Exercise and FT work

I work full time till 6pm, two teenagers so can leave them in the evening. I joined a gym offering small group personal training, attend the classes 3 times a week ( usually the 18.30 or 19.30 class) Best thing I ever did.

why would you find it impossible? OP finishes work by 6PM. That's peak hours at the gym, nothing unusual in going to the gym in the evenings after work.

I would struggle (find it impossible) in your scenario. Could you take an hour lunch and do something then? Or prioritize a gym session or class on your day off? Can you use an under-desk treadmill at work?

I have no commute, work flexible hours from home and don't have a weekend job. I normally work 8am-12pm and then 3pm-7pm, so fit something in the gap between.

I cycle or run to / from work. I also get up at 5 am a couple of days a week to run or weight train. I have 4 kids so evenings tend to be busy but I do get out for a longer run one day at the weekend. I love exercising though so it doesn’t feel like a chore. Probably the most useful thing for you would be discovering a form of exercise you really enjoy so you actually want to get up early for it.

Try doing some weight lifting for your bones

OP doesn't have kids at home though, so family dinners, laundry etc should not take that much time. It's of course a lot harder if you need to find time for your sports in between ferrying children around, homework, dinner, 100 loads of laundry etc etc, especially if children are also too young to be left alone.

When mine were small, I got a reasonable home gym set up - spinning bike, adjustable kettlebell, dumbbells and Les Mills bar, so could excercise without leaving the house. Lot easier now they are a bit older and can be left for an hour or so while I do a gym session.

@Moveyourbleedingarse It's horses for courses isn't it? I just wish I could get it done and out of the way before I start my day, rather than having to add it on to the end! To be fair, I'd probably be in bed by 8pm (without the early start) if I wasn't hauling my bedraggled arse around the streets 😂

Slight different as I have kids I'm busy from 7am and 6pm between work, commute, pick ups, dinner and kids activities.

I found a gym that does later gym classes 6-7 or 7-8pm. In the summer I walk more than use classes. Going straight at 6pm is good as the I can't be bothered mentality hasn't started yet. Straight from finishing with kids and my DH takes over to going to exercise.

@WorstPaceScenario because I feel grim if I don't.

This morning I slept in because up late at a school event last night. I still did a ten min weights video at home. Then swam 20 lengths when I got to school (I work at a school). Not much, but significantly better than nothing.

If i don't I feel sluggish and feel myself falling asleep.

I don't do it for appearance or to stay slim, I do it for my heart health and energy levels.

I also usually go to bed by 8pm!

I did have a morning paper round 7 days a week when I was a teenager too so it's very normal for me to get up early!

I really admire early morning people (whom I appreciate aren't magically born that way, but do it because that's the option they have). I just cannot a) force myself out of bed and b) function for the rest of the day on such an early start.

I'll never know how people exercise in the evening. By the time I've done school run at 6pm, then food for everyone and tidied and laundry, I go to bed. 😂

I exercise first thing. Alarm goes off at 4.30, I'm up by 5. Quick dog walk, then a half hour weights workout in the garage or yoga inside the house. Then a half hour walk at lunchtime and some yoga stretching in the evening.

Then quick shower make my coffee and leave to drop DC at bus stop at 6.55am.

Been exercising first thing since the DC were babies. I used to run, but I'm permanently injured so restricted to weights.

It's easy to say that you have lots of time in the evenings, but commutes and cooking and prepping for the next day all take time, as do other obligations or commitments, not to mention the energy impact of a busy day or the thought of going out in the cold/dark evenings, so I absolutely empathise OP. I'm not saying it's impossible or that you have to be superhuman to do it, I'm just acknowledging that it can feel like a lot.

I'm currently marathon training, which also has to include a couple of gym sessions, and it's a constant bloody juggle. I walk at lunchtimes when I'm in the office, and fit the gym and running in on weekday evenings and weekend mornings, but I could really do with an extra three days in the week!

When I worked those sort of hours out of the house it was up at 5am and exercise for an hour. I still do that when I am very busy even though I work hybrid now. I have cardio equipment and weights at home though so that makes a big difference.

If I don't get up really early to exercise then I do it in the evenings. I barely ever sit down. I have friends who finish dinner and housework by 7pm and then just sit watching TV. I can't imagine that!

I make time - I don’t have a tv, don’t have kids, I don’t cook, I do online shopping, housework is easy and minimal as I do a bit everyday. I don’t go to concerts/pub etc. As it’s just me, it’s up to me how I spend that time I do have. I choose to exercise. Easily fit in 2-3 hours a day after work.

i go to the gym at 5:30 and walk or cycle at lunchtime, but the big difference is I work from home. If I had a commute to deal with and second job at the weekend, I wouldn’t be able to do that.

i suggest starting small, but staying consistent. Gym or classes a couple of times
per week and increasing steps on the other days. It doesn’t have to be 10k plus, just an increase from what you are doing currently. Once that becomes habit you can increase if you want/can.

You have after 6pm every evening, that’s quite a lot of time.

A half hour walk is good. It is worth trying to see if you can fit in some strength work at some point for your long term health.

I've recently drawn out my time commitments for each day (with travel time) and it's clarified that I have got less avaliable, usable time than I feel that I should. Plus energy; my job is on my feet being mentally alert so I don't feel able to catapult into action straight from work mode because I am mentally and physically drained. I can potentially fit 2x 25 min mid-week runs before work, but it's an early start and a long day.

Youtube is the answer, quick 15 mins or 30 whilst cooking. Try Eleni fit or Madfit, so many options to find your preference / goal.

DH and I both work full time and have pre-teens, but try to squeeze an hour per day of gym time in whenever we can. Our gym is open 5AM-11PM so totally possible to start early or go it either before or after dinner, depending on if kids need to be driven to/from activities. Weekends of course, then kids will come along too.
Being fit makes such a difference to my quality of life so it's non-negotiable for me.

I work similar hours to yours. 7 am - 4/5 pm. Then 1 hour dog walk a day. I don't have the energy to do "proper" exercise. And by that I mean weights, gym, running or yoga/pilates.

It is the lack of energy that is the killer. I need to just chill for a couple of hours and decompress after the working day. Plus have dinner and my bedtime routine. To get at least 7 hours' sleep i need to be in bed by 9 because i'm up at 5:30. The time just disappears.

To the OP: don't feel guilty or that you "should". The working hours and expectations are not compatible with a healthy life. Me and DH just feel as if we are being squeezed for every last drop. And it leaves us drained at the end of the day.

I run and do weights at the weekend (unless i get drunk or have more work to do...then it just gets rolled onto next week!)

If you work from home then it’s much easier to fit in exercise. I go out to work each day, leave at 7 and return at 5, with a strict 30 minute break only.
Like Op, I am also out on Saturday, working.
if you have to clean, do the laundry, do the garden, food shop etc, you are on the go all the time. That in itself keeps you active and pretty young. I try to do floor exercises and lift weights at home, but some days I am exhausted. Age also is a factor, I have just turned 60.

March - October it's easy, because it's light enough in the mornings/evenings to go out before or after work. I'm a runner, so I just put my gear on and go. October - March is hard and I've struggled this winter, in particular, because it's been so wet and that has really impacted my motivation to get out. Consequently, I've gained half a stone and am feeling fat, untoned and unfit. But the evenings are getting lighter again and the clocks go forward in three weeks, so I'm just trying to do my best until then. Otherwise, I just take any opportunity I can to walk rather than drive, take the stairs rather than the lift, etc. Every little bit helps.