Excercising in general is not an easy thing - it is a committment and takes time to plan and make yourself go.

Perhaps because I am single, I somewhat have the luxury to choose when I fit my excercise during the day. A few people who I know prefer to do it right after work, do not stop at home, just aim straight for the gym. Then later have dinner if you desire one. This is what I did yesterday, and I cannot say it worked well for me - I was tired and hungry through the workout. Yet I felt full when I got home and could not take a bite, but a ate just a bit even though I was ehaused and sleepy. As midnight approached, I was not sleepy anymore. My body was totally confused.
Others I see at work - they find time to do it during lunch. Not my option, I need more than an hour (This week is only cardio, and may be some press if I can manage it), and then I need a shower. Hauling bags of stuff, changing at work or at the gym, showering there - I find it very unplesant, even though it is clean.
So far my option has been: Go home at 6pm, eat by 7pm, rest till 9 and then gym, shower at home, and direcly into bed. Worked well, and I felt rested.
The thought of getting up at 6:30 to be at the gym by 7 [15min at home and 15min to drive there], work out and be at home at 9, and not be at work till 10???
How do you girls do it? What about mornings? How do you manage?

When I was single, I loved going to the gym after dinner. I even tried that with DH when we were just dating and he didn't like it at all.

Now I'm a before bed at home exerciser or sometimes after work exerciser. I have periods of doing it in the morning and you start by getting up earlier and earlier and doing a little bit each day. I would also do it at home though.

When I was going to the gym and did mornings, I'd take everything with me, get to the gym around 6:30, exercise, shower and get ready there and then go to work.

Hmm I struggle I think more with "take everything with me" then with showering there.
I think because of my self immage as large and big, I have trouble carrying a big bag with all my stuff with me, I fill as I am even bigger than I am already because of the bags...Besides when I try on something in the morning, I change my mind frequently as things sometimes fit better or worst as time goes on. Even going on a trip I take double the closes that I need.
Lastly I am affraid I will forget something...

Well we all have different circumstances. I work at home and my "official" starting time is 10:00. And on top of that I'm an early riser. And on top of that I don't head to a gym to exercise, saving me even more time. So I do have time in the morning. I usually walk for about 40 mins in the morning outdoors and do about 35 mins of some kind of aerobic/cardio workout in my home and yup this is all usually before 8:00. Times do vary for me depending on my kids scheduele. I do change it up during the course of the school year. For me the mornings work out quite well. I also do a workout of some sort, usually more walking and then strength training, in the late afternoon or evenings as well.

It IS a commitment and sometimes a pain in the you know what, but the benfits outweigh any inconveniences by so much that it's worth it.

But you need to decide for yourself what would be the best time to work it into your scheduele. Even if it means getting up a little earlier then you'd prefer. It's just THAT important.

Good luck.

I try to get up in the morning to go for my walk. Up at 7am out the door by 7:18 back in at 7:45 then 20 push ups and 50 crunches. I found it eaiser once I was going it. I found being in bed at 11pm helped as well. Even tho I'm single and a night owl I forced myself and I was able to get up earlier.

You don't need a gym to start of working out. Unless your the type that hey I'm paying for it I'm going to use it. A couple of dollar tree buckets with water/or sand can act as dumb bells. If you live in a good neighborhood you could walk outside or bike. When I was in phyiscal therpy they had these rubber bands that you could all kind of stuff with.

When I work out I look at whats going to raise my heart rate up for atleast 30mins I also shoot for 3 days a week.

Hi,
I am a SAHM , at the moment, so I do elliptical and general exercises for about 45 minutes in the morning, and at night I do about 15 minutes of free weights. I recently started doing the weights at night, because I felt real tired after the elliptical. For me exercising at night is hard, I just want to relax after cooking and cleaning, ect... So after DD is at summer school I come home and begin exercising about 8 am( I am usually up between 5 and 6 am, feeding cats, cleaning litter boxes, sweeping, washing clothes ect... I try and eat breakfast around 6 am so I have the energy to exercise, but sometimes I will only drink grapefruit juice and then after I exercise I will eat a bowl of cereal at 9 am.
So I do have more time than you, but I am more of a morning person, and like doing this, when the time comes and I have to get to work, that is going to be a big problem fitting in the exercise.
cheryl

I think whatever you will stick to is the answer. I've played around with lots of different schedules and for me, so far, regular morning exercise doesn't work. So, I work anywhere from mid afternoon to night. I often work an odd schedule though, so what works for me may not work for others.

