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A regular exercise regimen and an intense job are not easy things to reconcile — so what are the best tips for finding time to exercise? I’m thrilled to welcome today’s guest poster, the lawyer and blogger behind Sweet Hot Justice, who is doing the impossible and balancing a busy job as in-house counsel with a pretty awesome exercise routine.
I’ve known of her since we both started anonymous blogs Way Back — but we only just recently met in real life, and she’s every bit as awesome as her hilarious writing would make you think she might be. Please welcome Maria de Cesare of Sweet Hot Justice, giving her own excellent pointers for finding time to exercise when you have an intense job! – Kat.
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Tips for Women Lawyers on Finding Time to Exercise
I hate working out. Not “I hate working out” as in “Gyms aren’t my thing but I cherish my daily 5-mile jog.”
No.
I mean “I hate working out” as in “After working 60-hour weeks, I’d rather do almost any other thing in the universe, including sitting in a room and staring at my hands, than work out.”
Also… I’m not exactly what you’d call an athlete. I have a job that involves lots of aggressive sitting. I hate sweating.
You’ll never hear “Oh my god, Soul Cycle is the best thing on Sunday mornings!” come out of my mouth.
You know what’s the best thing on Sunday mornings? A three-hour champagne brunch followed by not going to Soul Cycle.
So, why in the world should you listen to me for tips about how to make fitness fit into your life? Well, because if I can make it happen, believe me, you can make it happen.
A few years ago, after leaving a Big Law job and ignoring my personal fitness for years, my body just felt off.
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My back always hurt.
My clothes didn’t fit the way I wished they did.
I just felt like a weak, disconnected mess.
But now, after stumbling through a few fits and starts and finally finding a fitness routine that works for me, I feel stronger and more in sync with my body than I ever have. And now, even when I’m tired and cranky and absolutely dreading the idea of schlepping to the gym, I know that I’ll feel 100% better after I do — and that keeps me coming back.
So, I know that you don’t have time to work out, I know that there are a million other things you’d rather do with your all-too-precious time and money — believe me, I’m right there with you. But, if you’re looking to jump on the fitness rainbow, keep these general thoughts in mind when struggling with finding time to exercise with an intense job:
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Find the F-I-T in Fitness. Fit is everything. There are roughly six billion fitness options available and you need to figure out which one fits not only your fitness needs, but also your schedule, budget, lifestyle, and most importantly, personality.
Do you need to be barked at bootcamp-style, or do you prefer a more gentle, nurturing vibe? Is loud music and flashing lights your jam or is clean and sober your thing? Whatever your preference, spend some time making sure the culture of the venue is the right fit.
Take a tour, interview the trainers, try a trial membership, or drop in on a class. Whatever your fitness destination, make sure you do some research before you spend your time and money — like any long-term relationship, if the fit isn’t right, you’re not going to stick around for the long haul.
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Get the Most Bang For Your Buck. All workouts are not created equal. We don’t have time to waste, and if you’re going to take the trouble to show up to the gym in the first place, you want to make sure that you’re maximizing your efforts.
Will walking on a treadmill for 45 minutes once a week yield better results than couch-surfing for 45 minutes? Probably. But not a hell of a lot more. Minutes are precious. Use them wisely. Which brings us to:
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Know Your Goals. Why, exactly, are you at the gym? Do you want to lose body fat, gain muscle, improve cardiovascular health, build up strength after an injury, maintain status quo?
“Get hot, feel good” are good long-term overall goals, but bite-sized goals are easier to set — and meet — and the more goals you meet, the more motivated you’ll be to keep setting new ones. Which now brings us to:
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Bring On the Experts. Let’s say you just found out you have a weird bone disease, or have been arrested for murder, or need Botox — are you going to go to the first storefront clinic that pops up in a Google search, or are you going to try to find top experts in the field? Gurrrl, this workout s**t can mess a body up if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Look for gyms with experienced instructors and certified trainers — and not the kind of “certifications” that your stoner out-of-work actor friend can get in a weekend. And if regular sessions with a personal trainer aren’t in your budget, at the very least splurge on a session or two so you can set a training program and make sure you’re getting your form down correctly.
