Please help me find my routine

[Suggestionswelcome80]

I'm really hoping for some outside perspective and suggestions to help me back into a good excersise routine. I'm early 40s. Recently my complete lifestyle has changed. Relocated, changed job and now commute 1 hour each way 5 days a week. I'm up at 4.30am, sort dogs, chickens, shower/wash, make coffee and leave at 5.30am. Drop dogs to day care and at work for 7.30am. Leave at 5.15ish, pick up dogs and back home for about 6.45pm. Make a quick dinner, stir fry etc, do regular chores, sort anything for the next day, wash/shower and aim to be asleep by 9.30pm. Any suggestions on how I can incorporate some fitness into my week? I'm tired and unmotivated and would appreciate any recommendations x Thank you in advance to anyone taking the time to consider this for me x

That's a long day! I'm struggling to fit exercise into my day and I only get up at 6:40 and get home at 6pm! What's your work day like - do you have a decent lunch break where you could squeeze in a brisk walk?

I’d aim for weekends and maybe one evening class in the week; your days sound long and tiring and I think when you’ve booked a class it makes you more motivated than something by yourself

You have dogs but get someone else to walk them? Can you fit in a 20 minute walk with them yourself when you get home? Rather than a chore, treat it as way of unwinding after work. Is there anyone else who can prepare dinner or see to the chickens to give you more time for yourself?

Ok your commute seems to be much longer than an hour - 2 hours in the morning and 1.5 hours in the evening? Honestly you’re going to really struggle to fit in any exercise unless your commute involves walking?

Ideas

• Meal prep on a weekend and instead of cooking after work do a 15 min workout instead then dinner after, have a snack on your way home to fuel
• Cook every other night and exercise at home on alternate nights
• Exercise both days on a weekend
• Go for a walk at lunch
• Ask your work to get walking treadmills as a staff incentive

Thank you all for your suggestions and ideas. Just putting it out there has helped me give it some more headspace and start making some little changes. I just need to start feeling the benefits again and as before it will become more accessible.

I'm not surprised you're not fitting it all in - a one and a half to two hour commute is draining.

When I was commuting for an hour 5 days a week, I would fit in exercise by parking up a few miles from the office and cycling the rest - if on the electric bike no need to change clothes or anything - which had the advantage of actually being quicker than completing the journey in the car because of traffic.

Do you get any kind of lunch break? Even a 10 minute walk can really make a difference. Even walking to a further shop to pick up lunch if you don't take it with you.

Batch cooking and meal prep at the weekend, at least for three meals would make a big difference, I'd have thought.

If I haven't had the energy to do much in the day, I do bedtime yoga by Yoga with Adriene - one of them is only six minutes and they really help me sleep.

What kind of chores are you doing? I really do very little during the week except stack the dishwasher when I full-time commute. Everything else is done at the weekend.

We have an exercise bike that we ride in front of the TV for half and hour - just gently but better than nothing.

I had thought about cycling in part way. I'll give it a try this week and see if I turn up in a reasonable condition! Chore wise it's nothing too heavy, washing up, a mid week laundry, a quick blast with the hoover as I have very unforgiving flooring and am in and out the house with 2 dogs leaving plenty of evidence. I'll start small and hope I can achieve some change.

I was about to say cycle part of the commute.
I get up to train at 4.30 a couple of mornings a week and then train on a weekend.