Hey there, lovelies! Today I want to share with you a few tips to start working out with a full-time job. We know how hard it can be to actually start doing it. The struggle is real.
If you want to start work out in the morning, you need to wake up earlier than you are used to, and if you aren’t an early bird it can turn out to be a real challenge. Something I already knew wasn’t for me.
And if you decide to work out out after work, you will need extra motivation. Once I get home I just want to lay down, maybe take a little nap, eat and get ready for the next day.
So let’s just agree it’s hard to start working out with a full-time job. Especially if you haven’t exercise regularly in a while.
I want to share with you a few tips to start working out with a full-time job. We know how hard it can be to actually start doing it. The struggle is real. Click To Tweet
My Fitness Journey
Everything started on November of 2018. My whole family was going to the gym and I was feeling a little left out. So I decided I didn’t want to be the lazy one.
At first I would just go to the gym for the classes. Specifically Zumba, but soon realized that I wasn’t using the gym facilities at the fullest.
So I made an appointment with a personal trainer. That was key in my fitness journey. The personal trainer evaluated me and gave me a workout routine especially created for my needs.
Note: This evaluation was included in the membership I was paying, so check out at your local gym if they have something like that.
Having a routine helped me to feel more motivated. I was actually working on my goals and I was excited to see the results. Obviously that wasn’t as fast as I thought. It took around two months to actually notice the difference.
Going to the gym made me happy and it helped to my self-esteem. I simply loved how confident I felt.
After six months, I stopped going to the gym because I went to visit my boyfriend (for around a month). When I returned I started to work in a company so I didn’t have the energy to keep the blog, a full-time job and going to the gym.
Besides, it was winter, so I really didn’t have the motivation to go to the gym once I got home. It was dark and cold. I wanted my bed and cuddle with my dog.
A couple of months passed and I started to gain weight and being lazy again. That was the opposite of what I wanted to be. So I decided it was time to go back to my old and better self.
I wasn’t sure with the decision though. Having a full-time job and a blog is hard. Adding going to the gym was something I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep. But I bit the bullet and went ahead.
And dear lord, most of the time is a struggle to get dressed and go to the gym after work. I’m either too tired or just have other things to do.
But it makes me happy and it’s worth it. I tell myself to start slow, to go just half an hour. The point is just to go.
After a month of going to the gym, I learned a few things that have helped me to start working out with a full-time job and I want to share those tips with you.
Tips To Start Working Out With A Full-Time Job
1. Make Working Out A Priority
One of the first things that people think about when they want to start working out with a full time job is how they are going to make time to work out. I totally understand it.
You either have to wake up super early or you just have to go after work (or maybe during lunch break). Either way it’s an extra activity to your regular schedule that it can make you feel exhausted by just thinking about it.
It is important that you make it a priority though. You might have to stop going out some night just to keep a good routine at the gym.
Or for example, if you normally go after work and then you have plans afterwards, make a few changes. That day you can go to the gym in the morning so that way you can do both.
If you don’t make it a priority you will keep making excuses to avoid going to the gym.
2. Set A Schedule
I would recommend first to try every schedule option you have available. That way it will be easier for you to choose the perfect time to work out. Like I mentioned before, that can be before going to work, during your lunch break, or afterwards.
In my case, I prefer to work out in the morning, but I’m a night owl and it’s hard for me to fall asleep early. So I won’t wake up one hour and a half earlier just to go to the gym. It just not for me.
Right now my routine is: leave work, get home, eat, and go to the gym; but lately I’ve been finding harder than it usually is to leave home and go to the gym.
That’s why I’m thinking about two options to help me with that. The first one is simple: not to lay down once I get home. The second: change to my gym clothes at work. Since I’m already dressed, I will feel the pressure to go.
3. Find Some Fun Workouts
One of the first things you should do when you start working out with a full-time job, is to find a fun workout that will get you excited to get to the gym.
At the least the first month. That way you can create a habit and not die trying.
It’s important to start slow and have fun first; then you can start working harder, and slowly start adding different exercises.
When I first started back in 2018, Zumba was it for me. I enjoyed it so much that without even noticed I was falling in love with going to the gym. That was important and that was the difference between then and all those other times I wanted to be fit.
4. Bring A Friend
A friend is a perfect way to stay accountable. Studies show that having the support from friends and family can go a long way in the weight room, and I truly believe it!
In my case, I use my competitiveness as a motivator (instead of just bringing a friend with me).
My mom and sister go to the gym in the morning, so if they already went that day I would feel more inclined to go since they already went and I can’t be the lazy one. If they don’t go I would tell myself that it’s okay to skip since they didn’t go anyway.
I know. My brain is weird, but it works for me!
5. Start Small
Like I said in tip #3, it’s important to start slow and have fun first. You don’t want to burnout in your first week. Take it is easy and keep building that habit day by day.
You want to start trying going every Monday? Go ahead and do that! Or maybe you just want to do all the fun classes first before starting with the machine and the long cardio.
Maybe you can go every day but only for 30 minutes. That’s OK too!
Just know that this is your journey and you shouldn’t compare yourself to other. Don’t let others tell you what to do at first.
You might hear some comments like: ‘you should go to the gym at least three times a week’, ‘you should do at least one hour of full cardio’, ‘you shouldn’t go after work because you will feel too active and you won’t be able to sleep afterwards’.
You do you at your own rhythm. The beginning of a new journey and that will be key for the future. The first days will be hard to adjust to a new routine. It can be hard and it can bring a lot of pressure to yourself. So start small and kill it at your own pace.
6. Set A Minimun
This go together with start small. You want to take it easy at the beginning, but at the same time you have to be strict with your routine so you won’t start missing workouts.
I tell myself that I want to go to the gym at least five times a week, but since life happens and things can get in my way, I’m happy to go four times a week. That’s my limit. No less than that.
7. Give Yourself Some Grace
Take it day by day. Yes, you should be strict with your routine, but don’t be so hard on yourself. If instead of jogging for 30 minutes, you only did 10, that’s okay too! At least you tried.
If you couldn’t make it to your usual workout class, then don’t worry and you can do a quick cardio or weight session. If one week you went three times a week instead of five, then don’t feel guilty. Next week you can try again.
The important thing is not miss a workout because we feel lazy. We might not be able to go to the gym when we wanted to because something came up. Maybe you had to work as a babysitter, study, or in the case you are too tired to move (and I don’t mean laziness), it’s okay to skip.
So tell me! Are you working out at the moment? Is it difficult for you to work out with a full-time job? Let me know in the comments!
Sincerely,
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