After all, if you find yourself working hard with no tangible results, or worse, get yourself injured, you’re not going to come back. No bueno.
Know Yourself. Does the idea of waking up before 7 and sweating for an hour before work sound like a fate worse than death? Can you hit the gym at lunch and head right back to work, or do you look — as I do — like a melted-wax bridge troll after working out and need a little more time to pull it together?
If you’re going to successfully integrate fitness into your life, you have to keep showing up. So, be realistic about your scheduling needs and pick a routine that you can stick to at least a few times a week.
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Don’t Sweat It. You’ve finally found a fitness routine that works for you. You’ve been nailing it and have noticed results.
But suddenly, you have the work week from hell.
Or get the flu.
Or have four hot dates in a row after work.
Sometimes life happens and you just have to skip a gym session or two… or ten.
Don’t think of it as a failure or a derailment. Just accept it for what it is and jump back in as soon as you can.
Happy exercising, ladies! You’ll be happier for it, trust me.
Readers, how do you fit exercise into a busy life? What tricks have you discovered over the years for jumping back in and recommitting? Which workouts have you found that fit your lifestyle — and what are your tips for hiring a personal trainer?
N.B: This post was originally written by Maria in 2014; the post was updated in 2022.
Updated images via Stencil. Originally pictured: swimming, originally uploaded to Flickr by Jim Bahn.
canyouwink
I also recommend getting a Fitbit or another fitness tracker to measure the steps and activity you get each day. It’s been a big motivator for me. David Sedaris had a funny piece in the latest New Yorker about it – he is regularly hitting 60,000 steps a day, and the highest I have ever hit is 30,000. But then he doesn’t have to work at a desk and is independently wealthy…
LA
As a single mom, I’ve decided that fitness isn’t in the cards for me. I hate exercise but I do want to live a long time/not die young/stay hot. However, with a BIGLAW job, bad hair, sensitive skin, kids and a huge childcare expenditure, there is no time for me to exercise. I suppose I could get a fitness video, but lets be real. I own several, never take them out of the shrinkwrap. To me, working out is one more thing I SHOULD do, don’t do, and therefore leaves me feeling inadequate.
Mamiejane
One day, while watching tennis on television, I remembered how much I loved playing as a teenager, even though I wasn’t very good. So I started taking classes and now try to play at least twice a week. For me, it’s a good workout because I have to clear my mind of everything else. There is a Zen quality about keeping my eyes on the ball. It also prompts me to do other exercise, in order to be fit for the court. My only issue is that for some reason, tennis classes seem to be organized for people who don’t work. Maybe it’s tied to the history of tennis as an upper middle class sport. I would love to keep taking some kind of tennis group class but my town offers them either at 10 in the morning on weekdays or at 7 in the evening, when it’s way too hot. I have been agitating for morning group classes to no avail yet; but I haven’t given up.
Anna
Find something you really love and look forward to doing. I hate all forms of exercise but tried Pure Barre and fell in love. It is the highlight of my day/something I look forward to because it provides relief from stress, clears my mind and produces amazing results. The more stressful my day or week is, the harder I try to make it to the Pure Barre class to stay calm and sane. Pure Barre time to me is well spent because it ultimately makes me better at my work.
DPT
As a physical therapist, I highly recommend visiting with a PT or a personal trainer to work on form and talk about safe and appropriate exercises. There’s so much bad info out there! I suggest asking friends if they have any references for personal trainers. If you get a bad vibe or for some reason you aren’t clicking with your trainer, don’t be afraid to dump them. Make sure they understand and work with your goals.
As for me, I love HIIT because I can get my cardio in quickly. My SO and I also spend our free time doing some sort of physical activity – biking, walking, hiking. It helps to have a workout buddy.