How To Fit Working Out In Your Work Schedule

One of the biggest fights with working out is finding the time and the willpower to get up and actually do it. As a working woman, it has proven difficult for myself, as well as my other girlfriends, to find the optimum schedule and routine to fit in a task that half of us aren’t too happy about doing in the first place. Most of us wake up between 7-8 am (if you are lucky), then there is the getting dressed and primped time, coupled with finding food and the commute.

With all that goes into just making it into the office, most times your mornings are shot with no perceived time to exercise. Let’s not even discuss the internal battle that happens around 3:00 pm when you remember you have dinner plans or tickets to a dope concert and working out after work is just not feasible. But oh, you conspire with yourself and say “I will get started tomorrow…. for real, for real this time.” I too have struggled with this.

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I thought I came up with the perfect work out schedule when I worked for a firm located in the heart of Times Square. I was the only attorney in the New York office (the firm was based in Colorado), so I had a little freedom and flexibility with my schedule. During my lunch break I would walk a couple of blocks up the street to New York Sports Club, work out for about an hour, shower, change and head back to work for part two of my day. After about two weeks of not getting out of the office until 10:00 pm and constantly battling with my hair after the work out, I immediately knew that this mid day work out was not going to work for me.

Though the mid-day work out was not optimum for me, it has proven successful for one of my girlfriends who works in finance. Three days out of the week she goes to the gym on her company’s campus, runs for about 30-45 minutes, showers, changes and heads back to work. In the past 3 weeks she has lost 8 pounds from just adding this to her schedule as she admits that her diet has not changed. She and other friends are preparing for a 5k run this spring and hold each other accountable for completing 3 runs a week so she had to find a fit for her, so this is the best way for her to get it done.

After realizing that the mid-day work out was not ideal for me, and wrestling with the question of whether to go for after work cocktails or an after work run (we all know what won out in that match); I quickly went back to a method that worked for me about 5 years ago which is waking up at 6:00 am, every week day to work out. I walk to the gym, put in about an hour, walk home and start my day as I normally would. This works for ME and has proven successful in the past with my weight loss efforts and still having time to socialize after work.

We are all very busy ladies, dealing with significant others, children, volunteer organizations, social events, etc. Though you give your best in those areas, as well as your career, adding a work out can be done in and/or around your work day so you can reach fitness and weight loss goals in the midst of your daily work responsibilities and time constraints. If you are stuck in a rut attempting to include a work out in your day, I suggest you inquire with your company about any specials and/or perks with neighboring gyms. Additionally, if there is a gym on your company’s campus, it would be both beneficial to your wallet and your waistline to get moving!

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