How do you fit in your workouts?

I am a very busy individual. I work more than one job and can not function with less than eight hours of sleep. It is soooo hard for me to find time to go to the gym.

I am interested to know what your schedules look like and if you struggle getting to the gym what is your motivator/ how to do make sure you can always get there.
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Replies

  • Brandicaloriecountess
    Brandicaloriecountess Posts: 2,126 Member
    When I started working out I was a full time student in my last semester, plus I worked about 30 hours a week and I was/am a single mom. I just MADE time. Sometimes it was at night after everyone was in bed, sometimes in between school and work, sometimes early. I had to give up other things to workout, like watching tv lol. Or get a stair stepper, or treadmill to use @ home while watching tv.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    I'm a SAHM with a husband who works shift work, so I can usually find time and it switches around all the time. But when I was working full time and taking my son to daycare I would sometimes drop him off at daycare and run to work... or I'd work out after he was in bed in the evening. Or I'd leave him at home with my husband and go to a class (morning or night)... I had to give up on sleeping as much as I wanted to; I also had to give up on being clean and freshly showered whenever I went places. Sometimes I'd run to the grocery store and have my husband meet me there with the car to shop.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    As soon as I get done with work, I work out - in some way, shape or form. On my days off, I work out in the morning as early as possible to get it out of the way.
  • kymberlyjt
    kymberlyjt Posts: 13
    I have two jobs, I work 8-10 hours a day, I don't have a car so I walk everywhere, which includes doing a half hour walk down a hill in the mornings then a 45 minute work uphill to my second job in the afternoon - this burns a lot of calories a day just in itself. I never had time to go to the gym and couldn't afford a gym membership so I saved up some money (around £120) and invested in an elliptical cross trainer. I do about 20 minutes on it around 4 or 5 times a week. It's one of the best pieces of gym equipment to have at home as it works your upper and lower body. you can tone your legs, stomach and arms at the same time. I put mine on a high resistance, do it for 20 minutes and burn about 400-500 calories. Listening to fast music helps, of course I feel dead afterwards but I do it a while after I've had dinner and it completely tires me out and helps me sleep. I used to be an insomniac before I used my cross trainer.

    Hope this has helped you a bit :) feel free to add me if you want any further advice
  • musicgirl99
    musicgirl99 Posts: 252 Member
    As soon as I get done with work, I work out - in some way, shape or form. On my days off, I work out in the morning as early as possible to get it out of the way.

    Ditto for me
  • jnh17
    jnh17 Posts: 838 Member
    I hear you on the sleep thing. Getting (at least) 8 hours is a must -- especially if I want to be pleasant enough for my husband to stay married to me.

    I workout at lunch. I come back totally sweaty (but I don't think I stink ;)). I don't care. I'd rather work people see me all gross than not being able to workout.
  • HannahDiaz25
    HannahDiaz25 Posts: 104
    I have found my best bet is to drive directly to the gym from work. If I go home I loose all motivation and/or run out of time.

    Also, if i know I have events planned for the evening I force myself to get up before work and at least go jogging or do yoga.

    If my husband is involved I find I am more likely to work out as well...
  • joanie152
    joanie152 Posts: 159 Member
    I work 9am - 6pm - 2 school age kids and lazy nanny, so working out at night is an issue for me

    My alarm rings at 4.37am (don't ask re the randomness of the time!).
    I then snooze twice, get up at 4.57 - At the gym at opening 5.15am
    Work out till 6.30 ish - the home and get ready for work.
    Work at 9.15am
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Have you tried working out at home? There are a lot of really great DVD's out there. Jillian Michaels 30 day shred is kick butt and at only 25 minutes a great time saver work out. I also like Leslie Sansone's walk at home DVD's you can customize them to your time constraints.
  • k8tls
    k8tls Posts: 23
    I have been going to the gym in between jobs. I work in the Recreation Field so with summer approaching, now here, I just dont seem to have the time to do it anymore. I've tried getting my but out of bed earlier so I can go in before my day really starts but I am not a morning person so that is really hard for me...

