No time for health and fitness

[catoelin1964]

I've been on a mission to lose weight for almost 2 years now. I'm having a very difficult time doing so. My weight has caused problems in my joints and one point from being borderline diabetes. I had a membership at ACAC for 1 1/2 and I only went about 10 times. I kept paying a lot of money for a membership I couldn't use. I recently joined Snap Fitness because you have access anytime. Definitely something I need in my life. I've been a member for one month now and haven't gone yet. As I said in my bio, I'm a workaholic. Because of that, I don't have the time to go to the gym or even fix myself a nutritious meal. I was working 4 jobs but is now down to 2. I leave one job and sleep for 3 hours and on to the next. I leave the second job around 2 am but is too exhausted to even attempt to go to the gym. I eat out all the time because it's the quickest way to get a meal. It's drive-thru and on to work. I just don't have the spare time to do anything for myself. I have no motivation or will power. I've lost myself, my willingness to complete my goals. If I have any spare time, keyword "IF", I use that helping everybody else. I don't know what to do anymore to get my motivation back. I have a sucky suck support system that does nothing but brings me down. So depressing, literally!

[Mukluk4 · Accepted solution]

Drop the gym membership, it's not helping your situation.  Not sure of your financial situation, but working all the time is not a lifestyle that I would want.  

At some point, you need to make the right decision for you.  If that's working all the time, eating like crap and not doing anything about it, that's fine, but own that decision and the repercussions that follow.   

[Dominique]

Are you a workaholic by choice or out of necessity? If you’re short on time, I would skip the gym and focus on getting enough sleep and eating at home, both of which would have a much bigger impact on weight loss than exercise.

[catoelin1964]

Dominique, it's out of necessity. However, I've been doing this since high school. Thirty-three years later, it's still happening. I have a passion for taking care of other people ahead of myself. Which always put me behind on the important things in my life. My therapist I once had said I'm a caretaker of others and I need to learn to say "NO"! A big problem of mine when someone is in need.

[catoelin1964]

Mukluk4, I'm already suffering the repercussions for it. 

[catoelin1964]

Dominique, it's out of necessity. However, I've been doing this since high school. Thirty-three years later, it's still happening. I have a passion for taking care of other people ahead of myself. Which always put me behind on the important things in my life. My therapist I once had said I'm a caretaker of others and I need to learn to say "NO"! A big problem of mine when someone is in need.

[DanielleinDC]

is there a way you can work fewer hours so you have time at least to work out? Even if all you can get is ten or fifteen minutes of walking, it's better than nothing. This lifestyle is just not good for you.

[USAF-Larry]

No time for Health and Fitness reminds me of this:

He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses. -- Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace), Roman poet

[catoelin1964]

I'm going to work on that. I will start with baby steps so to speak.

[bcalvanese]

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@catoelin1964 wrote:

I've been on a mission to lose weight for almost 2 years now. I'm having a very difficult time doing so. My weight has caused problems in my joints and one point from being borderline diabetes. I had a membership at ACAC for 1 1/2 and I only went about 10 times. I kept paying a lot of money for a membership I couldn't use. I recently joined Snap Fitness because you have access anytime. Definitely something I need in my life. I've been a member for one month now and haven't gone yet. As I said in my bio, I'm a workaholic. Because of that, I don't have the time to go to the gym or even fix myself a nutritious meal. I was working 4 jobs but is now down to 2. I leave one job and sleep for 3 hours and on to the next. I leave the second job around 2 am but is too exhausted to even attempt to go to the gym. I eat out all the time because it's the quickest way to get a meal. It's drive-thru and on to work. I just don't have the spare time to do anything for myself. I have no motivation or will power. I've lost myself, my willingness to complete my goals. If I have any spare time, keyword "IF", I use that helping everybody else. I don't know what to do anymore to get my motivation back. I have a sucky suck support system that does nothing but brings me down. So depressing, literally!

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I went through the same thing a few years ago, but then I realized it was a mission to find excuses not to do it. After developing health issues and having to have surgery which uncovered a couple other health issues, I could not afford to make excuses anymore.

I was 57, obese, and at an extremely poor fitness level.

I started walking every day (some times 2 and 3 times per day).

Then I started power walking every day.

Then I added jogging into the mix.

Now I am 59, at a fair fitness level, and am only slightly over weight (lost over 50 lbs so far).

