Long-time lurker, finally joining the forums!

[slp]

Hi, everybody! I've been following NerdFitness for a long time and wishing I could start incorporating weight-lifting and Paleo philosophies into my struggle towards a healthier weight - and finally I'm going to!

I had a question about finding the time to exercise: I'm a pretty busy person (not a complaint, just a fact), and between a full-time job and rehearsals from 6 to 9, I have trouble deciding when to exercise. When works best for you folks? I've tried the early-morning route and can't seem to force my sleepy body to work out to its full capacity. Any advice?

[jswbach]

I'm a single mom, and I already get up at 4:30AM just to make it to work by 8, so morning workouts just don't work for me. The hour after the last child goes to bed on weeknights is critical for me. Weekends are easier, as I find I can do my strength training while the kids play, and we incorporate cardio into their playtime. (A walk to the park becomes a jog, and playground equipment becomes exercise equipment for me.) The lunch hour at work is also an opportunity for a walk/run on nice days, or doing stairs in my 4-story office building on rainy days.

[JPanda]

The best advice I can think of is take a day and audit your time. Record when (to the minute) you do what and for how long. After about 2 or 3 days you can look at your schedule and see when the best time would be for you to workout.

Also, you need to prioritize. If you really want to make fitness a priority, then treat it as such IE: time that you spend watching tv or doing something for entertainment.

You should be able to figure out when your body can handle a good workout.