training when exhausted?

[layton]

So I'm totally slacking off in my training because any time I have free time, I'm either totally exhausted and want to go home, or am starving no matter how much snacking I did before the end of the day...usually a combo of both. I work five twelve hour days in a row on my feet, and if I manage to wake my ass up on the weekend, get in two more 8-12 hour days of climbing in (if I'm lucky).

 

so any tips on how to no be hungry or exhausted with such a shitty schedule? Good snacks that take zero time to make or buy (and where to get them), tips on how to increase my energy, when to exercise, etc... Yeah, if someone asked the same question, I'd probably rattle off my professional opinion, but doctors are their worst patients.

 

I always hear about you folks going on long runs, workouts, etc... after work and I wonder how you don't collapse somewhere mid-week. I've tried just sucking it up and heading to the gym or trail regardless after work, but after I get home, make dinner, and eat, it's like 11pm and I'm a drooling incoherent idiot the next day.

 

The advice I'd give myself is to: do my exercise 1st thing in the morning (getting up at like 5am), eat a big breakfast, lay off the coffee, increase my whole foods and greens, take a good multivitamin loaded w/the B's, go to sleep at 10pm, and not drink more than one drink before 9. But being a bachelor, that shit don't work so well....

[theLarch]

I think you hit the nail on the head, you know exactly what you need to do. But it's tough making it happen, especially with your work schedule. So in addition to the list of things you have told yourself to do, I would add one more to the list and make it numero uno: Cut the work day back to 8 hours. Even a young healthy dude like yourself cannot work that kind of schedule for very long without wearing yourself out. So, 8 hour day, 5 day week. Then you will have time to do all those other things. And "my boss won't let me" is not an acceptable excuse. If that's what he's asking of you and he won't back down, then it's time for a new boss IMHO.

[layton]

I agree, but I'm in my residency and that's just how it goes.

[i_like_sun]

Layton, I wish I could help you out, but as this forum probably knows I am king of running myself super exhausted just like you described. Its still amazing to me how this exact dilemma is basically the cause of 95% or the western world's health problems. If only we could all figure out how to exercise AND de-stress AND get our work done AND eat well.........good by heart disease!

 

I've done twelve hour days a few times, and crap, they do kick your ass! One thing I did in the past is to figure out "mini" workouts in the middle of the day. Seriously, just take like ten minutes to go sprint some stairs, or throw out as many pushups here and there as you can, or even get a pullup bar for work. Plus, figure out how to do arrands on foot, ie. create a trip to the bank and lunch a three mile jog/walk. I have no chiropractor's schedule, but when I've gotten too busy to work out "properly" I've usually thought my way into a workout (its just like heroine; "how am I going to pinch in my fix today?"). Also, dude, you know your nutrition and you are super smart! You can figure this out!

 

I guess this thread caught my eye more than most because of my dances with overtraining and running on fumes all the time, so good luck man. When you do figure something out DEFINATELY inform the rest of us!

[layton]

Thanks dude. It's hard taking your own advice, so I appreciate others

[bstach]

How about let something go? Decrease quantity of life, increase quality. Can't work < 12 hour days due to residency? How about not doing two 12 hour climbing days on the weekend?

 

There are many chapters in life. The mountains will still be there - maybe in this chapter you climb less.

 

Maybe you should post this on the "father's thread" in Cafe Sensitivioso. Lots of new fathers here. They'll tell you a few things about managing work, family, climbing and exhaustion.

[lizard_brain]

Lifestyle choice. I know a few people that work 60+ hours a week and don't exercise because they don't have time. They forego personal health for financial gain or prestige. (Then there are the others that are just plain lazy, of course. Just look around my office.) What happens when you finish your residency? What will your work schedule be like after that? Is this just a foreshadowing of your career schedule?

 

Anyway... I've got a job where I work from 7:30 - 4:00, and after work I'm running by 5:15. Thank god. Can't change your sschedule in any way? Might just have to tough out your residency without so much life outside of the residency itself. Chalk it up to the price you pay.