I can jog 5 miles, and power walk 10 miles (could barely walk a mile when I started).

All my blood work comes back fine now (used to be a mess).

This is very hard to do at first, but sounds to me like you need to turn the "excuses not to do it" into "ways that you can do it".

The president is probably the bussiest job on the planet, and if the president can find an hour a day to exercise, anyone can.

One thing I do to save time is do a 3 mile jog or power walk during my lunch break at work. My boss even comes with me some times.

You have to make it a habbit, and it has to become a part of your normal day (just like work).

So what are you waiting for?

[Dominique]

@catoelin1964: while being the American version of Mother Teresa is very laudable, you should start getting a bit more selfish and make time for yourself and your health/fitness goals. If you totally burn yourself out (or worse), you won’t be of help to your close ones.

[catoelin1964]

You're absolutely right. I am starting to feel burnt out.

[SunsetRunner]

Lets think it through.  How much will you be able to work once diabetes begins to ruin you body?  One point away means damage is already being done.  How much will you be able to work when the joint pain gets so bad you can barely walk?  How much will you be able to help others when you are in constant pain and don't want to move?  

Either you want to be able to do these things or you want to continue eating what you are eating and doing what you are doing.  Think both options through with the mind set of what you WANT not the mindset of I SHOULD.  IF you want to get healthy, set in time to cook healthy meals that are portable.  I've lost 32 pounds on Atkins without exercising at all-you don't need to beat yourself up in the gym to lose weight.  Once you decide, put on those big girl panties and figure out HOW to get what you want.  

[AuroraKat]

You don't need a gym to lose weight!

Weight loss begins with proper nutrition. This is something you can control no matter how busy you are. Once you stock your pantry and fridge with healthier options, it will be much easier to make better choices. The next step is to figure out how much you should be eating to lose weight. There are many websites and free apps to help you with this step!

If you want to add some exercise, look up bodyweight workouts. You can do them practically anywhere and they do not require special equipment. If you have a 5 minute break at work, why not do a few exercises? Check out this article to get you started - Body Weight Workout for Beginners

It's very difficult to find time for yourself when you are trying to take care of others. But, you owe it to yourself AND your loved ones to take good care of yourself for a long, healthy life. 

[catoelin1964]

I wait no more. My boss gave me the authorization to take a one hour lunch to do what I need to do. This is after the board members met with my boss on my behalf. I was completely unaware of this. The ring leader is a nurse that lives where I work. The board members know my struggle. So I now have one hour for lunch, something I didn't have before. And I'm paid for it. I was notified of this at the company's christmas party last night. I'm thankful for that and thank you.

[USAF-Larry]

That is great, @catoelin1964!  Keep on Stepping!

[catoelin1964]

Aurorakat,

I dropped my membership and lost 5 lbs on my own. I'm striving to meet my goal. 

[catoelin1964]

Auroakat, I got rid of the gym membership and is working out on my own. I have lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks

[AuroraKat]

That's great! I am happy to hear that you are seeing progress - way to go!

[SunsetRunner]

I haven't read all of the replies before so apologies if I'm missing any extras thoughts given or repeating information, but...

I believe you need to compile yourself a list of the priorities in your life in order or importance. Come up with a list of 10, take your time with it and think it through - Spend hours, day, a week looking it over. Your top three priorities are the things you should put work towards daily. The next three are things you should put work towards weekly, and the final four are things you should put work towards monthly.

This list can include all things from doing well in your work, being financially stable, eating nutriciously, taking care of your relationships, keeping your home clean and tidy, working out, saving/investing money, working on a hobby.

Look at where your eating habits and exercise lie, and go with it. If they're not a top priority right now, then just let them go. You'll never accomplish a goal if it's not a priority to you, and you should accept that and make peace with it. Work on your priorities in the order of the list, and work on committing to the work towards what is important. Soon your priorities will change, and you may find that through guilt free commitment to what is a priority right now, they soon may occupy less of your time and your health and fitness will creep up the list. The more uninterrupted and guilt-free time you have for something the better and more efficient you will be at it.

When you have a clear undertsanding of your priorities, and have them visualised in a list, it'll be much easier to put work towards towards the things that are important. You'll acknowledge that your health and fitness are something you want to work on, but they have their time that is allocated to them. Being at peace with the place of every aspect in your life will do your stress levels wonders, and you'll soon find yourself having a little more time and being able to give that list a bit of a shuffle around!