What time do you exercise if you work FT and don't WFH?

[roamingcat]

Hi all,

Bit of a silly question I know but I've always struggled to work out the best time of day to exercise around my job and to keep things consistent. I work FT (36 hours a week plus whatever I take for lunch) and don't WFH, my commute is about an hour each way. I'm really lucky that I have flexi-time so can start work anytime between 7-10am and can work less/more each day as I like as long as it evens out overall. However, I think the unexpected downside of this flexibility is I have always struggled to make an exercise routine stick as I don't have core hours to anchor it around.

My current routine is quite limited - I try and run 5k 1-3 times a week. I would like to add in some at home yoga videos for flexibility and have dumbells I could use to do some strength training. I've also been wondering if I should move to a compressed pattern - I could compress 10 days into 9 by only doing an extra 40 minutes a day and then could probably WFH on one or both of the other extra days (or take annual leave). The added complication is I also try and stick to intermittent fasting for health reasons, so eating before a run in the morning would require me to change this routine.

Looking from inspiration for you all - if you work full time and don't usually WFH and have a solid exercise routine what time of day do you exercise? What do you do on which days?

Pretty much the same as this but I’m not always in bed as early as I’d like!

My husband was at the gym at 6am every morning and I got the kids up. A friend used to run at 5am as that's the only time she had. Now she can swap off with her husband as he works from home and kids are more self sufficient. Another did a half hour run to work (luckily showers there). Another worked out at lunch break.
If it's important to you fit it in.

I have hybrid now but before that I did an early evening gym class that is close to home. No way am I ever going to get up at dawn! The alternative was going for a late swim and sauna and coming home for the hair wash etc. it helps that my area is quite built-up and there are a few options very near.

Wow! I realise I've stumbled onto the Exercise topic and it's eye opening. I'm amazed by the commitment and determination and early morning starts shown here. I may hang around and hope to be inspired. I merely walk quickly uphill on the home journey on the school run - at the moment...

I'm lucky because I WFH and have flexible hours. I wanted to do a hypothetical because: some of the hours y'all waking up... fills me with dread!

If I ever had to RTO full time, I think I would go to a gym near work. Get into work for 8.15am and go home at 6.15pm, take 2.5hrs at lunch to workout/shower/eat.

When I lived a sensible distance from work, there would be an hour commute each way. So maybe up at 6.30am to leave the house by 7am, then back home by 7.30pm. No kids though.

It all sounds so horrible, don't know how you do it. I have a lot of respect for you!

I love seeing the commitments people! It makes me sad when people don’t make time for exercise as it’s so important for health.
I’m an early bird and it makes it easier to get up at 5 but I’d prefer to sleep until 6 at least when the DC wake up. I’m asleep latest 9pm as sleep is also very important for me.
Once you’re in the habit you just do it, motivation is fleeting but routine will keep you going. It makes me feel great once I’m done.
When DH works away I use a baby sitter or train at home using basic equipment. I also use the crèche now and again at my gym but I always feel rushed so I don’t like doing it. Weekends when my DH is at home I do longer training sessions.

A 4am start makes me want to cry!

I walk the dog three weekday mornings a week before work, 630-730. One weekday morning I lift weights 645-730. One weekday evening I lift weights and swim. Then at the weekend I walk the dog one day and swim the other.

much much easier now we’ve moved to somewhere where I have a 7 minute bicycle commute. And the kids are a bit bigger and can sort themselves out in the mornings - mostly!

Lunchtime gym-goer here! I’m neither an early bird nor a night owl so this is the only routine that gets me there consistently 😂 It helps that we’ve got a gym opposite the office though. I rotate 45m classes 4 days a week (Zumba/Aqua Aerobics/Spin/Pilates) which keeps me motivated as they’re booked in. Then a quick shower and I’m back at my desk within an hour.

The caveat of course is I’m forever scarfing down lunch at my desk. I feel SO much better for it though.

It's really hard exercising when you work full time!!

I always always always work out both Saturday and Sunday.

I do WFH one day and run at around 7 am.

If you have flexibility on what time you start I'd get it done early and then go to work.

I manage 3 workouts a week non negotiable and then a fourth if I can.