 

When I climb on weekends and I'm training for a marathon at the same time, I start falling behind in the marathon training, and I spend a couple of days a week in a zombie state. Literally nodding off at my desk. Have to take a weekend off here and there. Can't have everything.

[bonathanjarrett]

Having been in a similar situation before, I would echo the comment that cutting back on climbing if you can't cut back on work is the most logical plan. You are not an old man, and the mountains will be there.

Maybe this is a chapter in your life where you pick up something that will augment your climbing and set pure climbing aside for a while. I am thinking of how Mark Twight studied some sort of martial arts when he "gave up" climbing for a while. I would imagine taking up aikido (sp?) or something like that would help you both relax and stay fit. And the discipline and focus that it would foster would certainly carry over into alpine climbing and the mental and physical rigors that it requires.

The mind/connection is critical. No point burning out on both climbing and work, because you feel like you "have" to do it.

[fern]

do you WANT to do long workouts for their own sake and just can't fit it in? or do you want to do effective workouts that maintain or build on your conditioning and strength base? The former necessarily requires you to carve out big coherent chunks of time in your scedule. The latter does not. It'd take about 5 minutes to bust out a few rounds of 50 air squats and 10 handstand pushups while you are waiting for your ramen to soften.

[matt_warfield]

Persistent 12 hour shifts just don't allow much on the side besides eating, sleeping, and hygiene. Professional choices DO impact "leisure" activities. Grad school was my choice and I survived several years of climbing sporadically to achieve an 8 hr. job that allows more. Good luck.

[i_like_sun]

YES!

 

I'm pretty sure there is a big difference between people who "exercise" and those who "live active". Most people I know don't ever exercise if it is not a regimented part of their day. On the flip side, I've recently spoke to an epidemiologist who looked at the health status of people who stay active all day without ever going to a gym, and also those who stay reasonably sedentary except for their hour long "workout". The generally active people seem to squire far greater health benefits and longevity.

 

This information has really changed the way I think about fitness for sure. We don't ALWAYS need to exercise an for a [structured] hour every day. Rather, we can squire physical stimulation over the course of a day. I guess in the end it is all about health, right? So forcing yourself to workout despite being utterly shattered is probably a BAD IDEA! Exercise as much as you can without killing yourself.

 

Then again, as you said earlier, practicing one's own advice is super tough.....

[John Frieh]

10 handstand pushups

 

Can you do 10 consecutive?

 

If so I can't begin to tell you how jealous I am...

[sk]

first off, i think you need to remember to be kind to your self. you have just made some major changes in your life. you need to give yourself some time to get used to your new life style and schedule. after you allow yourself to adjust, start adding things in like walking. i walk around the block at my office as often as i can. also schedule in time for yourself. take a longer lunch and go for a run.

 

B vitamins are amazing. they will help boost your energy. i am a single mom and i work full time have a house to take care of and an active life style. it's not easy. and priorities have to be made. as my career grows my time to spend exercising decreases. I make myself pay for and go to classes. because if i spend the money and someone is counting on me i will do what ever it takes to drag my ass up and go.

 

food... think what you do on the mountain. trail mix, bars fresh fruit veggies. seriously. i buy bags of mini carrots and eat those, i eat sweet peppers like apples. i always have some kind of dried fruit or something in my desk. they are not the best but they work. i also eat almonds all the time. a handful goes a long way to keeping me going. it takes less time than you thing to prepare your self little snack packs. keep instant oat meal at the office. it is quick and easy. i always put my lunch together (usually just a sandwich and some kind of instant soup) and all my snacks together the night before so i don't have to get up early. I am not really a morning person so i give my self an hour during the day to work out. this is technically my lunch so i have to find other times to eat, but you would be amazed what i can get in my body in 10 minutes between meetings.

 

my favorite treat right now is Jamba Juice. I have always been a fan of smoothies and now i don't have to make them myself. i prefer the fruit only ones.

