Today I passed my latest 10 pound goal, hitting 179 and now I’m on my way to 170. It seems I get asked more about this than anything else lately, and I’m happy to talk about it.
One of the big questions I get is how I find the time. Obviously, I don’t have anymore time in a day than anyone else and it takes me a hour and a half for my workout. And that’s if I really hustle. I do my cardio anywhere from 50-60 minutes. Some days I also do about 15 minutes or so of weights. And I get very sweaty, so I need 10-20 minutes to cool down and then shower. It’s a pain in the ass.
Finding time to lose weight is a lot like losing weight. It’s as much about what you don’t do as what you do. So you eat healthy meals? Did you cut out the sugar and snack food too? It’s the same with time. Most Americans watch way too much TV. And believe me, I understand the appeal. I’ve loved movies and TV since I was a kid. I worked at the local theater and I still keep up with movie news. But I don’t have cable and I watch 1 hour of tv a week (Criminal Minds). A quick Google search seems to suggest that the average time we spend watching tv is anywhere from 2.5 to 4.5 hours per day. That doesn’t account for things like video games, movies, reading books, surfing the net or other liesure activities.
Your workout needs may vary. Figure out the amount of time you need for your workout and take it from somewhere else. Don’t say you can’t. Just like the number of people who can’t lose weight for medical reasons is a very, very small percentage of the population, so are those rare people who truly do not have the time. If you want to lose weight, you have no choice but to make time Besides, with today’s technology, you can still watch whatever you want and workout. I’m now up to watching 1 hour of tv per day, but I only do so when I’m running on my elliptical. Otherwise it may be too boring. Just don’t get on there and be slack ass about it. Put in the effort while you enjoy some entertainment.
Also, for you workaholics out there, take a break and work out. Studies have shown that working longer hours is actually counter productive.
The bottom line is, you can only lose weight if you want to. So go do it. The only thing stopping you is you.
I’m impressed with the amount of time you spend on cardio (50-60 minutes). I spend approximately 30 minutes when I work out on non-cycling days. I do integrate cycling into my workout week which occurs on a couple of days and we do cycle at least 45 to 50 minutes per session.
Keith, thanks. I’ve started changing up my routine. A friend got my to try weight lifting and he taught me a bunch of different workouts to do with the weights and now I do 30-40 of cardio per day plus 20-30 of free weights. I have to say, I think I like this better. Cardio can be quite boring so having some other exercises has helped keep me going and losing weight.