Exercise for those of us who work 40 hours/week?

Question

For those who work 40 - 50 hours a week, do you exercise in the morning, after work, after dinner, on your lunchhour? Which method has worked best for you?

My family has tried after dinner, but we have no energy from working all day. We're trying to get up earlier, eat breakfast, then work out, but getting up and motivated is tough. Thanks for the help!

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Answer 1

I bounce my workouts around depending on the weather. I like to run, so I run right after work, on the way home, in the fall, winter, and spring. In the summer when it's too hot to run in the afternoon, I'll flip it and run early in the morning before I go to work. I'll also try to get in a session early Saturday morning.

The trick is to get into the routine. I just started up again after an 8 month layoff and the first month was tough to make myself get my *** out there. Now I've gotten in the routine and I find myself really looking forward to doing it and miss it if I don't.

Finding good surroundings is also important. Finding a park or other nice place to run is just as important. Just slogging around a track or running down a busy road sucks. You need something stimulating to keep you motivated.

Answer 2

Working out in the morning isnt a good idea, your body needs time to rest post workout, and while it may give you an initial burst of energy in the morning, come 4-5 o'clock, good luck staying awake (some may refute that, but keep in mind there are exceptions to the rule)...I've always had the best luck excercising post work, pre dinner...you dont want to load up with a meal before excercising because your body will be focused on digesting and storing the nutrients you just took in, and during a workout, for maximum results, you want your body focused fully on excercise...try eating a later lunch at work if possible, or replace the typical sandwich and fruit with a meal or snack high in protein, this should help spread your energy evenly throughout the day (also drink plenty of water)...also, if you work out before dinner, your stomach will be contracted just like the rest of muscles in your body, resulting in you having the feeling of being "full" on much less food than normal, which is never a bad thing when watching your weight...give it a shot, but just keep in mind, the first few days/weeks are the hardest, once you make excercising a habit, no matter what time of the day, it will be much easier to get in the routine. Good luck!!

Answer 3

I work 40 hours a week.

I get up early and workout for an hour in the morning before work. I also go on a 15-20 minute walk on my lunch break. When I get home I do another hour. Granted I don't have any kids so it makes it easier for me.

Answer 4

Really try for five or six weeks to excercise before you eat/hop in the shower for the day. After a period of time you will notice you have more energy and are more alert when you hit the clock.
I run four days a week and lift three. I found by completing my workouts in the morning I don't have any excuses to skip them from circumstances that occur in the course of a regular day.

Answer 5

I do a combination of yoga, calisthenics, and karate in the morning b/f work. Takes anywhere from 15 mins to 45 mins, depending on time and how hard I want to push it!

W/out BEFORE b/fast.
Motivation is what gets you to workout the FIRST time.
Discipline is what gets you to workout EVERY time.

Answer 6

I know my mom has a similiar work/excersize problem.
She's started taking walks in the evening after dinner. A half-hour or so, and then she goes back home and relaxes.

Answer 7

my family goes out on walks after dinner. we just started this a few weeks back. our goal is more spending time with each other and maintain our cardiovascular health rather than lose weight, so we have not kept track of our weights. i'll let you know if i lost weight the next time i step on the scale and notice a lower number! :)