Last Updated on Apr 7, 2020 by James W
Never before was it so easy to get free advice on anything. All you need to do is open your browser and type in things like ‘how to lose weight’, ‘how to get fit’ or ‘how to quickly lose belly fat’ and you will get an endless list of pages offering tips and tricks on how to achieve this. However, seeing how they often aim at a broader audience, these tips will usually be generic. Although these are in no way wrong, they don’t necessarily need to apply to you.
They say that you shouldn’t eat past 9 pm, but what if your shift starts at 10 pm? These guides often say that morning cardio is a great way to start the day, but what if you sleep until 1 pm because your shift ended at 6 am. For all those who either work odd hours or can’t rely on a steady work schedule, here are a few tips on how to balance your life and find time to exercise.
Desk Workout
This may sound like a cliché, but in order to get fit, all you need is to decide to do so. The fact that you are pulling 12-16 hours long shifts (during important projects) doesn’t prevent you from squeezing an exercise or two in your schedule. In fact, your office chair and desk are sometimes all you need for a workout. The so-called deskercise is getting more and more popular and there are dozens of fun ideas you might want to try out, like the patient printer, the desk squat and the shoulder shrug.
Randomize Your Gym Schedule
A lot of people like to make a ritual around their going to the gym. They have the exact same time when they are supposed to eat, start packing and head out to the garage. Consequently, they arrive at the gym at the exactly same time, do a predetermined set of exercises and arrive back home at roughly the same time each day.
Needless to say, such a routine is completely impossible for people who work odd hours. The best thing about gym membership is that it (in most cases) doesn’t dictate you when you are allowed to visit. This means that you can randomize your schedule so that it suits you. So, whenever you have time, simply pack your fitness clothes and go work on your body. The end results are what matters, not the way you get there.
Use Your Break
While this may not seem as such a big of a deal, the way you use your break matters. Seeing how you will spend most of your work hours sitting behind the desk (unless you have those ergonomic standing desks), you may want to use your break to do a stretching exercise or two.
Make Your Commute Greener
Finally, who needs cardio when you can walk or cycle to work. Of course, this isn’t an option for everyone, but those living in the vicinity of their workplace can resort to one of these greener ways of commuting. Apart from being great for your overall fitness and health, a greener commute also makes quite a surplus in your budget, seeing how you won’t spend money on gas or public transportation. Add to this the fact that you are helping the environment at the same time and this idea will suddenly become even more compelling.
Conclusion
As you can see, where there’s a will, there’s always a way. Sure, it is much easier to stay in shape if you have a steady schedule, but this kind of planning allows you to train your mental endurance as well. After all, you would agree that succeeding against all odds can be a reward on its own.
