I was just wondering, it happens to me rather frequently that I have some important deadlines at work (dissertation research) and need to get things done and that gets in the way of my training.
Sometimes that causes me to skip workouts several days in a row.
I guess if I was more organized I could still make the workouts but I just get so stressed and all, can’t sleep at night or work late etc that I end up just skipping them.
Of course then I end up feeling even worse because of lack of exercise (or endorphine ;)) but there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in my days.
I end up wasting time with stupid non-workrelated things (like posting on ST…yeah yeah) or even sleeping when I could be training. I was just wondering if other people went through similar situations and how they handle it…
Right now, I am still recovering from an ID race three weeks ago, so it’s not so bad, but I still feel I should be back to at least an hour or so of training each day; last couple of weekends I was able to fit some training in, it is mainly during the week that I experience difficulties fitting things in (for example just had to skip my track workout for tonight because I just can’t leave work early)…
I am a relatively busy person with a brutal professional/personal schedule (school administrator with wife & three children). I too struggle with consistency because of other priorities and “stuff” that comes up at the last minute, etc. After struggling with my goals versus the real effort I was making towards those goals, I have come up with the following conclusion: one must be up as early as possible to get the workout in on a consistent basis. Backmap your schedule from your wake time to include your adequate sleep amount. Plan your schedule a month in advance, modifying as needed. I know that this is not rocket science but if you are not a morning workout person like me, it is really difficult. As far as stress, the more “normal” your schedule is, the better you can plan for the unexpected. Good luck, this work thing always seems to get in the way of the good stuff:)
Thanks!
Yes, I am not a morning workout person either. I mean I love it when I am actually getting up to workout, but the getting up, on my sleep schedule, ouch…
It really helps to have a training partner but I don’t during weekdays…
Dilbert: no one has any good advice on how I can balance my work with my personal life
Wally: I take the Zen approach of having no friends and doing no work. Hence, perfect balance
Don’t stress about missing workouts, it happens. the important thing isn’t whether you get any specific workout in, it’s long-term consistency (over years, not weeks or months). skip a few days when you need to for your research. exercise when you can and enjoy it. sometimes (a lot of the time) it’s better to miss a workout and get the sleep you need If you want to succeed with your degree.
Believe me, I spent most of grad school sleeping through my classes and seminars because I was so wasted from training and doing problem sets all night. this contributed to “the talk” with my advisors that led to me bailing out of the PhD program with a masters (the consolation prize).
Graduate research requires sacrifce. For me, I realized that I wasn’t willing to make the sacrifices required of me by my advisors. Dropping out was one of the better decisions I have made. I guess what I’m saying is, if you resent making your research the #1 priority, a PhD might not be what you really want. On the positive side, if you really love what you’re doing for your dissertation, the serious exercise and training will be there for you when you finish (unless, of course, you head into a post-doc position somewhere, then it just gets worse). But for now, exercise when you can and enjoy it - treat training as a stress reliever rather than a stress generator.
Your graduate degree program and personal abilities may differ from my experience - but for me it was not possible to do both PhD research and train seriously. Decide which is more important to you and don’t let the other add additional stress to your life.