    I need to stop making excesses and just do it...
  • kymberlyjt
    kymberlyjt Posts: 13
    I definately understand what it's like feeling like there aren't enough hours in the day but by cutting out your sleep on purpose just to have time for a work out will just make your metabolism slow which will make it twice as hard for you to lose weight. So effectively you're cancelling out any work outs you're doing as your body has to work twice as hard to burn the same amount of calories it normally would with you on a good sleeping pattern/good metabolism.
  • babycook
    babycook Posts: 172 Member
    I use to go when the kids left for school. Till I had problems sleeping at night. I wake up at 430. I'm at the gym when it opens at 530. If I don't go I do some dvd at home or kettlebells at home. I've also done workouts I've found on pinterest at home. I bought a treadmill so I do my cardio when I get up from my nap.
  • medoria
    medoria Posts: 673 Member
    I was very good at coming with poor excuses and just lack of time was one. Then I realised that its more important that I train, less important if its for 15 minutes or 45. Simply lower your standars. Not all workouts need to be over 30 minutes, its more about what you do what the time you have. When I do my shorter workouts, less then 30 minutes, usually 3-5 circuits from Jillian Michaels No more trouble zones dvd, I just keep in mind to up the weights just to make the most of it.
  • Brenda_Pancakes
    Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
    I love to sleep - and I'm not worth ANYTHING past 9-ish at night. But what has worked the best for me is to get up an hour early and go out and walk/jog w/ my dog. My motivation is that I can actaully stick to it; because I've made it such a habit for the two of us. That, and that he has Addison's disease and absolutely needs exercise everyday, due to his meds.. or else he gains a LOT of weight.

    Other than that - I try and squeeze in the JM DVD's (like 30 DS), step aerobics dvds, some time on my stationary bike, etc, a couple nights a week after dinner... not for a long time, usually like 30 min or so. But the morning exercise is done EVERYDAY.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I hear you on the sleep thing. Getting (at least) 8 hours is a must -- especially if I want to be pleasant enough for my husband to stay married to me.

    I workout at lunch. I come back totally sweaty (but I don't think I stink ;)). I don't care. I'd rather work people see me all gross than not being able to workout.

    Baby wipes & deodorant .... no worries!
  • Merithyn
    Merithyn Posts: 284 Member
    No car means lots of walking for me. And when I realized that the commute home on the bus was only 10 minutes shorter than if I walked because of having to wait for the bus twice, I decided that I could easily walk the three miles home every night. I also do a lot of things while I'm actually at work, like walking on my break in the morning and afternoon, doing squats or leg lifts at the printer, and skipping down the halls. Hell, when you clean the house, push yourself to do it as fast and as intense as you can, or incorporate lifting the mop bucket in 3 sets of 10. Don't take shortcuts, instead, take longcuts.

    A workout doesn't have to be a scheduled amount of time at a gym on certain piece of equipment. Every time you move, you're building muscle and raising your metabolism, so move more often whenever you can.

    I'll be honest. I hate Formal Workouts. Give me fun, day-to-day, living kinds of things and I never get tired of it, which means I'm more likely to stick with it.
  • I work out every day at lunch. 45 min workout with 15 min changing clothes/cleaning up on either side. Occasionally I also do after work classes, etc, but the lunchtime workout is a constant.
  • BigDaddyBRC
    BigDaddyBRC Posts: 2,395 Member
    You either make time or you dont. Take Action
  • RipperSB
    RipperSB Posts: 315 Member
    I do my PT in the morning, before work. I tried noon or after work but it was just too easy to come with a lame ecuse not to do it. Now, it's done and over with and I feel better for the rest of the day. Adjust your bedtime to make sure you get the amount of sleep you need and you're all set.
  • I schedule it in outlook on my calendar. This way its an appt and a part of my life. Helps me to stay organized too.
    I also try to make something in the crockpot the days that I workout after work so dinner is ready when I get home. (outlook saves me)
  • SuperVegan8
    SuperVegan8 Posts: 78 Member
    I work fulltime (40+ hrs a week), study fulltime (at least 30 hrs a week), train in a team sport (6-8hrs a week) and i manage ok. In saying that i dont really watch TV and i dont need as much sleep (but if i took out my study i'd be sleeping 8hrs a night if i wanted).

    It really depends how much time you are willing to make and how much you want to do. If you cant fit in a few workouts a week be more strict on your diet and you'll still see results (they just might be slower).

    Try and add little things to each day:
    * Park further from your destination and walk - even if its just an extra 100meters or so (each day it adds up);
    * Take the stairs;
    * Depending on your job type you should be able to do small excersises at work (Desk jobs allow you to do leg excersises during the day, stretches ect);
    * Walk/ride to work - or at least a portion.

    Get creative - either find time for a workout, take a short walk after dinner or add more incidental excersise.

