Anyone else have a physical job?

[Kibbles314]

I currently work in a factory, and find that I have the opposite problem of many of you who work a desk job: I get a lot of exercise from work alone, and sometimes feel too tired to go to the gym after. I don't like waking up extra early to go before, since If I lose track of time and am late I can be fired for it, so I try to go right after work. I love how working out feels, and how I feel after, but the smallest excuse is enough for me to not want to go. Often I feel so tired after work, I don't have the ambition to work out after. That being said, on the weeks I don't exercise extra, I tend to gain weight, even if i eat less. I'm not sure what to do to make it easier to get myself to the gym after work. Generally if I make it home, I won't leave, which is why I go directly from work. It would be nice to have a workout buddy, but mainly I wish I could combat feeling so tired before I even start at the gym. Any suggestions?

[1stepcloser]

From what I have been told over the years once you have a demanding job like yours, your body adjusted to it. So yes if you don't exercise more you can gain weight. You prove that your body has accepted your job because you even admit you feel better after you exercise. So how to help you move more? Hmmmmm..... I read a book once about a man who went to therapy because he didn't love his wife anymore. The therapist told him to go home and love her. Of course the man said he couldn't. The therapist said to just go home and do everything he did when he was in love with her, and eventually he will love her again. So Based on that theory......LOVE when you go to the gym. Don't make an excuse! Make a determined announcement to yourself. I AM GOING TO THE GYM BECAUSE I LOVE IT! I LOVE ME!  But quit making excuses. Just go! Also PLAN when you will work out! You say that you can lose track of time. So start planning your time! I know my idea may be a little off, but in the book he fell back in love with his wife, go fall in love with the gym.

[Kibbles314]

I do have a planned time, usually the habit is what keeps me going. Hence why I go right after work. My planning isn't the problem so much as well power. I guess I've just been feeling a little burned out

[JenniLacey]

I know where you're coming from. I work in a factory too, before that... I was a stay at home mom with all the energy... and time, to workout. I kept up my old routine and training, which was very intense... until I burned myself out.

I didn't want to begin to loathe and dread my routine to the point I threw away 2 years of hard work. I took a hard look at my routine and cut back the things that are less necessary. My cardio took a huge cut, I burn enough calories at work. I still try to do an optional one 30 minute HIIT session and an hour on the weekend for the health benefits. When I can, I replace my indoor aerobics with "fun" cardio instead; badminton, swimming, hiking, etc.

For weight training, I am lucky to have all the equipment I need at home. I now focus strictly on compound exercises like deadlifts, squats, lunges, OHP, bench press, rows, planks, etc. I aim for a short routine and I find split between lower and upper body works best for me. 2 days lower/core, 2 days upper body and a full body routine on Sunday. I keep them straight and to the point 20-40 mins. I like to have 4 main exercises I commit to each session. It's much easier to convince youself to go for it when it's only going to be 20 mins but a lot of times I find that once I start, I feel up to an extra exercise or two. I also allow myself to omit 1 of my week day exercises if I really feel I need to. I tried to do full body routines 3x a week, didn't like it. Didn't want to do it. Shorter, more frequent routines work better I find.

I find that when you make your routine after work too daunting, it's easier to talk your way out of it but if you just tell yourself, I'll just go in and do 3 quick exercises.. it seems easier to manage and if you feel up to it once you're in, you can always (and usually will) add a few more to make it count.

I'd recommend making your weekends count. Weekends are for full routines. Shorter routines during the week. Not every week you're going to make it, every day you plan. It happens.

Do you work steady shifts or swings?

[Kibbles314]

Steady now. It used to be 7 day, 3 shift swings. That was tough. I was only on that schedule for 8 months but gained nearly 15 pounds. Even if I did go work out, the lack of sleep killed me. Especially 3rd shift. There would be some days I would get home and literally be unable to sleep, even with pills. Most times I would get 2-6 hours of sleep, it was rare for me to get 8. I'm on days now, but will be starting up a rotation between first and second shift in a few months. Thankfully that will be a 5 day swing so it won't be as bad.

As for workout, usually I do full body weight lifting 3 days, then some form of cardio (like walking on the treadmill or biking) on the off days, with one day of rest. I agree that it would be better to do a longer workout in the weekend, since that's usually when I blow all of my hard work during the week. (That's part is why I'm a little burnt out at the moment, I'm annoyed with myself and my terrible weekend will power). I prefer doing whole body workouts, since I hate having one area getting sore. I like mixing my techniques to include multiple muscle groups as well (like a dead lift squat into a bicep curl then back down again) instead of focusing on just one spot. Usually my weightlifting takes 20-40 minutes, depending on how into it I'm feeling. So far this week I've just been walking on the treadmill (I tried doing short 2 minute runs but it hurt my knees) while holding weights so that I have still don't something. I try to remember when if it's a small or less intense workout it's better than none

[Heybales]

So I see a glaring misunderstanding above about doing something for a long time, and it not being useful anymore.

Depends on your goal.

If you weigh the same and do the work the same level of intensity, you are burning the same calories from it. The energy to lift 15 lbs from the floor free from gravity doesn't change if young or old, male or female, muscular or weak. Those things may change how it feels to each person though, but the energy to move it is the same for all of them.

