As title really, I'm having trouble getting any excercise at the moment, the past 7 weeks I've spent 6 nights at home and when I'm working away its generally for 12-13 hours a day.

My weights going up and up and I'm stressed to heck, I've managed one ride this year which was at the SSUK championships with the group ride the day before the race and thats about it.

Buy a pair of running shoes and / or a road bike.
Less faff, more doing.

If I'm away I taking running kit & always fit in an hour either early (6am ish) or before I eat on an evening

I know runnings a far quicker way of excercising but I've fecked my right knee up and can't run anymore.

Think about running or cycling for your commute. Not the same as the MTB, sure, but great for fitting exercise into a busy life, keeps the weight off and the stress down. If you're working 12-13 hours a day isn't that beyond your contract? Anything you can do to make those hours same as a usual working day and then maybe you can exercise in the evenings.Or poss your hotel will have a gym so you can do spinning classes, swim or exercise bike?

Build your exercise into the day as you would any other work activity.
You have to make time for it as it'll probably be the most important thing you will do each day in the long run.
Commuting is a great way to do it or running to the office/train/bus.
I've just started a commute after a layoff of some time and also swim before work on other days, and whilst it takes time to organise clothes etc the night before, its well worth it.
Good luck but make sure you do something soon.

I'm guessing when you're in work normally, it is more than 15 miles or so, so too far to commute, as that's usually the solution to how most of us people who ride much get the miles in.

Do you work weekends as well? Do you have kids / family etc.

When you're away, is it driving, or flying? If it's driving, then stick a bike in, and google riding places nearby.

I pretty much always manage to get a ride or a run in wherever I travel to, it is amazing how easy it is to find riding / people to ride with nowadays. Even on a 12pm-12am day (quite a few of those on productions / live shows & stuff ) it is easy enough to get a quick ride in.

I've found with work trips that often you end up on long days because you do the normal work day, then you go out and eat a meal with work people, go for beers with work people etc. I've opted out of that stuff sometimes to go for a ride / run and people seem to understand and not mind too much.

I also have a mountain unicycle, which is the perfect solution if your job involves international travel. It is easy to take places (no extra charges on planes if you pack it in a case), easy to get around with on public transport once you're there, so you can get out to the trails, and as a bonus, it is a really handy little runaround in bigger cities, where distances are often slightly too far to walk. As a bonus, because there aren't masses of unicyclists, the community is very close knit, it is easy to find riders, and local people are almost always up for a ride. The last few years I've ridden with locals near Berkeley, Los Angeles, various places in New Zealand, Paris, Washington DC, Sydney, Edinburgh, and also got riding tips from locals in a load of other places when I needed mid-week or night rides. Oh and I've heard the international joke phrase "where's the other wheel" in a multitude of accents and languages.

The only downside of the mountain unicycle is that it takes probably 10 hours to learn just to ride it on the flat, and longer to be able to get on without a lamp post etc. you'd need to find time to learn somehow.

Joe

I work away, though I'm at the moment working half the time in Belgium and half the time on the South Coast, Worthing, whilst living in Oxfordshire.

The past week really took it out of me, on Monday I was in Bangor 400 mile round trip then the next day Bournemouth and not finishing until 8 in the evening. By the time I've finished I'm so run down I grab a meal and fall asleep.

Yes I also have family, this weekend all I've managed is running round taking kids to all their activities then trying to get the garden into some semblance of tidyness ready for the Autumn.

Err – get a job which has fewer hours?

Its not easy but you have to fit it in somehow. If youre anything like me one of the reasons your tired is lack of exercise. Exercise gives you more energy when your awake and allows you to have deeper more restful sleep.
Well thats how it works for me anyway.

sounds like you need a different job, that will give you time to enjoy life.

Blimey, I find it hard to understand why anyone would do a job like that even without kids.

Is it a very very exciting job, like you're an international super spy, or a rock star (unlikely I guess given you said Worthing!), or errrm, trying to think of jobs exciting enough to justify all that travelling. Hmm.

Even if it pays absolutely tons, it sounds crazy, you must hardly see your kids in the week ever? What is the point of living a life like that, even for good money?

One thing you could do, assuming the job does pay tons, is employ a gardener. They aren't particularly expensive, and will sort out the garden for you without needing to be supervised, so you could have spent half the weekend riding. Same is true for other things that people do at weekends like DIY, cleaning etc. we've recently employed a handyman to do DIY jobs, and to be honest, the cost is not massively different to doing it yourself, you get a better job done, and you have free time. If you're working hard in the week, why mess around doing work at the weekend too. Why waste time maintaining all the trappings of a lifestyle that you want, rather than living that lifestyle.

Taking it to the extreme, depending on how old the kids are, you could just pay for em to be taxied to/from things, although that depends somewhat on whether you want the time with them that you get when driving them places anyway.

