Introduction
Realizing that you’re consistently too tired after work to exercise can be a difficult moment.
No matter what you do for work, being a full-time professional is tiring. Even if your job isn’t that physically demanding, the stress of a modern workplace environment can make you exhausted by the end of a shift.
Then there’s the matter of getting back home, likely having to deal with some traffic in the process.
At home, there’s another set of responsibilities. Maybe you have family members to take care of. Maybe you need to get cooking right away to eat dinner at a reasonable hour.
By the time everything is taken care of for the night, it can be both physically and mentally difficult to exercise before settling in for sleep.
Below, you’ll find a few tips and suggestions that can help you find the time and energy to exercise and live a healthier life.
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Be Honest with Yourself
Before trying to make a plan for exercising after work, take a moment to honestly assess your situation.
What is the primary source of fatigue in your daily routine? Is it the stress of work? Have you been getting enough sleep? Have you been drinking caffeine or alcohol often?
Once you find the real source of your fatigue, you can decide how best to improve on your lifestyle choices and have more energy at the end of each day.
Set Realistic Expectations
If you’ve been away from an exercise routine for a while now, you may be tempted to overcompensate at first.
But if you set your expectations too high at first, then it’s more likely that you won’t be able to meet them, and will become discouraged as a result.
Instead, set modest exercise goals. Try to take a walk outside for at least 30 minutes every day, or every other day if your schedule is too limiting.
Sleep More and Sleep Better
One of the best ways to increase your overall energy in your day-to-day life is to make sure that you get enough sleep, and that your sleep is of high quality.
There are many different ways to go about this.
One of the most basic is to set a bedtime for yourself. It may be difficult to stick to at first but after making a specific bedtime a personal habit, your body will start to conform to that sleep schedule.
You can also try to put together a sleep-time routine that gives you plenty of time to step away from media and entertainment.
If you’d like some extra tips, check out this article on getting better sleep through the use of home remedies.
Use Relaxation Techniques
While taking naps throughout the day has the potential to throw off your schedule and sleep habits, taking time to relax throughout the day can be extremely helpful overall.
These breaks will give you a chance to re-contextualize the immediate problems of the day and give you an opportunity to not sweat the small stuff.
By the time you get back home, you may find that you’re more relaxed overall and motivated to go out and get some exercise.
Join a Gym in Your Neighborhood
Joining a gym in your neighborhood (or near your place of work) can have a wide range of benefits.
For one, the financial investment that a gym requires can be a motivating factor in and of itself. If you’re paying something like $30, $50, or even $80 a month to be a member at your local gym, then you’ll be motivated to get your money’s worth.
Try to take advantage of all that your gym offers to members. This could be a great spa area or steam room, or even a personal trainer who can work with you to meet specific goals.
Another major advantage of working with a personal trainer is that you’ll be accountable to someone besides yourself.
You’ll be surprised how motivating it can be to have the desire to not disappoint another person, even if they’re a relative stranger.
Also, the value of working with someone else to decide on particular fitness goals and a timeline for meeting those goals just can’t be overstated.
Working out in a gym can also be much more effective than working out at home.
At home, there are a huge number of potential distractions, each of them ready to pull you away from what you should be doing at that moment.
It’s still possible to get a great daily workout at home. But if you choose this route, try to set aside a specific place for your exercise.
It could be in your garage or maybe a home office that you don’t need during the evening. This way, once you enter the space you’ll be less likely to be distracted by the possibility of doing other things.
Eat Light and Healthy Lunches
Eating healthy is, of course, always important for general health. But it can also influence how much energy you feel you have throughout different points in the day.
So when it comes to having enough energy to exercise after work, it can be vital to plan your work lunches ahead of time and make sure that they’re light and healthy.
Try cooking some brown rice and steamed vegetables ahead of time. You can pack it all into some Tupperware containers and easily bring the meal to work and leave it in the refrigerator.
You also may want to explore a few other healthy options custom-tailored to your specific dietary preferences and restrictions.
Eating a heavy meal while you’re at work is more likely to make you tired after lunch, and especially once you’ve gotten back home.
Closing
It is difficult to find the time and energy to exercise after work. There’s just no way around it. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
It’s perfectly fine if you’ve fallen away from your exercise routine, as long as you realize that you’ll need to recommit yourself.
Try the tips we’ve listed above and see whether they work for you. If not, it may be a good idea to check out some fitness channels on YouTube that focus on fitting exercise into a busy lifestyle.
