How do you fit in your workouts?

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  • SuperVegan8
    SuperVegan8 Posts: 78 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 219 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.
  • JuneVS
    JuneVS Posts: 1
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    I walk with friends right after work. It started with just two of us. Others at work saw that we brought our bikes to work and asked about biking. We have increased from 2-3 times a week to 4-5 times. We never go home first, always plan on it right after work. If it is raining, instead of skipping which is a temptation, we went to the mall and walked. We have pedometers for use in the mall and on trails without mile markers. We have found many different walking/hiking trails in our county with a variety of terrains. We mix it up, each day is at a different place. It is always a motivator to see the pounds come off each week.
    We started with Leslie Sansone 5 big mile DVD. You can walk as many miles as you want from the DVD. :smile:
  • missashley884
    missashley884 Posts: 188 Member
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    if you dont find time, you wont see results. results dont just magically appear.i'm a full time nursing student, and work 25 hours a week, but i make it work because i want it bad enough.
  • bobie1978
    bobie1978 Posts: 204 Member
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    I own a small business and it just took off so I am super busy as well as tired. I am having a hard time fitting my workouts in like I use to. I find it best even if you don't have that much time to squeeze in 15-30 min workouts a few times a day. I love my workouts its not an excuse but sometimes its hard to fit my workouts in with how much other things I need to do. But I'm finding ways, you will too!
  • monica_hill
    monica_hill Posts: 3
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    As soon as I get off work, sometimes as late as 9pm and stay at the gym until I reach my goal which is usually to burn about 500cal.
  • Lefriedline
    Lefriedline Posts: 61 Member
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    I work 2 jobs--about 40 hours a week total and go to school (only 10 hours a week right now, but usually 18 when not in summer). I just got back into this so I know how hard it can be to find the time. After taking almost a year off of working out, I decided to MAKE the time. I do a kettlebell bootcamp Monday-Thursday 6am, Saturdays 7am and I recently joined Golds. I am planning on going 5:30 am on Fridays to spin and then hitting whatever classes I can at night if I don't have class or work. If you get on a routine, it will become that much easier! I still get my 8 hours of sleep because I make sure I am in bed at least 9 hours before my alarm goes off so that even if I am awake for a bit I am relaxing and will get my time in! Good luck!! :)
  • Qatsi
    Qatsi Posts: 2,191 Member
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    I used to get up at 7:30am after hitting the snooze button several times. Now, my alarm goes off at 5:45am, and I get up right away and go for my morning walk (right after checking in with my MFP friends, of course).

    I compensate by spending less time on the computer and by going to bed a little earlier. I'm spending maybe a half hour less in bed than I used to, but it's uninterrupted sleep so I'm still coming out ahead.
  • 75Juniper
    75Juniper Posts: 376
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    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.

    Exactly this. I get up at 4:45 to work out. It's nice not to have to get up even earlier to get to the gym. I just stumble out of bed, throw on my workout clothes that I layed out the night before, head to the family room and start the DVD player. I also lay out my gear the night before so I don't have to spend time with set up (mat, weights, etc.). I love Jillian Michaels and Leslie Sansone, too.

    I used to exercise at night, but I couldn't make it a habit because life got in the way (had to work late, errands, or things just generally happening to throw off my schedule). I feel much less stressed throughout the day knowing I got my work out over with.
  • chrystee
    chrystee Posts: 295 Member
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    In the morning, at lunch, right after work.. or before bed.
    There are many times you can make it happen..

    Got rid of cable too.. I just don't have time to watch it.
  • rvasquez0711
    rvasquez0711 Posts: 7
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    Im up at 330 in the am. I eat something small start stretching out maybe some insanity. P90x starts no later than 430 ends usually 530. Start work at 7, pick up the kids, wife gets home cooks dinner we do some small stretches and in bed by 9.

    Its tough but once u get used to a schedule you actually look forward to doing it. (And not to mention more energy to do ot)
  • r1ghtpath
    r1ghtpath Posts: 701 Member
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    mostly i work out from home. so, usually i work out right before i go to bed..... if you can work out from home you could do it first thing, or last thing......

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