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so i’ve just gotten a job as a cook/baker in a cafe/restaurant/bakery, and i’m looking at working probably 10-11 hours most days, on my feet and running around the place the entire time
my last job (which was not an active one) allowed a lot more freedom with scheduling, so i had been running a 5k 3x/week and doing bodyweight circuits also 3x/week, and an occasional sprint session here and there
where do i go from here? i start around 8AM and don’t finish until 9 or 10 with a few hours break in the middle (but not enough time to really workout, get all sweaty, and get cleaned up again in time to go back in) and i’m pretty wiped at the end of the day, and i only get one full day off a week. this is also a pretty isolated little beach town, so there are no gyms to speak of within 50 miles; otherwise i would look into starting a proper strength program.
i’m really worried about losing fitness/endurance, and ideally would be gaining muscle/strength as well. would working out “throughout the day”– doing 20 pushups when i get a second here, a few pistols there– actually do any good, or is that totally pointless? and any suggestions on cardio/maintaining endurance? as much as i’m kind of dreading trying to get back into running (haven’t had time since getting here two or three weeks ago), it was something i liked being able to do and don’t want to lose
That is an unbelievable work schedule! I agree that it probably wouldn’t work to go to the gym when you’re working from 8am-10pm, six days a week. It might be possible if you had a gym very close to your house, or near the bakery, but in your situation I doubt you’d have time.
But there are lots of things you could do, some of which you have mentioned. Depending on how you feel in the morning, you might consider doing a body weight circuit before your shower. I’m sure you could google up some good programs, but try to hit all your major body parts. If you bought a pair of dumbbells, you’d have a lot more options, but I don’t think they’d be necessary.
To get some cardio, you could alternate daily between resistance training and taking a neighborhood jog. You could get a great work-out in only 15-20 minutes a day. For me, the only difficult part would be finding the motivation that early in the morning, but it would definitely work if you keep it up.
yeah, no gyms within like a 90 minute drive unfortunately
dumbbells are a good idea; i don’t know why i keep forgetting about them but definitely something to look into! thanks for the reminder
i’ve been doing bodyweight stuff for about a year and a half and am fine to keep doing that as well, but i rarely have the time/space blocked out to do a full 30-40 minute workout (occasionally, but not often). is doing workouts piecemeal throughout the day any different/less effective? you don’t get the steady elevated heart rate, for instance, but i don’t know if it makes any difference in terms of strength and muscle build.
i guess i’m also curious how being mildly active almost all day every day affects my “need” for regular exercise, specifically cardio? i’m not looking to lose weight, just maintain a good level of fitness. just being non-sedentary seems important to that, and i’ve got that pretty covered. to be honest, i’m kind of dreading getting back to running/jogging (there has just been zero time these past couple weeks) because i’ve never been particularly good at it nor enjoyed it very much, but it’s something i’ve liked “being able” to do. don’t really know where i’m going with this!
basically i just need to suck it up and get back to it, i guess? or own the fact that i don’t like running very much and just become okay with getting my cardio from sprints and weekly massive hikes etc
For resistance work, I don’t think there’s any problem with doing the exercises piece-meal. I’ve heard of plenty of people who do pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups at intervals through the day. As long as you fatigue the muscles, they’ll get stronger. Normally it’s just convenient to do it all at once.
Working on your feet is definitely a work-out and will help you stay in shape, but it’s doubtful you’ll be working hard enough to get your heart rate into the cardio zone. I doubt it matters unless your goal is to run a marathon sometime down the road. That weekly hike should keep your heart in shape.
definitely not interested in marathoning
agreed re:active job and heart rate; i’m more just worried about not being sedentary
i’ve never done much hiking before moving out here, but now with tons of beautiful trails available it seems like a good option. and it’s pretty brutal! was out for just a few hours yesterday and now fairly sore today. would be interested to hear from any other hiker-types out there who use scrambling up big rocks as a main mode of exercise. matt is a fan right?
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