How do you find time to exersise?

The cycling to work thing might not be the big deal you guys are making it. If he works in a suit and tie and has to meet clients and potentially take them out during the day makes riding to work inconvenient. Find ways to make exercise convenient.

That’s just another excuse along the lines of not having time. Lots of people who work in a suit and tie and have to meet clients ride a bike to work. Frankly, if I were a client I’d rather be seen by someone thin with a bit of oil on his trouser leg and helmet hair than some fat bloke with perfect hair!

If he has two young kids and he doesn’t want them to be without a dad in the next ten years, he needs to do something about it.

sfb – i can’t agree – exercise is competitive, affirming and great fun, especially with friends or opposing oneself.

I have an extremely low boredom threshold, so I have to do things I like :o) Exercise isn’t it. Riding is.

I’d suggest to his wife that she stops sleeping with him until he isn’t such a disgusting fat pig anymore.

I’ve got two kids, full time job, and a 45min commute each way – but still find time for exercise. (I go to the gym before work.) If there’s a will, there’s a way. I’d work on motivating him first… Make it a challenge, something his ego will force him into completing.

Frankly, if I were a client I’d rather be seen by someone thin with a bit of oil on his trouser leg and helmet hair than some fat bloke with perfect hair!

Hmmm… tough one. Fat bloke or sweaty-bloke? But if a fat bloke turned up on a bike he’d be a fat sweaty bloke. He wouldn’t get the contract for sure.

Everyone can find time to exercise,but idle fat lazy buggers will always find an excuse as to why they can’t.I have no time for them….

When I was growing up there were a few of us who learnt to surf together. One of the boys was a pretty big guy – 6’4″ and about 14 stone when trim. Anyway he got married and despite having an active job, he cut back on the surfing doing family thing etc and never used to be concerned with what he ate. I’ve moved away from home but have seen him over the years and he was carrying a fair bit of weight, but on his frame didn’t look ridicuously fat. Recently had a message from one of the boys that this guy had had a massive heart attack, followed by 8 hours of heart surgery where they lifted out the heart and re-valved it. Apparently he’s now lost 5 stone in weight. He’s the same age as me, 43 years of age. Tell your friend this story – it may help motivate him into doing at least some exercise if the alternative is too horrendous to contemplate.

i have the time, but not the motivation! My new trick is to tell the dog we’re going for a walk ( i run) and she gets excited and i feel i cant let her down so have to go! That works for me. Anyway, i know that was not the question, but there you go….

tell him to up his life insurance and include you in his will.
Might not motivate him, but at least you’ll get something out of it.

Tell him not to feel bad about it either, after all, if he rates his job above his familty, they probably won’t miss him when he’s gone.

Tell him to buy a dog. Job done.

That’ll just exercise whichever leg he favours for kicking, surely?

WCA: have you thought about (sound’s girly but actually very good exercise) Yoga? Specifically Bikram style, it’s quite high intensity.

If he’s already very busy, mibbe he doesn’t want to dedicated any of his remaining daily/weekly time to exercising alone and would rather be with the wife/kids? In that case, the wife needs to find something they can all do as a family, not make it something that he just has to do on his own. It doesn’t take much. Start with gentle walking or cycling. Get bikes/ trailer bikes for the whole family. Run around and play football in the garden or in the park. Of course it’s more difficult at this time of year, but there’s always swimming. It doesn’t have to be "exercise" as some sort of stand-alone activity, it just means being a bit more active.

druidh aka onion 😉 has just posted the best reply to a post ever!

2 miles to wor! run backwards and forwards 4 times morning and evening. The weight will fall off!

I built a climbing wall in the shed as my exercise.
Probably not the most appropriate but its damn good and useful to have

what druidh said -)

it has to be something that works for the whole family. I ride at best twice a week, swim at best twice a week and am a little overweight, around half a stone. I know that if I commuted a few times a week I could be twice as fit but it just ain’t feasible for me – long hours, suit rqd to be worn at work, limited washing facilites, Glesga roads and a wife that reckons I’ll get run over and leave my weans fatherless if I ride to work (and she could be right……..again)

I think if you have most of the following..

Long commute
Long hours/hard job
Young family
Partner/wife
Requirement for business travel

It can be very hard. The lack of spare time gets to a point where it’s either have no rest at all or do sport. I’m almost there now and hence am looking for a job closer to home.

That said, jogging is a good place to start as it’s very time efficient.

A couple of scare stories for him

One friend of mine had a major heart attack at 48 and then died at 50 due to a bad lifestyle – drinking, eating takeaways and smoking. Another has had a stroke at 50. This is what can and will happen if he continues as he is.

If he is time short then the best bet is to use his commute to work as his exercise. Killing two birds ( at least) with one stone. It takes little longer and your daily exercise is incorporated into your daily routine.

I only get to go running at lunchtime twice a week right now. Three times if I am lucky. But, I have a dog and take him for a walk three times a day and do press-ups and sit-ups with extra weight every morning and evening without fail. Ok, not many (call it 75 pressups, 30 sit-ups a session), but it keeps some muscle tone in a body that is forced to sit in front of a computer for 8 hours a day.

