college student looking for time to exercise

Since i'm in college and I work, it's really hard to find time and exercises that i can enjoy. I want to lose weight but cutting calories alone is not helping much. can somone please give me ideas on getting into a rutine or somthing.

Hi!

I'm not really sure what your time frame looks like for exercising or what you're aiming to do, but I'm going through the same thing. I work 40+ hours a week and go to school 3 nights out of the week. I started doing workout dvds at nights and it's working. On the days I have school I workout after school. If I don't have class then I will just workout after work. I usually do a 40-50 minute tape. Right now I am doing 3 different dvd's over a week time frame. 2 cardio and 1 strength and I do one every night of the week. Granted, I insist that I do them when my boyfriend isn't around, so if he is home I'll ask him to go in another room and he has yet to not to do so when I ask, so that is helpful.
I also try to get hikes or bike rides in on the weekends. Also, I've cut my calories and am aiming for 1400-1500 a day.

So far I've lost 8 lbs since the beginning of the year (started at 147, now down to 139) so something must be working!

Oh, and I'm also going to start riding my bike to work in April. I'm not sure if you have that option for work or school, but that may be something to look into once the weather gets nice.

Let me know if you need any more ideas and I'll help where I can!

Hey I'm there too. I'm a medical and grad student. The best thing ever for me was to convince myself to workout in the morning at 7 am. I go to my school gym, workout, then shower there and go right to school.

I feel better on days where I make myself do it. I feel like I can manage my time better because I am not thinking all day long "when can I fit in a workout?".

If that's not an option for you, I am sure I can come up with other ideas. However, I never thought I could convince myself to do it, but now that its a routine its great.

I won't be able to work out in the morning till I'm out of school... I work from 7-330 and then go to school from 530-9. about 60 minutes of driving time in between so that leaves an hour in between work and school to eat and leave! :) It's crazy! That's the only reason I workout at night, there is no way I'm waking up at 430am to do my workouts! lol!

Hi,

I've been through many different changes and tried to stay active all of my 39 years.  Here is what I have learned:

1.  In college, I worked two and three jobs at a time so I didn't get to the gym that often.  However, my campus was extremely hilly, so I did a lot of walking and didn't sweat it too much.  You may be able to just count your calories to loose the weight and do a short routine near your dorm/apt to add to the walking you are already doing.  When I transferred to a smaller school with less walking, I started gaining weight and needed the gym more.

2.  Before kids, my workout routine worked best and was consistent very early in the AM.  I got up around 5, headed out the door around 5:30, drove 45 min. to the town that I worked in, went to the gym and worked out, then showered and made it to work by 7:30.

3.  After kids, life changes drastically.  There doesn't seem to be time for anything except the house and the child.  I had a really hard time finding a consistent time to exercise if any time at all.  So, I didn't do much other than chores and yard work.  I started gaining and having trouble with my feet and knees.  The more problems I had, the less I was able to exercise (even just walking).

4.  Now....Well, I'm down almost 30 lbs since November 2006 and only have 4 more to go!  I had knee surgery and foot surgery on both feet summer before last.  This made me decide that my health is just as important as anything else in my life, if not more.  So, I started putting exercising and eating healthy on the top of my list.  I didn't let work interfere and I didn't feel guilty when I made my son sit by the front door of the gym and wait for an hour.  I'm in the best shape since my teens!

The moral of this story is that it took some pretty drastic events for me to realize that my health is one of the most important things in my world.  If you really want to loose weight and stay in shape, you must make it one of your top priorities.  I even take leave sometimes just so I won't miss a workout.

Hope these words of wisdom from someone who has been there will help you.

Good luck!

I work and go to school full-time, so I feel your pain! I find that running is one of the best exercises if you're busy... no travel time to and from the gym, you just put on your shoes and go! I change into running clothes right before I leave work, go for a 30 to 45 minute run, then head home and take a shower and eat some dinner. It has the added benefit of making me feel SO much less drained when I get home after a long day of classes and work.

I became a full-time grad student again this year, and have been struggling with the same issue.  All the reading and sitting at the computer has made me a lot less active than I used to be!  So far, I've found that the easiest way for me to fit some exercise into those especially busy weeks is to do my reading on the treadmill or bike--particularly since I have the equipment at home.  It doesn't take any extra time, since I have to do the reading anyway, and reading also helps take my mind off the fact that I'm exercising.  I'm often inspired enough by just getting started and doing something that I'll follow it up with a few crunches, push-ups, stretches, or something.  You can often find cheap used exercise equipment at thrift stores, or just take your books to the gym. 

I'm also a big fan of exercise that doesn't seem like exercise, and that isn't for the sole purpose of exercise.  I've taken up swing dancing and am learning to play tennis, and am just working them into my life like any hobby.  See if you can find some fun, active things to do with friends, rather than just going to movies or out to eat.

Hey!  I'm a veterinary student with at least 8 hours of class a day...so I definitely feel some of that pain!  And then i'm supposed to go home and actually learn the stuff that was taught during the day!  yikes!  anyway I make sure I get up extra early to get in a  workout before I head off to school....I know you said you won't be able to workout in the mornings and that's fine...you just need to find a time that works best for you!  to begin with, I would try to fit in 20 minutes each day....and to start, it doesn't reallyl matter what you're doing....just do anything active for 20 minutes!  At this point, you're just trying to  make it a habit!  And then you can gradually increase the amount of time if you want....and you can just start with 3 days a week and gradually increase the number of days as well!  don't overwhelm yourself right from the get-go because then you'll be frustrated!  i've taken on the mentality that anything active i do is better than nothing and i've been a lot less frustrated and therefore more motivated to keep going!  :)

I think we all feel a time crunch..... 

I?m a mother of 2 boys, and I work full time ? have to get up at 4:30  and then when I get home, it?s dinner, homework, playtime, and scrambling to get kids to bed and pick up the shambles that is our house.  At that point, my husband only have about 2-2.5 hours together before we have to sack out for the night.

However, I know I needed to do something...anything.  I?ve found great success with Tae-Bo power round workouts.  There is a whole series including an 8 min, 12 min, and 20 minute workout.  I thought ? hey, even I have an extra 10-15 minutes here and there....and I don?t get bored like I did with all the gadgets that are now gathering dust in the basement.  Even if you find a workout video that?s long, you can always still break it down to 15-30 minute workout, or you can find some DVD?s with customizing features in it.  (videofitness.com and yourexercisedvds.com have reviews on practically everything....)

I hope this helps, and good luck!!