    "Make time - not excuses" :) Best of luck!
  • smcwllms
    smcwllms Posts: 27 Member
    We have a gym at work, and I used to go every day after work. A bunch of people started going then, so I switched to lunch time. I can barely fit in a 40 minute run and a shower before I head back to work. Strength training days usually take longer. I heat my food up and eat real quick. Physical fitness is a job requirement for my profession, so my boss is very generous with workout time. He'll allow up to an hour a day on the clock to work out, but I try not to abuse it. When I worked out after work, if I ended up working late, I would still hit the gym afterwards, regardless of how much over I worked. It's all about commitment for me, and finding opportunities to do the right thing, instead of finding excuses to do the wrong thing.
  • trout78
    trout78 Posts: 102
    I try and schedule them early in the morning before anyone else has to get up. I find that if I don't I always try and find an excuse not to do them and when you are trying to get healthy making your workout time unnegotiable is a must!
  • AlayshaJ
    AlayshaJ Posts: 703 Member
    Wake up at 6am be at the gym by 6:15am. I have to work out before anyone in my house wakes up. On my husbands day off I go around 12 if we aren't doing anything. I only get about 6 hours of sleep and sometimes it kills me. I try when my daughters nap times collide.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    I work FT nights 7p-7a; I'm in school FT finishing my RN so I have class somedays from 8-4 not including the hour commute each way and clinicals twice a week from 7-330 not including the hour commute on top of work, trying to sleep and life. I make time for it. I hit the gym right after work bc they are 5 mins away from each other. I don't wait bc if I went home I would have a 30 min drive to get back to gym. My 3 weekly runs are scheduled for the same day each come rain or shine. If its done after work or at 9 pm so be it, it gets done. I love to workout and constantly remind myself of all the excuses I use to make and that reminds me to just get it done. I am much happier afterwards.
  • mamaclose
    mamaclose Posts: 179 Member
    As soon as I get done with work, I work out - in some way, shape or form. On my days off, I work out in the morning as early as possible to get it out of the way.

    ^^This. Most days, some days I just get in a short walk during my lunch hour. I try to make it up another day.
  • 05HeatherLouise05
    05HeatherLouise05 Posts: 178 Member
    I had the same trouble.

    I live out of town, so with fuel prices it never seemed worth it to drive all the way into town JUST to go to the gym. I tried for a couple of months, but in the end just didn't fit well into my schedule. I work 12 hour shift work and have 2 horses to care for and ride.

    So i made Horse Riding my main exercise, then while browsing at a recycling shop one day, i found a fully operational Exercise Bike, so now that is in my lounge room for when i want to watch Tv, And i've got a few Exercise Dvds, Jullian Michaels 30 Day Shred is Excellent, it's only about a 20min Workout but it seriously kicks your *kitten*. I've also got a Yoga and Plaities Dvd that i only do every now and then.
  • glenner
    glenner Posts: 160 Member
    I know the feeling- I work full time, work with special needs kids 6 hours aweek, teach to aerobics classes (if you teach you HAVE to go LOL) and volunteer for a few things in my church so I hear ya! I am also not a morning person so I arranged to meet a friend at 7:00 am to walk or workout before I work. I will bail on myself, but not on a friend! I also try to walk on my lunch hour- I used to think I don't have enough time but I realized short is better then none!!
  • quill16
    quill16 Posts: 373 Member
    First thing in the morning,I put on workout clothes and head to gym and pool.Any appts or chores or anybody elses need comes AFTER. Luckily I am retired now. When I was employed I did evening workouts or walk my lunch hour. I think that many women don't get that their health is as important to schedule as a priority.
  • soshuman
    soshuman Posts: 2
    I had similar issues with time when I started to get back into exercising. My wife walks at lunch when she is at work, but also has a gym across the street to work out at before even getting in the car to go home. Anyway, I wanted to work out but not interfere with family time. I found a place on the way home that is the perfect distance for running or walking (depending on the day) to the house (one-way). We started carpooling, which we couldn't do before because our end of day was different. We adjusted it a little so that our schedule was like so. She walks at lunch with friends. She gets off work and goes straight to the gym. I get off an hour later and pick her up at the gym. We both pick our son up. On the way home, she drops me at a street corner and I run/walk the rest of the way in. Since it's one-way, I can't skimp on the work our because I have to eventually get home. After I get home, it was a plain cheap flat bench and some dumbbells to round out the work out. Not a perfect science, but it worked until my job made other plans.