Fitting in

Posted by Austin at 12:49 PM
Okay, so, here's a different thing here - I'm going to ask for advice.  I mean, I know not many people read, but hey, can't hurt.

So, here's my schedule:

Monday: up at 6:55ish.  At work by 7:30.  Leave work around 4, home by 4:30.  Change, get some dinner, do some homework, leave by 6 for class.  Home by 10.

Tuesday: up at 6:55ish.  At work by 7:30.  Leave work around 4, home by 4:30.  Change, run out the door by 5 for class.  Home by 8ish, then dinner and homework.

Wednesday: same as Monday

Thursday: up at 6:55ish.  At work by 7:30.  Leave work around 12 (usually skipping lunch), in class until 7 to 8 (varies).  Home by 8, then dinner and homework.

Friday: up at 6:55ish.  At work by 7:30.  Leave work around 4, home by 4:30.  Friday nights I "take off" from school, so dinner at some point, maybe a night out at friends' places.

Saturday: up at 9:30, school work until noon or 1, eat lunch, housework until 4, shower and leave to go out for Saturday night, home by midnight generally.

Sunday: up at 10.  My most open day; usually I'll do a little homework at some point, but I try to relax.

(I also do homework as much as possible while at work - during conference calls, during my lunch break, etc.)

So, given all that... how the hell do I fit any kind of workout routine in there?  I'm not an hours-at-the-gym kind of person anyway, so that's not a concern, but I would like to have at least some kind of focused effort a few days a week.  I'd also like to get in my walks and such again, even if just on the treadmill, as I feel better when I do more.  But I can't really do math or physics problems while walking.  I can get up a little earlier (say, 10-15 minutes maybe) and do some stuff in the morning, but realistically (just being honest) if I'm not in bed from 10 to mostly 7 most nights I go downhill fast (yes, I need 9 hours of sleep to be healthy; I'm a teenager at heart).

Also, I need tips on quick, easy, healthy meals (not necessarily low-call, but just healthier in general) that I can prepare on Sundays for the week since most of the time I don't have time to really cook.  I'd love to be able to eat between work and class most nights, as I hate eating late, and I need to stop the fast-food cycle.

So, anyway, if you have any suggestions, please leave them below, and thanks :)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

WRT exercise, you sound busy enough that any kind of big fitness push right now isn't likely to be successful. And it sounds like even getting to a gym would likely take up too much time. There are plenty of 20 minute high-intensity workouts that don't require much in the way of equipment (some just use resistance bands). That you could fit in 3 times a week, say. But as with most of that sort of thing the primary barrier is psychological -- there's a thing you can do quickly that will work but because it's quick it's hard and you won't want to. I've had much more luck getting myself to do lower-intensity exercise when it just fades into the background of my daily pattern. The harder stuff is too tempting to skip, or quit.

As for Sunday meals, a big factor is how important variety is. Cooking in advance will save much more time if you're willing to eat the same meal two or three times. If you have lots of freezer space you can stagger it over a longer period (a month rather than a week, say).

But a lot of the stuff you can fix yourself that way you can also buy, unless you're really trying to save money. A lot of the frozen stuff at Trader Joe's, for example, is quite good as long as you "revive" it well, which usually means the stove or oven instead of the microwave. If you have a couple podcasts you like listening to, cooking dinner for 10-15 minutes can come to seem like not much of a time commitment. And pasta is generally quite easy, often doesn't require any refrigeration even, and there are lots of different "sauce paradigms", so that can be a quick rotating staple. (I have no idea if your taste is anything like mine but I could list a couple example meals if it might help.)

February 17, 2016 at 2:17 AM
Austin said...

I'm not looking for a big fitness push, just something sustainable. I don't ever expect (or honestly want) 6-pack abs or something, nor do I have unrealistic expectations of what can be accomplished. But 10-20 minutes of something is better than no minutes of anything.

I'm not a huge must-have-variety kind of person. I'm not really a foodie. Pastas are fine, and I make my own sauces and such, so I already do those fairly often. I also do stir-frys fairly often (the rice is what takes the longest) and pre-made soups and such from the store (Pavilions actually has decent jambalaya). I was just wondering if anyone had other ideas.

February 19, 2016 at 8:19 AM

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