How To Stay In Shape When You Have A Day Job

In this article we look at how to stay in shape when you have a day job.

We’ve all been there, young, full of energy with great body’s and minimal maintenance. 

Then you’re in the real world, with a real job which for many of us involves 8 or more hours in an office, sat at our desk and a steady flow of biscuits and unhealthy snacks at hand! 

You get home mistaking lethargy for tiredness and opt for a quiet night on the sofa in front of the TV. 

You make it to the weekend and the only thing you can think of is getting out for a few beers or having a steady night in with a takeaway.

Before you know it your metabolism is at snails pace, you feel tired, out of shape and your confidence has taken a big hit!

Having a full time job and staying in shape is tough.

But what is harder?

Looking at yourself everyday and getting that guilty, shamed feeling that you’ve become the person you promised you never would?  That you’ve settled?

Or making the effort to get out for that run, or go to the gym, or whatever it takes to remain the best version of yourself?’

As long as you have to ‘force’ yourself to exercise and see it as an inconvenience it will never work.

You cannot maintain that lifestyle with the negative view of staying in shape, you cannot sustain it.

 

How To Stay In Shape When You Have A Day Job

 

What you need is a lifestyle change, a commitment to living healthily and a mindset shift, seeing the positive side of that lifestyle and the benefits it brings to your life and taking little actions everyday until it is part of your lifestyle.

Here at True Health Diary we have 3 main things that keep us motivated:

That Feel Good Post-Workout Feeling

No matter how tired I am after a days work or how bad a day I’ve had I know I will feel better after I exercise.

Exercise releases endorphins, feel good chemicals which boosts our mood, our energy and reduces stress.

I know I will have a clearer head and a confidence boost knowing I’ve achieved something positive.

A Vision  

I never wanted to be someone who physically peaked in their teens and grew comfortable in life.

I wanted to stay in great shape, have an active and healthy life all the way into old age.

My grandparents were amazing role models, living a healthy, active life up in to their 90’s so I have always associated a successful, happy life with living a healthy lifestyle.

Fear

I fear I will not live up to my vision, that I will fail to live up to my true potential and will settle for a mediocre life.

Fear can be one of the biggest motivators for any goal we have in life.  In order to have a successful, rewarding life I need to be healthy and active.

If you want to know how to stay in shape when you have a day job, you need to pay attention to your mental state, and not let it dictate your actions.

You need to expect that you won’t want to go to the gym, or go for a run, and override that with action.

If you take positive steps and action everyday you will see results, and results are the most motivating part of it.

Once you get back in shape, feeling confident and good about yourself, you’ll be motivated to maintain that!

 

If you want to know how to stay in shape when you have a day job, these 3 factors are important.  There are other factors and they will be different for different people, the main thing is motivation and something that will drive you forward even when you don’t feel like it!