Fair play to people who get up at some ungodly hour to exercise. Just for some balance I train 10-15 hours a week and work full time 08.30-17.30 with half an hour for lunch so can’t get a workout in then either. A couple of days a week I cycle commute and one of those evenings I do some strength work at the gym (close to work) on the way home. The other days I drive so I can get home in 15 mins and do 60-90 minutes on the static bike at home, or go for a run of 30-40 minutes. I don’t normally eat dinner til 8pm. I do 2-3 hour bike rides on the weekend, sometimes plus parkrun. I don’t have kids which maybe makes it easier but let me assure you there is only one hour a day in my waking life that starts with a 6 and it’s definitely not in the morning!

Im shit at getting up early! I run 5 x a week, I either go for 30-40 min at 7am or whenever fits in the evening which could be 7pm or up to around 8.30 for 40-50 min.

Occassionally do some strength/core at 7am ish

Fair play to people who get up at some ungodly hour to exercise ..I don’t have kids which maybe makes it easier

Well yes. I don't particularly enjoy getting up at 5, but evenings are spent on picking up kids, driving them to and from various activities, feeding them, homework, bedtime - by the time they are in bed and house in a reasonable order again, I'm falling asleep myself. So morning it has to be.

Thanks all for the responses- really interesting to see how everyone does it!

I do it in the evening, seem to be in the minority from this thread! I have a 2 year old and a 5 month old and then are both in bed by 7, I go straight out for a run then and post shower etc I am done for the evening at 8:30 which gives me a few hours before bed.

been looking around the gym since this post. I tend to go at about 8/9pm when it’s quieter but it’s 90% men there and a handful of (usually) younger women. Never noticed it before.

In the winter I'll go after work as there's bugger all else to do and I can get there for a 5.30 class and be home by 6.30.

Oh god, nothing would induce me to get up at 4, that sounds miserable

Like there must be some point where getting up that early might prolong your life but you no longer want to live a long life if it involves getting up early to push weights around, working all day then going to bed without an evening

Op there's a whole thing about snackable exercise - it's good to just get your heart rate up a few times a day, so take a few minutes to run up the stairs, do a few star jumps etc and that's beneficial

If you don't have to start work until 10 I'd get up at 7, do an hour's workout, have a shower, breakfast and go to work.

I can work from home a couple of times a week and so I try to do PT in lunchtimes or evening. I also utilise the 2 hours of free time I get when my DD is at her dance classes on a Saturday.

This is interesting as I always played team sports when younger, though with adult women’s teams and trainings were always evenings a couple of times a week regardless of the sport (hockey, netball, football). Plenty had kids so I don’t think it’s impossible. Not picking a fight at all, just interested really as my experience with friends and family is the opposite. I wonder if it’s a difference between really enjoying the social aspect of having a hobby and therefore engineering childcare/clubs for the kids that allowed it vs feeling like exercise is something that just has to be done and a quick gym or jog while everyone else is in bed is the only way. Maybe why you are wiped out once the kids go to bed as you started at 4am? Again not judging or saying this is you. Im genuinely interested! Women in sport is something I’ve done some volunteer work on.

6am alarm
have everything ready the night before so literally get dressed, clean teeth and pick lunch up out of the fridge
6:30-640 in the gym (I walk there so that counts as my warm up)
I usually weights supersets
7:20-730 jump on bus outside gym to work
shower at work and at my desk by 8:15, 830 at the latest

or I sometimes run at lunchtime and one evening I often do a gym class so I'm in work for 8am and leave at 4:30 to get to the gym for 5:30.

I'm lucky that i have a fairly short commute and the gym is half a mile from home! I also have good showers and a locker at work.

I wonder if it’s a difference between really enjoying the social aspect of having a hobby and therefore engineering childcare/clubs for the kids that allowed it

Oh I also exercise a couple of evenings - but I want to work out more than twice per week, and wouldn't be fair if I didn't see the DC at all during the week.

When I used to work full time in central London, I go to classes at lunch time - I find the short ones 30-45 minutes so that I can get changed and ready in an hour. Now that I have a non-London job but mostly working from home, I exercise in the morning. I'm terrible at getting up earlier than 6:30 though, but will do so if I have to also get to office that day.