In summer I cycle to work as well, but right now it’s just far too **** dangerous on that road.

well i used to travel a lot and in between commuted over an hour each way for several years – life is a bit simpler now but looking back – this is wot i did:

only stay in hotels with gyms and/or swimming pools if you co’ allows

always pack your running kit – its not much

in summer (light evenings) bike in boot

get up early and go to the gym or for a run

find out if any of the people you meet with regular like running or swimming makes a change for them too from another fat lunch and as a business relationship works well

insist that you go to the gym before joining others for dinner rather than early trip to bar – really it makes no difference and people get used to it

find out what swimming pools & gyms are near work
local authority pools nearly always have early morning swimming and lunchtime fitness classes and don’t cost a fortune
similar any locations regularly travel to – arrive 40minutes early and rather than a coffee and a packet of crisps having beaten the traffic jams go for a swim

kept a road bike at work and did some regular 45minute lunchtime loops – no showers no problem sponge towel spray
similar lunch time runs

kids trailer for bike – sunday morning while mrs antigee runs with her mate
creche/kids club at gym on a saturday

don’t take up golf (thats a prejudice rather than a useful comment)

not saying was a saint but its easy to get into other peoples ruts

golf isn’t a bad option for the exercise adverse tho. as you can end up walking a far way, without realising it and we are talking about helping someone start to get fit.

Find him something he enjoys – I love riding and can’t get enough of it!

But I appreciate not everyone is into the same things!

He needs to find the motivation, the rest is fairly easy.

There is no point finding new ways to exercise or anything whilst he is in the state of denial.

I would work through his mates, maybe get one of them who wants to lose weight or get fit to lay down a challenge or an event.

Or go for the ‘do love your kids enough to live to see them grow up’ talk – but that’s kind of the nuclear option….

Make oinking noises every time you see him eating.

Take the kids out swimming/riding/hiking.

30 minute walk at dinner time.

Swim at the local pool at dinner time.

Gym/jog before work.

There are always ways and means to exercise, it’s more of a case of not wanting to.

I don’t understand the recommendations to take the kids swimming – perhaps it’s because my son is young but unless your kids swim lengths how is standing / treading water in a pool exercise?

it depends what his priorities are and if exercise/getting fit, isn’t one of them, he will always be too busy.

cycling, running or walking to work would be a good start. using lunch break for a run/cycle is also good. getting up an hour earlier to go to the gym/exercise works too. or organise family cycle trips, although not sure this would be enough to get the weight off/get fit but it would be a start.

I think no matter what anyone says this guy isn’t ready or willing to change. Too busy at work is a poor excuse.

It’s almost the same mentality smokers have as to why they don’t want to quit. One million reasons why they can’t.

It’s the 2 miles to work which is the clincher.
Ask him how long it takes to drive in the traffic, park up, get into the office, etc.
Then ask him to walk one day a week. He can get a taxi or a lift back if necessary. Or start by driving there, walking home, and walking in the next day.

It’ll only take an extra 30 mins a day, if that.
Non-walkers find the idea of walking a couple of miles difficult to understand; there’s a blockage saying "If it’s a driving distance, I couldn’t possibly walk it", so it may be a good idea for him to walk the equivalent with the family one weekend.

And suggest his wife (assuming she is the cook, or shopper) prepares more salads for him to reduce his calorie count while filling him up.

acjim – Member

I don’t understand the recommendations to take the kids swimming – perhaps it’s because my son is young but unless your kids swim lengths how is standing / treading water in a pool exercise?

You go as a family. You take turns with the kids and do lengths in-between.

You know, there’s a lot of folk seem to be completely missing the point of this. We’re not talking about some well-planned and executed exercise routine. It’s about just "doing stuff" to get a bit healthier. Mibbe once he does this, and feels a bit better for it, then he’ll get into a regular program.

I guess it’s almost inevitable, but forums like this seem to miss what’s going on "out there". I think most contributors just aren’t able to see things from another viewpoint. Away from 24-hour enduros, regular bike commuting, night-riding and jumping off stuff, there’s a huge majority of the population.

druidh – yuou make very good points.

In my head I hardly do any riding, and am extraordinarily unfit. To others I do "all that biking" and still get "are you really cycling to work all winter?" quite often from work colleagues.

So, I agree, it’s about a gradual change to lifestyle, rather than buying a shedload of new equipment and starting on a new and imposing regime. this is the reason why gyms have a glut of new members in January who from the end of the month never return.

It’s about gradual lifestyle change – the point about altering one’s mindset is crucial. This takes time, and that’s all he needs to do. However, he needs to do this in the knowledge that he isn’t going to lose 3.5 stone in a month or less, and that it takes time.

Yes, v good point onion 😉 and omitn. I always think of myself as unfit becuase I am the slowest in the group that we ride with. However, friends who I have who do no regular excersize think I’m some super fit nutter who does "all those mountain bike events". their perception of me it totally different to my perception of myself.

Anyway – 2 miles to work. He needs to start walking that. Seems the most obvious way to easily incorporate a bit of exercise into his daily routine without disrupting things too much.

Thanks to everyone who gave me sensible ideas.
I’ve spoken to my friend and we know this is serious. So, I’m going to do what I can to help out.
The key things are to start him off slowly, get him to do something he enjoyes and make the most of the weekend family time. His brother has a high management, stressfull job too, but manages to cycle to work ( a much longer distance) and with his experience could give some guidence.

Just need to put into practise all the above advice.

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