouldn't have time at first too. Just tried to talk myself out of it. But wouldn't have none of it. It is doable. Resolve to and believe in yourself.
  • lbartlem
    lbartlem Posts: 1 Member
    I also had the "I'm too busy" mentality. I was frustrated that I could only go to the gym Monday nights as Tuesdays to Thursdays I go straight from work to tenpin bowling and I usually don't get home till after 10pm. My solution is to walk the dog for 20-30 min in the morning before work (I leave at 7.30am so up at 6am) and also again at night no matter what time or weather. I'm also trying to go to the gym Fridays (depending if bf and I go out after work or not) and also trying to fit sessions in on the weekends along with bowling and everything else that needs doing around the house. At least I know that if I can't make it to the gym I'm still getting over 30min of excercise each day by walking the dog... and he loves it too so it can't be all bad!!
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