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Daria

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3 comments on Twisting this way, and that

Twisting this way, and that

I am trying really hard to figure out this exercise thing.

I thought I would only go after work. Well, some days I have to bring R to his jiu jitsu, some days my daughter has piano, other days I have a shit day at work and just want to curl up and hide (albeit those are quite rare). I want a consistent exercise routine but not sure if that is even possible.

ChatGPT suggested mornings. EARLY mornings. Stick it, ChatGPT.

Mornings are HARD. My job is not flexible, it’s from 7:30 till 2:45. There is no such thing as lunch time yoga or Pilates, no.

Going to the gym in the mornings also means no leisurely sipping coffee, no reading for an hour, no staring at the wall. No creature comforts. Or, is it the story I’m telling myself?

Weekday mornings mean I exercise BEFORE reporting to work at 7:30am.

Wake up. Leave house. Exercise. Shower and get ready at the YMCA. Report to work by 7:30.

I tried it today. And I wasn’t miserable.

The alarm rang at 5:00AM. I got up at 5:15ish, and sat down on the couch with my coffee. Left the house at 5:55, at 6:05 I was at the Y.

Exercised.

6:50ish, took a shower right there in the gym and got dressed. Made it to work by 7:27am.

It IS doable.

BUT. To make it work, I needed to have these things ready the night before:

  1. have my gym bag packed;
  2. Water bottle filled
  3. My work outfit for next day, the towel, the deodorant, and the brush, packed.
  4. Thankfully I have a remote starter to the car and I can warm it up before getting into it.

Sigh.

The good thing about morning exercise is that 1. It’s done early and out of the way, and 2. I don’t need to wreck my brain how to fit the exercise in after work.

On weeks that my husband is away, all of the above goes out of the window… so I can exercise in our basement then: bike, rowing machine and some weights.

Snowy back yard on Monday

How do you fit in exercise if your job is not flexible?

Daria's avatar

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Daria

Mother, teacher, partner, friend. I love coffee, books, and travel with and without kids. I dislike exercise. Nothing glamorous here but do have moments of insight.

3 responses to “Twisting this way, and that”

  1. Grateful Kae Avatar
    Grateful Kae

    You sound like my husband! He does not have a flexible job, cannot exercise at lunch, he has a 35+ minute commute, and he usually doesn’t get home until ~6 pm. He decided this winter, after not exercising consistently for years now, that he would go in the morning before work just 2 days per week. This means it’s only TWO DAYS M-F that he has to get up “early” and disrupt his “normal” morning routine. After a few weeks of that, he has decided to add Sunday mornings, as well.

    Could you try something similar? What if you go to the gym just 2x during work week, and then do either a home workout or go to gym on the weekend 1x? That’s 3x, a very respectable and effective amount of exercise! Besides, it’s not like your job is super sedentary- you’re on your feet, etc and busy with the kids other times, too.

    This would give you 3 weekday mornings a week to sip coffee and stare at the wall. 🙂 Best of both worlds. 😉

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  2. Grateful Kae Avatar
    Grateful Kae

    Sorry, one other comment on this- when Ivan was deciding to go for the morning gym thing, he decided that he had to commit to doing his 2 mornings a week for an entire month before he could even THINK about skipping a day. Maybe you could tell yourself, ok, I’m doing this for a month, I want to do this, and THEN I’ll reassess and decided if I like this or not or if any changes are needed. Don’t leave it up to your “5 am self” to tell you what you want because she lies. 😉 I think you’ll find, like Ivan has, that it feels amazing to get it done in the morning and just be able to relax after work, and that will motivate you to keep going!

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  3. Lisa’s Yarns Avatar
    Lisa’s Yarns

    This is tricky because some weeks you can do morning workouts but when T is traveling you can’t. The post-work workout when the kids don’t have activities and they are in after care are nice as it gives you a little reset before getting the kids from after care. I loathe getting ready at the gym so applaud you for doing that! The good news is that you are already an early riser!!

    I aim to workout 4 times/week. I always work out on the weekends and then find 2 other days. I workout on my WFH days when I have more flexibility. But you have no flexibility so have a more challenging problem to solve!

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