How Do You Fit It Into Your Schedule?

I cannot figure out how to fit exercise into my current busy schedule. That would be fine if I were on my feet a lot or running around, but I'm not.

Currently I have class 4 days a week from 8-1230, followed by work till 7, then trying to keep my house in some sort of order and the chores kept up with. I work 6 days a week, usually from 8-7. Sundays are my only off day and I sleep late because I'm exhausted and then have to do more chores and shopping the rest of the day.

I just don't seem to have time to exercise. Anyone have any ideas?

I have a similar problem with a busy schedule.  On days when I don't have time to work out I try to pay more attention to my diet instead and eat really healthy.  Also I walk throughout the day as much as possible even if it is 5 or 10 mins. as a break several times a day.  I almost always take the stairs at home (I live on the 8th floor) and wherever else I can.  At night I do 10 mins. of ab exercises and pushups.  Good luck and in my opinion, every little bit helps.

 Well, when this guy can find the time, so can you. Preferably, by offloading housework, shopping or other detail work to non-exercising household members. After all, they're not working out at the time so what they're doing can't be very important :-P

It may not be fun, but I get up and an extra half/hour before work to exercise, and then exercise again immediately when I get home.   I find if it's the first thing i do, I'm less likely to be distracted, or come up with some reason not to do it. 

If you work until 7, what time do you go to bed? 10 or 11? that would still leave you with 3-4 hours after work.  Even if you comute for an hour and spend an hour a day doing housework/chores (which seems like a lot) you'd still have an hour or two for exercise.

It isn't fun, it takes sacrifice, but it is doable.  It is year end right now, so that's my busy time.  Here's one day from this week:

Woke up at 5, ate breakfast, exercised for 40 minutes, and was out the door by 6:17.

Got to work at 7:15, worked until 6:30, got home at 7:30.  Ate dinner, made my lunch, set out my breakfast, went to bed by 9.

I don't do ANY housework during the week.  Yes, it is embarrassing if someone stops by in the middle of the week, but it is what it is.  I try to be as organized as possible, and get everything ready in advance.  Also, I exercise at home with weights, so I don't waste travel time (I also do Pilates 2 days a week, but I do that at 7AM before work... leaving the house at 6).

Yes, my husband gets pissed that I wake up at 5 every morning (he works a mile away from the house, and doesn't even need to be awake until 8), but you have to make sacrifices if being healthy is important to you. 

I don't have anyone living with me except for my two dogs, which I can't walk in the winter because by the time I get home it's dark out.

I've debated getting up earlier, but I'm already only getting 4-6 hours of sleep anyways, except on Sundays, when I can sleep in, not that my internal clock allows me more than 7 hours of sleep anyways.

I usually go to bed around midnight, sometimes later. There's homework to do, laundry, making dinner, washing dishes (because I have no dish washer), vacuuming (dogs shed a lot) and trying to finish projects I'm doing to make money on the side.

Like I said, the schedule is just PACKED. Lol.

you seem to be pretty convinced that you just don't have time.

in order to make exercise work in a busy life, you have to treat it as just as important as anything else. it's great to keep your home in order, but what about your body? you only get one!

good luck ;)

Walking lunges while picking up, calf raises while washing dishes, bicep curls while studying, stuff like this adds up.

Carve out some personal time for yourself to exercise.  Guard it religiously.  If you don't take care of yourself, all of these other things will fall apart....  30 minutes a day two to three times a week, then an hour on Sunday?!?  You'll figure it out!!

Try cooking meals once a week and freezing the leftovers.  If you use tupperware type containers you can make lunches and dinners for the entire week.  I like to make several different types of food combinations at once so that I don't get bored.  You can easily cook a roast and roast a chicken at the same time.  Or grill/broil fillets.  At the same time you can cook a couple of different vegetables either on the stove top or in the microwave.  If you have a rice cooker, you can make up a batch of wild rice to toss in or cook some potatoes or noodles on the stove top.

Another alternative is on weeks that you know you're going to be insanely busy buy premade frozen food.  Trader Joe's has a bunch that are reasonably priced, reasonably healthy and pretty good.  I like the frozen burritos $2.99 for 2 and the frozen enchiladas $1.99 for two.  I also get the frozen mini pizzas $4.99 for 4.   I'll microwave a bag of broccoli/artichoke hearts/asparagus to accompany it depending on what I feel like.  It takes next to no time.

