I am happy to say that this is one of the first mornings in a long time that I have actually managed to get out of bed just after 5am, make it to the basement and get in a workout! It wasn't as long or as strenuous as I had wanted (just under 30 minutes and ~1.5 miles on the treadmill), but it was a start...and I broke that barrier.
When I first started working part time and month and a half ago, my plan was to get up every morning at 5 and workout in the basement. I know that was ambitious, so I had planned to be in bed by 9pm every night to still get enough sleep (8 hours) and be able to manage it. Well, that plan worked for about 2 days! Then I got sick, and opted for the extra hour of sleep in the morning and the habit was broken....(the only way I can pull this off is to make it habit and not even think about it but just roll out of bed when the alarm goes off)...then when I started feeling better and got some energy back, I would end up staying up until 10, 11, 12....I had to get things done at home (emails,
HOA business, bill paying, work etc.)...I know some of it could wait or fall off my plate...but you have to understand that now, my week day is segmented into 4 parts:
Morning -
6am - 7:45am which now includes me getting ready before getting the kids up just before 7 and getting everyone dropped at school. The minute I drop Ryan off, the next part of my day begins
Work -
7:45am - 1:45pm or 2pm driving to and from and working for ~5 hours daily. Sometimes I fit in a quick errand like a quick grocery or Target run solo, and then the next part of my day begins at 2:15 when I pick Ryan up.
Afterschool -
2:15pm - 8pm afterschool snack & activity (we have speech or karate every day and on the days we don't we have a
dr or dentist apt or
playdate). Dinner (cook and eat), homework, bath & bedtime around 8pm
Evening - 8pm -? In theory, this should be until 9pm at which time I promptly go to bed....even then, I just have one short hour to prep for the next morning (make lunch, put out clothes for everyone, etc.)...most of the time, I also have to fit a shower in during this time...if I have to get on the computer at all, then it will be at least until 10pm. And all this assumes that our other
time frames haven't bled over (dinner out w/family often gets us home late, then bedtime will get pushed to 8:30pm, etc.).
If you add sleep, then my 24 hour day really has 5 segments in theory:
Sleep - 9pm - 5 or 6am I know some people can exist (or claim to) on 5, 6 or 7 hours of sleep nightly and function fine...I have done that and less during college finals and with newborns...that's not me! If I get less than 7-9 hours a night for more than a night or two in a row, then I REALLY feel it and usually end up catching a cold/getting sick...as I get older, my body is less tolerant...and esp if I plan to get decent workouts in and be able to eat healthy, lack of sleep really sabotages me in both areas as I tend to crave
carbs and sugary
carbs at that when I am tired and I can never get a hard workout in when dragging. I NEED 8-9 hours to function ideally, and I think Dr Oz recommends 7.5 - 8 hours a night for EVERYONE!
So, in looking for gaps for working out....I have 3 options in my existing 'day' unless I am missing something:
1) The
pre-morning zone 5-6 am
2) Evenings after the boys are asleep 8-9pm
3) During the
afterschool time - the nebulous time that is pretty full as is
I can't possibly fit it into SLEEP, MORNING or WORK - unless they find a way to workout while you sleep, I get a more active job (maybe I should get into construction?), and Morning is just not an option.
Each of the 3 option areas have pros and cons:
1)
pre-morning is VERY early, and tough to get up that early. It relies heavily on me getting to bed by 9pm or so and completely relies on my drive to get up and do it.
2) Evening is almost impossible. By the time I get the boys to bed (on my own w/David travelling), I feel like I have just completed a marathon...activity, dinner, bed...it is
alot with a 4 and 6 year old to do on your own. I just don't have the energy or the drive to get it done
3)
afterschool time is pretty full as is, but I could try to re-work it, shuffle things, pare back, be creative and find a way to make it to the Y with the boys or something. Sometimes, I am able to go to the basement and work out while they are playing upstairs but that is only when we don't have much going on which is rare.
Wow, all I know is that I HAVE to find a place to fit it as a habit. As your day goes on, things pile on or get backed up...my best option is to
integrate it into my per-morning and then use the others as backups when that doesn't or can't happen.