[selkirk]

Residency sucks Watching my sister go through it right now. The only thing I can say is that my brother in law gets in lots of golf and overtime. Well that and to say it's a 12hr day is likely an underestimate.

 

Only advice I might offer is simplify, simplify, simplify, is your commute more than 15 minutes? Oh, and the Pho' can be your friend. Healthy, filling, cheap, and fast. When trying to squeeze in workouts, you might just give up on cooking those nights.

 

Good luck :tup:

 

and when your done can I borrow your motivation?

 

 

[brock_g]

Waking up early is the only way to go. Its too easy to blow off a run at the end of the day and a run in the morning will give you energy - hopefully the rest of the day. I run a few long distance trail runs between 50 and 100 miles every year in between kayaking and climbing. I have an early morning regiment which consists of a coffee alarm 445 am -running by 5 at work by 7 or 730 (this always works if i am in bed by 10 pm...ish) Running to or from work helps too if you live within a managble distance.

 

Another way to pack on miles is to do a short to medium run in the morning and another short to medium run in the afternoon or evening at faster paces. Its sometimes easier to motivate for a short quick workout twice a day than one long workout once a day. Never underestimate the power of push-ups pull ups and sit ups.

[marylou]

Unfortunately this is part of life. Once your residency is over you can make choices about whether your career and your exercise can co-exist, and how much time gets devoted to what thing.

[i_like_sun]

Doesn't that SUCK? Its my philosophy that work should never HAVE to get in the way of taking care of one's self.

[kweb]

Hey Layton

I think the key is to back off your training at first to let your body adjust to your workload. Just like working out, your body will slowing adapt.

 

When I first started working 10-14 hours 5 days a week for 8 years, I scaled back my training for the first month or so and gradually increased the duration and intensity. I was able to motivate myself to work out 3 times a week after work and or on my lunch break. I would occasionaly work out before work but found I wasn't fully awake until the last few minutes of the work out (plus I always went to bed after 10:30pm).

 

Now I only work 42hrs/week. I work out during lunch for an hour 4-5/week.

 

BTW, thanks for answering my PM.

[i_like_sun]

Unfortunately this is part of life. Once your residency is over you can make choices about whether your career and your exercise can co-exist, and how much time gets devoted to what thing.

 

What if we all took on the European way of getting work done? In Italy, people who work more than 40 hours/week are called IDIOTS! I think there is something deeply wrong with our culture - we embrace people who ignore health in their attempt to make another dime. I'm nat calling anyone an idiot, just that I think we should all change.

[cj001f]

I'm nat calling anyone an idiot, just that I think we should all change.

 

Unfortunately the world is sinking to our level.

 

 

I'm jealous you have the motivation and energy to do anything on the weekends. I end up exhausted by the end of the week and require Saturday to recoup.

[sk]

I'm nat calling anyone an idiot, just that I think we should all change.

 

Unfortunately the world is sinking to our level.

 

 

I'm jealous you have the motivation and energy to do anything on the weekends. I end up exhausted by the end of the week and require Saturday to recoup.

 

this is true. i work for a multi nation organization and more and more our European counterparts are taking on a longer and longer work week, less vacation etc. part of that is becuase at a certain level you don't move up any more if you are not willing to work at the pace of the Asian and American countries and the speed of the internet. one of the women i know is on conference calls once a week at 2 am our time.

[ivan]

food... think what you do on the mountain. .

lessee, so, for mike, that'd be kiddie fruit pieces n' bacon, eh?

[G-spotter]

Mike, one word.

 

Electrostimulation.

 

shit, you can plug it in before you go to bed and get 7 hours of "training" WHILE ASLEEP!

[cj001f]

Mike, one word.

 

Electrostimulation.

 

shit, you can plug it in before you go to bed and get 7 hours of "training" WHILE ASLEEP!

 

so you are saying he should wear the buttplug to bed?

[sk]

food... think what you do on the mountain. .

lessee, so, for mike, that'd be kiddie fruit pieces n' bacon, eh?

okay so maybe he should be eating what i heat when i go hiking