The other thing I have had to ask myself as I think about exercise schedules is whether or not I'm just making excuses for myself. I really don't like to think about DOING exercise, and I tend to come up with lots of reasons why I can't do it, often revolving around not having time. However, I have found that when I do take the time to exercise, I feel better, have more energy and just feel better about myself (because I am exercising itself AND because I am doing something for me). So I have had to learn to make myself exercise even when I don't want to. I don't know if any of this describes you or not...

Yep, you've got to find a time that works for you. I get up at 4 and either do a DVD, ride the stationary bike for 30 minutes to an hour or I get to the gym when it opens at 5 and work out for an hour. And I stop at the gym after work and on Saturdays to work out for 1 to 2 hours. I make sure I eat a small snack at 3:00 and another one on the drive to the gym at 5:00. But I'm still trying to work out my dinner. When I first started this journey one of my rules was no eating after 7 and that worked great when I was just working out at home. But now that I've actually joined a gym I'm finding that isn't possible. Going home first isn't an option since the closest gym is 30 miles form my home (I live in the sticks ) So until I figure it out, I'm eating a lot of pre-cooked meals that I've thrown in my freezer.

I agree. You just have to make it a priority and a habit for whatever time you like the most. I work full time and have to be there at 8:00. I also have active kids, so after work doesn't work for me. I'm exhausted at night, so not a good time. So... I get up at 5:00 am and get it done.

For two years, I got up at 5:00 a.m. to work out. Recently, I've been working out in the morning, but not quite that early. I can't lie to you: It was never "easy." However the hardest part was actually getting out of bed. Once I did that, the rest was just routine. Also, it felt great to come back from the gym, take a shower, and enjoy a great cup of coffee. As I had my coffee, I always felt a sense of accomplishment because I knew that my exercise was out of the way.

Here's what I've found: I am a more consistent exerciser when I work out in the morning, but I feel I have more strength & energy when I work out in the early afternoon.

I would love to exercise in the evening (a key reason being my decreased appetite post exercise) but it just doesn't fit w/ my lifestyle.

Wow, thank you so much for you replies.
Today is a really tough day for me for some reason, any post that I read I burst in tears, scared that I am not be able to... I do understand that everythign is possilbe, and I have done it before.
Excercise is just one of my current inner-struggles...

Rockinrobin,
Thank you for your comments. I do have a somewhat flexible schedule, where most of the days I can be at work after 9, and I do live just 15minutes away from work, and 10 minutes away from the gym.
May I ask you about your exercise further?
When you walk, what’s the usual speed, i.e. do you do power walks up the hill, or is it more a wake-up kind not too slow but without “the push”.
What kind of aerobics exercise do you?
How many days a week do you usually work out twice a day?
Please, don’t take it the wrong way, I am just trying to learn as much as I can right now. I am not being skeptical, I am trying to get myself used to the idea, of what will need ot be done to achieve desired results.
Congratulations on your weight loss.

[QUOTE=Outland]....

You don't need a gym to start of working out. Unless your the type that hey I'm paying for it I'm going to use it. A couple of dollar tree buckets with water/or sand can act as dumb bells. If you live in a good neighborhood you could walk outside or bike. When I was in phyiscal therpy they had these rubber bands that you could all kind of stuff with.
[\QUOTE]

I do have a membership already, but I am not that type :-)
In the past being at the gym made it easier because doing it alone at home was somewhat borring. Driving to the gym usually sets me up into the right mood.
Walking around the neighborhood is kind of tough, It is an ok place, but not somewhere where I would enjoy the walk. I don't own a TV and therefore I used TV as reward for doing eliptical machine.
The rubber bands things are helpful, I even have a couple, after my last physical theraphy...

Yes, you are right. I cannot say about now, because 1 or 2 days are not a good test, but in the past at first I looked for reasons not to go, which later turned into I want to go, but lazy to get up. Kind of strange feeling...But certainly afterwords I usually felt great, even though tired and sleepy at times.
Again as I get more into it this time around, I think i will find the same, right now I am trying to supress all of my thoughts about excercise.

Interesting. I do believe that this will apply to me. I've tried going to the gym around 10am or 11 am in the past, and I felt that it was 2-3 times as hard on my body, which simply did not want to move.
Again evening comment is also true, usually while at the gym I might feel hungry, but after the work-out, I can easily not eat. If I go to bed within an hour of the work-out I am golden till the morning.