Forget an additional plate for eating, use the storage container that you save it in as your plate.  This will eliminate a bunch of dirty dishes.  To make it even easier to clean, you can line the storage containers with a paper towel or buy some baking paper so you can just toss the baking paper/towel and quickly rinse the container to wash thoroughly later.  Also, buy paper and plastic if you truly don't have time to do dishes.  I'm not quite convinced that this isn't environmentally sound when you consider the amount of water that goes into washing dishes.

Look into buying one of those head lamps that bicyclers use if you want to walk the dogs at night.  Also a can of pepper spray or mace (whichever is legal where you're at) just in case.  If it's not safe to walk in your neighborhood at night then you'll have to work on getting up in the predawn hours (not my thing) to walk them.

When you're at work, you can do some stretching and minor exercises throughout the day.  If you just have 10 minutes you can do a set or three of pushups.  Try walking in place, it will have an aerobic impact and doesn't look strange.

Wow. Everyone's so super helpful. ^_^

I'm going to have to try every one of these tips this week and see which ones work. I'm so stoked.

-smiles-

I get up an hour or so early and get it done before work. You just have to make the time. Maybe go to bed a  half hour earlier.

Morphing exercise with transportation helps a lot! Ride your bike to work if you can, walk quickly to the bus stop. 

do you have space or $$ for an exercise bike in your house?  I don't so I ride my bike outdoors but I have the time too.  But in the house while you're reading would really help.  And skip the dishes on exercise night.  All you need is 35 minutes to get a good workout. 

I work 18 miles from home, so I can't bike to work. I drive. I don't have the money for a bike, or the room. I thought about one, though... I wish my house was larger.

I'll be plotting a workout tonight... probably while I'm doing dishes.

I'm in a similar situation (except I'm the teacher not the student - so instead of an afterschool job, I have afterschool marking).  I'm NOT a morning person; waking up early to exercise is not going to happen.  I have two cats and neither of them helps me with cooking, cleaning or shoveling snow off my front path.  Well, sometimes, they dust with their tails - but they're very inconsistent about it.

I reserve an hour three nights a week (that typically coincides with something good being on TV) and workout then.  If something comes up, my hour may get delayed, but I make sure I do get the workout in before I go to bed.  Frequently, that means I'm working out between 10pm and 11pm.  The idea that people can't exercise late at night is nonsense; MORNING PEOPLE can't exercise late at night; it works great for night owls.

I get up earlier. 

My alarm is set for 4:50, I am at the gym by 5:05, I work out til 5:55, I am home by 6, showered, changed and out the door to work by 7:20.

The upside is that I sleep better, and eat better when I work out in the morning... and I have more time for other fun stuff at night.

I'm SO not a morning person...

Well, I'm already up till midnight, minimum, every night. I suppose another hour wouldn't kill me.

I had a ton of problems fitting exercise into my schedule, too.  Two things really helped me:

1.  (The big one):  I started doing exercise that I *liked* doing.  It was amazing how time appeared in my schedule to do something that I actually enjoyed.  For me, a huge part of the time committment to exercising was procrastinating, etc.  I also exercise last thing in the day, so that I don't need an additional shower, beyond the one I take in the morning. 

2.  Ten Minute Solutions is a brand of exercise video (I'm particularly fond of their pilates rapid results, but they have a huge variety).  It is designed that you do 10 minutes of exercise 5 times a day: wake up ten minutes early, grab another 10 between class and work, another 10 when you get home before chores and then stay up an extra 20 minutes -- you'll barely notice.

The only way to go is to get up early and do it.  I try to be out the door walking by 4:45 AM.  I try to walk for about 90 minutes or so.  Been doing this for almost 2 years.  At first I had to force myself.  Now its become habit.  I was a true night all in the beginning, but this has changed.

I jump rope in front of the t.v. in the evening, usually while dinner is simmering or baking.  30 minutes (i.e. one sitcom) equals 400+ calories burned while jumping rope!

Also - how big are your dogs? Don't you have to walk dogs? I don't know, I'm not a pet person, but it seems a bit mean to keep them inside all winter - are the dogs big enough to protect you from weirdos in the dark? Even walking a few block with them at night would be good for all of you!