It being hard or easy for you is meaningless, that just says your heart and lungs and strength are up for it easier now than at the start - it also usually means you burn more fat doing it than carbs previously.

It also means as a way to improve your cardio and strength system, you have plateaued and reached the max improvements this job can provide.

So if purpose is to get stronger or better with cardio, you need to do more, and that could be a tad more exercise.

If the purpose is just to lose weight, then you merely need to eat less than you burn, if really demanding job you don't need to exercise.

Exercise would merely increase how much you burn daily, allowing you to eat more while still eating less than you burn.

But you can accomplish that easily right now, especially with fact your body is already used to this level of activity. You have increased calorie burn compared to someone sedentary, it's more fat now since it may be easy for you, you should be able to eat less and still be satisfied - hopefully.

[Kibbles314]

At the moment the goal is weight loss, though I have been experimenting with my daily intake. I know part of my burn out this week is just coming from feeling a little depressed (which usually happens after returning to work from a long weekend) and trying to get myself back into routine. Even with increasing my calories from 1400 a day like the past couple of weeks to around 1600, and easing myself back into the routine with increased walking and such before weights, I've lost about 1 lb a day this week. I realize this is most likely getting rid of the water weight from over eating during the weekend, but it has helped pick me up to eat a little more. Mostly my problem seems to be finding it difficult to hold onto the motivation and excitement that keeps me going to the gym. It had felt more like going to work instead of something that relieves stress.

[Heybales]

Sure water weight, and that could be good or bad that there's that much to lose, or you are going that far below what the body wanted to store.

Because for it to be fat, you'll need that deficit of 3500 for 1 lb to be just fat, between eating and burn. And that's just not possible to obtain in short time, just like fat doesn't go on that fast, unless truly stuffy yourself and not moving.

I'd say find a routine you enjoy first along with work. And then be realistic how often you do it. No need hating what you could enjoy. And since physical job and reasonable deficit should be enough.

Maybe that is merely going in and doing strength training on muscles you don't use at work, give some balance.

Because frankly, if work is tiring out certain muscles, then you would likely not be able to lift heavy enough with tired muscles to get much if anything out of the workout after work. So basically wasted time and just making those muscles even more tired. And very uninspiring to desire to do it in the first place.

Maybe save those muscles for Sat, hit them hard, Sun recovery, and you'll notice they don't get so tired at work after awhile.

If work is just draining - confirm your deficit is reasonable. No need eating to little that it prevents doing something useful.

Your body has great ability to adapt. Feed it too little, and first thing it does is slow down spontaneous daily activity to conserve calories for more required metabolic functions. That's not good. So you could have the same deficit eating more, but feel a whole lot more energetic.

So that's the problem partly, for a workout to be beneficial, it has to push the body harder than it's used to, enough of that and it makes itself stronger.

So just as someone has to mentally accept that and push themselves to do the next 2 sets to truly benefit - you'll need to push through the tiredness work causes to get any workout.

With the knowledge eventually you'll get stronger and work will no longer tire you out the same way.

View it beyond that workout, because frankly, except for stress relief, no benefits to the body actually occur during the workout, but during the rest for recovery.

Wouldn't that be great.

[Kibbles314]

Yeah, I definitely need to revamp my routine. I usually use my weekends for rest, I hadn't really thought about using them as a chance to push a little harder. I like that idea. Sometimes it's hard for me to remember the rest is as important as the exercise, perhaps I'll make a weekday my off day instead of the other way around. I think another change I need to make is allowing a little more frequent small treats in my diet instead of saving them all for one day (or the while weekend). I find myself craving bad foods constantly, especially when people bring junk into work, and I spend the whole week resisting until the weekend hits. Then I just binge like crazy and unravel the week before. I think using a weekend day for a more intense workout would help to keep me on track.

[asdf_cosmo]

I'm a registered nurse who clocks anywhere between 5,000 to 15,000 steps dependent upon the type of shift I've had. I work 12 hour shifts.
I find the only thing that gets me to work out is finding something that I enjoyed, and also finding a way that MADE me go - and now I do it because I love it! Before I enjoyed exercising, however, I found that having an instructor, teacher or trainer waiting for me (i.e. I had made an appointment with them that I needed to keep) was the best way of making me work out. 
I know it sounds odd, but the energy you get is equal to the energy you put in! I have noticed a dramatic increase in my energy since exercising regularly and find I need less sleep to feel good (normally was clocking 10-12 hours, now I'm okay with 6-7 hours).
You've just got to find out what works for you, whether that is meeting someone at the gym, paying money for classes (so you feel the need to go or else you'll waste your money), hiring a personal trainer, and finding what you enjoy. 

[Kibbles314]

Yeah, while I was in NY my favorite thing was actually pole fitness. I went to a place called Bella Dolls and absolutely loved it. Val (the owner and trainer) had a great workout routine that she switched up regularly to start, then we would practice whatever level of moves we were on at the time. It was great. I had a way to measure progress that didn't involve the scale, it was a good workout, and the other girls there were always supportive and fun to be around. I really miss it. I tried finding another place around here to try, but it felt less like working out and more like stripping 101 😕