Joe

I do about an hour of weights every morning 05:30 – 06:30

Then I cycle to work and back, meaning the only time I am reallyaway from the family is for kickboxing training.

I found myself in a similar position having taken what I thought was my dream job a couple of years ago (effectively starting up a new division for a company so writing all the rules myself.

The office was 90 miles from home, and the supposed 'home working' element just didnt happen much. I was working 80 to 100 hours a week, stressed out, but still getting out on the bike as it was my only way to unwind. This meant I was abandoning the wife and kids not just all day but a couple of evenings a week and at the weekend, but it was something I needede to do to stay sane. I go out riding from 7 to 11pm, then come home and work to 2am, then get up at 5.30 and got ot work. Most weekends had a half or whole day working too.

Unfortunately I am so head-down and committed to anything I undertake I couldnt see the effect it was having on family life (and myself) until my wife pointed out in no uncertain terms that it couldnt carry on.

Fortunately this June the company I was at previously were recruiting and gave me a call, they were keen to have me back – so i'm back to the daily 8 to 6 and not so exciting work life, but home life is much better now – you do need to take action to achieve this balance though, and keep working at it. Really think about what your priorities are, I don't have a lexus anymore but a passat is fine, and holidays in Wales can be as much fun as the continent (when it stops raining)!

Two weeks after starting the new job I fell off my bike and broke my collarbone, so less riding (ie none!) but plenty more time with the family which has actually been really good fun!

You dont get a second chance at life, so dont waste it!

Pepper, for us folk of a certain age that can't do getting up early before a full days work, may I suggest (respectfully) that you look at diet rather than exercise?
I know that most folk on here relate those sort of hours to a six figure salary, but those that still work hard for a relatively small return have little choice, work or no work is the norm…

This thing we do, it's not called work you know, it's called life.

You either 'live to work' 😯

or

'work to live' 8)

This thing we do, it's not called work you know, it's called life.

Quote of the week.

As 2unfit says we I don't earn a huge salary but its either work or no work. The pays ok and the Belgium part was supposed to be a six month deal already into its ninth month.

I've just thrown the bike in the back of the van and hopefully I'll get time this week to get a few steady rides in.

Martin whats a Diet????

Main Entry: 1di·et
Pronunciation: \?d?-?t\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English diete, from Anglo-French, from Latin diaeta, from Greek diaita, literally, manner of living, from diaitasthai to lead one's life
Date: 13th century

At no point does that mention cutting back on food… 😉

Seriously, do you not earn enough that you couldn't scrape together 20-50 quid a month to pay someone to do the boring tasks like garden maintenance so that you could go for a ride?

Joe

Perhaps not an option for all but I have recently moved to a "temporary" 90% contract – providing me with every other Friday off work.

I can't say I am using it particularly productively – not really riding any more, not doing any voluntary work, not writing a book etc – but it does seem to making a difference in terms of the time I seem to have for myself and reducing my stress levels.

Yet to be seen whether I will really miss/need the extra money – but I find it hard to believe I will ever go back to working full time

Joe,
scrape together how much for something I (pepper can speak for himself) could do in a 1/2 hour?
**** that, it's that kind of attitude that means everyone needs to earn serious money & gardeners can by flash cars 🙁

yeah I can scrape together that sort of money when I've just had two cambelts go on my cars within two weeks of each other!!!

scrape together how much for something I (pepper can speak for himself) could do in a 1/2 hour?
**** that, it's that kind of attitude that means everyone needs to earn serious money & gardeners can by flash

If you can do it in half an hour, then it isn't the kind of work that'd take up enough of the weekend to stop you riding.

I earn a comfortable amount, although not tons, certainly not into 40% tax rate or anything very high paid like that, and even now I can see the point of employing people to do boring stuff if you're busy and working a 60+ hour week with a lot of travelling time stuck onto it.

Joe

Work less hours. Its the only answer. When yo are old you will never think " I wish I had spent more time at work"

commute and/or do some road riding. You can take an hour out on a road ride and come back knackered and not have to clean anything up.

Just doing my timesheet now, I've worked 67 hours this week and I've ridden 130 miles not including my time at the velodrome. You can always find time to fit in something you enjoy.

When I am busy i do most of my training at each end of the day – paddle 6am-7.30am, ride to the office, work, maybe a trot a lunchtime, ride home long way or mtb. Boys ride wed night and then food+beer. I've gradually decided to cut back my work hours so try and do 4 days a week. I don;t actually do any more of anything but I can sit and read a book in the sun ! I also get a gardner in every now and then to do a blitzkreig on the garden when i don;t have time. For $150 its money very well spent.

As 2unfit says we I don't earn a huge salary but its either work or no work.

Though from what you say, it would seem you've opted out of the working time directive, and you can't be forced to do that. As always, it also bothers me that folks like you (not having a go at you, just your employer who puts you in that position) are doing long tiring days and then driving – if you were a lorry driver you wouldn't be allowed to drive after that long a day.