Going back to the gym after a long period of inactivity

[Tweety]

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I haven't been to the gym in close to three months, and it is really starting to show now. The combination of being super busy at work (60-70 hour weeks recently) and having a 5 month old has made it relatively difficult to stay on top of diet and exercise, but I'm done making excuses and am ready to get back on the saddle starting tomorrow morning.

When I'm working out regularly, my normal routine is to jog on the treadmill for about 35 minutes at varying speeds, and then do weights for about 15-20 minutes, focusing on a different muscle group each workout.

In my current condition, I can't see myself jumping right back into this routine. I think I would burn myself out or simply wouldn't be able to do it.

What are some good tips on how to get yourself back into shape on a steady but somewhat gradual basis? How do people with super busy work and family schedules make time to work out? What dietary recommendations would you make for someone who is out of shape and looking to hit the gym again after a long period of being sedentary?

I'm 6'3", 33 years old and weighing in at 230 right now. 200-205 is sort of a par weight zone for me, whereas 190-195 is ideal and lean looking. So, in short, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Any pointers and comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Rootabager]

I dont think a ton of us have much experience working 70 hour weeks and having kids. I can see how it would take up all your time.

My dad would always get up at 5 30 and go work out. He did it in the morning so he wouldnt have to do anything after he got off work.

I know that might be a bitch.

Maybe try to workout saturday and sunday if you dont have anything going on during the weekend. Then getting your other workout whatever day you dont have to work as much that day.

You can try to do some full body workouts so you dont have to worry about not doing one bodypart during the week if you miss your workouts.

Pack your lunch to work so your not forced to eat out as much, keep some fruit in your desk, bag of almonds in the desk.

Eating less is what's going to make you lose weight.

Working 70 hours a week is going to make it tough because getting enough sleep and keeping your stress down is so important to weight loss. Try to sleep as much as you can.

Stuff like no caffeine late at night if you have that problem.

I am really just giving alot of generic tips. I dont know your situation enough really.

[Tweety]

70 hours is not even close to normal for me- that was one recent week where everything was crazy and I had no choice really. Normally, I work from basically 7:15am until about 5:15 or 5:30, 5 days a week, which is roughly 50 hours.

My gym opens at 6am, and I live fairly close to my office (5 minute cab ride), so I can work out in the morning and still be there on time. Getting enough sleep is also not really a problem, as I'm rarely home later than 7pm.

I don't like working out after work. I'm way too burned out from the day, plus I am in the mood to be more leisurely after work, whereas exercising first thing in the morning while listening to pump up music is a good way to start the day.

Good point about eating less. I currently snack too much at night, and this is definitely a problem. I don't have much of an appetite during the day. Usually an egg white veggie omelette for breakfast and a salad with grilled chicken for lunch is plenty, but I struggle with appetite management in the evening.

[Wolfram]

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Good point about eating less. I currently snack too much at night, and this is definitely a problem. I don't have much of an appetite during the day. Usually an egg white veggie omelette for breakfast and a salad with grilled chicken for lunch is plenty, but I struggle with appetite management in the evening.

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I'm pretty sure that focusing a majority of your caloric intake to the evenings is contributing to your weight gain. Try to eat multiple meals over the day (at least 5), and start off with a good breakfast. Omelette is good, but you need some carbs as well for fuel. Oats are great for that.

Honestly I don't see how it's possible to work 70hrs a week and have a family and stay in shape unless your the most insanely disciplined person. Usually one area will get sacrificed, and it often ends up being your health.

[Tweety]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Good point about eating less. I currently snack too much at night, and this is definitely a problem. I don't have much of an appetite during the day. Usually an egg white veggie omelette for breakfast and a salad with grilled chicken for lunch is plenty, but I struggle with appetite management in the evening.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure that focusing a majority of your caloric intake to the evenings is contributing to your weight gain. Try to eat multiple meals over the day (at least 5), and start off with a good breakfast. Omelette is good, but you need some carbs as well for fuel. Oats are great for that.

Honestly I don't see how it's possible to work 70hrs a week and have a family and stay in shape unless your the most insanely disciplined person. Usually one area will get sacrificed, and it often ends up being your health.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed, but again, the norm for me is 50 hours, and I start early, so I'm almost always home by 6pm. It really is not a legitimate excuse in my case. That one 70 hour week I pulled was an aberration.

The other problem is that since the baby was born, we're not cooking as much, because we don't have the time in the evenings. So we end up doing takeout more often, which is obviously no good. We have started cooking more again and are trying to make that our routine, but it's obviously not easy when you're dealing with putting a baby to sleep at night.

[Wolfram]

Get healthy takeout food.

Subway subs (whole wheat bread w/double turkey, ham or roast beef, all the veggies and mustard and vinegar for dressing is good), skinless roasted chicken breasts + rice, chicken salad (no croutons or fatty dressing), beef steaks + baked potatoes and salad, sushi and certain Thai dishes (mostly non-curry).

Stay away from mexican food, pizza, chinese, most italian and burgers + fries (you can sometimes cheat on the burgers, but get ones with lots of beef (150oz+), no fatty dressing, only eat the bottom bun and exchange the fries for fresh salad w/vinegrette.

I'd recommend having one day a week as your cheat day, and then you can basically go nuts. And limit alcohol as much as you can.

[cbloom]

I used to work a job where my hours were 60+ a week quite often. When I was really busy I would work out on my lunch break instead of eating. You can get to the gym, do 30 minutes, shower and get back within an hour. 30 minutes a day is plenty if you do it hard. Instead of eating I'd slam a big meal shake that I made in the morning. I also kept a ton of Zone bars and cans of vegetables at my desk to snack on during the day. I was quite fit at the time. You can make anything work if you want to.

The hardest thing really is getting enough sleep and down time. Spending so many hours working hard or working out is just really draining on the system and messes you up in many ways. If you have a stressful or time consuming home life that would just make it harder.