Blood Pressure and Time Woes

[Rabbithop]

I'm a college nerd who is also working a part-time (up to 36 hours) job with a thirty minute commute time to and from school. I work in a fast food resturant so while I'm up and moving grabbing orders, takeing orders, cleaning the dining room I'm also in a place where I am constantly surrounded by junk food. I also have problems with my blood pressure, as it tends to not only run low but will dip if I haven't eaten enough sodium during the day. I am not on any type of BC at the moment but my doctor saw no change in blood pressure when I was on it.

 

I noticed that I was in worse shape then I thought when my boy friend and I decided to go hiking before playing dnd. He lives in a very hilly area and hills that didn't bother me when I was younger started to make me winded. and I drained our shared water bottle. Obviously I need some better ways of trying to get in shape and stay in shape but I feel like I have no time for the gym, share a house with my mother and two sisters (I sleep in the living room to avoid sharing a room with one who is ten years younger than me) and have homework and work on top of everything. I already take the stairs at school instead of the elevators and try to eat healthy but my energy levels seem to be running at an all time low all the time. Any idea of how and where to start?

[TMedina]

Welcome to Nerd Fitness!

 

You might look into the Bodyweight program - a number of people swear by it.  I happen to like lifting weights, but a gym membership is only one option among many.

 

Given the many demands on your time, and energy, I would imagine you're stressed out quite a bit.  You might find it rewarding to block off five minutes to sit by yourself and just breathe.  Some folks might call this mindfulness, or meditation.  It can help you get your mental wind back.

 

In the same fashion, block off five or ten minutes and do a couple of bodyweight exercises.  Squats, for example.  Or a plank.  The possibilities are endless!

[Raincloak]

30 min commute isn't too bad, especially if you're living rent free with your parent(s).  If you take the bus or carpool, that's an excellent time to try "breathing for 5" like Tmed suggested.

 

If you can afford it you might consider cutting back your work hours, since a full college course load is approximately equal to half time (20 hours a week; 10-15 hours of class, 5 hours of study and homework).  Working 36 hours a week on top of that equals about 56 hours a week of work, which may be over the top.  

 

If you spend more than 8 hours a week on homework, you're not making efficient use of your study time (you need to "work smarter not harder").  Go to a campus study center or your teacher's office hours and ask for help.  You pay good money for these resources, so use them.

 

Make sure you're drinking enough water (not soda), sleeping 8 hours most nights, and eating enough food during breaks at work.  That should help keep up your energy.  Usually when people complain of low energy, the problem is not enough sleep or not enough water/food.

[Rabbithop]

Thank you for the replies its good to see support here. Unfortunatly my financial situation does not allow me to cut back time at work, and my school work is done with videos (american sign language classes) so even when I understand the work I am still tied down to the time on the video.

I can definantly spend 5 minutes before bed doing something on nights I don't close, but other than that my time is at a premium until the end of the semster. I already drink water or milk often and I know I'm sleep deprived but fitting in 8 hours of sleep is the hardest thing.

[projectme]

My only suggestion- baby steps!!! There is a great bodyweight exercise on the website.  Definitely start there either in the mornings or before bed.  Hang in there!!

[forestgrump]

I've found that it's easiest to pick one thing in your life to work on at a time. For me, it was getting into the swing of school, then quitting smoking, now exercising. Maybe start out by packing healthy lunches and go from there? 
I worked in retail for a long time, so I understand where you're at. Good luck, pal!