I spend 3 hours of my day, every weekday, commuting to and from work. I find by the end of my hour and a half commute back home at night I just want to sit around and do nothing.

I'm sure some of you have had the same issue before, do you have any advice on how I could fix this?

Is your commute because of traffic or distance? If it's traffic, you can go a gym near your work and kill two birds with one stone. In fact, that might work out for you either way; don't worry about being fatigued after you work out, usually I have trouble sleeping at night if I work out too late from the adrenaline. Then, after the long, relaxing (ha!) drive home, you'll be ready for sleepytime!

Also, why in God's name are you commuting 3 hours a day? I couldn't live like that, I'd quit my job or move if that were the case for me... more than 30 minutes drives me nuts!

its from distance

the place I work is 150km from where I live. . . luckily it pays better than any job I can get in my city even after adjusting for the travel expenses. They only have me on as a "casual employee" so I can't really justify moving to the closer city.

I'm also concerned that if I work out in the closer city it might make it harder for me to stay awake for the rest of the drive.

Sorry if this sounds rude Ian, but that post just sounded like a load of excuses. It basically boils down to - you're either going to do what it takes to make working out a part of the routine or you're not. I hope you do. Good luck.

The problem is wanting to sit around and do nothing..

You're going to have to switch the feeling of wanting to do nothing to wanting to do something..

Start off just walking, it's easy, you can walk anywhere, and it's not very strenuous but burns calories and fat..

mmm I can understand your issues with commuting. It really is a pain to drive for an hour and a half straight. That amount of time in traffic isn't so bad because you don't really have to do anything (the stress comes from not moving).

But driving for an hour and a half is mentally intensive because you're super-alert the whole time, even if the drive has become routine.

The feeling of wanting to sit around and do nothing is strong. Being lazy is something that I have personally perfected. But the remedy to this (and the only one I truly believe) is to do it anyway. In the morning when I wake up, I run. Some mornings I really don't feel like it, but I know that once I put my clothes on and lace up my shoes, getting out the door is no issue. And it has been the same for other situations, like today when I didn't run until a little after noon because I had appointments early in the morning.

Just do it.
You'll hate it at first, but once you've gotten your workout in, you'll be glad you did it later. And with consistency will come results, which will give you more reason to keep it up.

It takes a month for a habit to form. July is coming pretty soon. Could be a good time to form good habits.

Just think of exercise as the exact opposite. Your body is super-engaged, but your brain can take it easy for the most part - just make sure you don't run into a tree or something.

Another option that I've used on days where social engagements get in the way of my evening workout (and morning workouts aren't really my thing... yet) is to hit the gym or go for a run at lunch; but I have the flexibility and space to eat at my desk while I work when I get back.



I disagree with this notion; you've got to be there mentally as well as physically to really get the most out of your workout. I don't even bother with music during my runs anymore because if I'm pushing hard enough I barely even notice it after the warm up and dropping my Zune or having the earpiece pop off my head is just another thing to worry about while I'm running. If my mind is free enough to do something else while I run or lift weights, then I'm not pushing hard enough and, in my mind, I might as well not bother.

I see a guy in my gym occasionally who reads a newspaper DURING sets while he's lifting. I've also never seen him break a sweat in the gym and I've yet to see him make any progress, appearance (hell, it might just be me, but he's looking even fatter than before) or strength wise: he's still curling 15s and he has been for the past several months. It honestly wouldn't surprsie me if the next time I see him in there he's lifting LESS weight.

Intensity and focus are two of the most underrated facets of exercise but are, arguably, the most important. If you lack one or the other, or both, then you simply aren't pushing yourself to reach your potential.

"I spend 3 hours of my day, every weekday, commuting to and from work. I find by the end of my hour and a half commute back home at night I just want to sit around and do nothing. "

I commute over 1hour 45 minutes each way almost everyday of the week. I make time for exercise by waking up early (around 4.am.) and driving to a gym close to my work that open at 6 a.m. This gives me plenty of time to workout and shower and get to work on time.

John Kaiser (a.k.a. Total Transformation)

Ha! Yeah, I see the people reading books/magazines while on the elliptical or whatever. That's not what I'm talking about. I guess I didn't explain well. I'm an engineer so I have to use highly logical thinking a lot - especially when I was in school. So when I work out, that's not necessary. I also don't listen to music (usually) when running. When running (or swimming or biking or whatever) you can get in the "zone" where you feel automatic. I'm not thinking about work or dinner or whatever. So for me, it's like my brain is switched off. Does that make more sense I hope?

"Yeah, I see the people reading books/magazines while on the elliptical or whatever"

I found this simple rule out a while back: If you can read while working out, you aren't working out hard enough to do yourself much benefit. Time at the gym is time at the gym. Save the newspaper to read in the locker room or the sauna- well if you don't mind wet paper.

John Kaiser

thanks for the advice everyone, last night when I got home from work I just "forced" myself to work out, and I ended up getting a better sleep and was more able to do the drive in to work today because of it.

Being sedate is a downward spiral, the more you do nothing, the more you want to do nothing. The only way to break it is to do something, every day. After awhile your body will change and you will no longer feel tired when you get home.

Also, are you eating a big meal when you get home? Try eating a big lunch and having a protein shake or something quick and light for supper.

I've had this problem when changing jobs and getting into a new routine, I normally gave myself one or two weeks to adjust and then it was back to my routine. Working out on your lunch hour is a great way around this as well but if you can do some cardio after supper you'll feel even better.

Good on ya, Ian! Nothin' like the satisfaction of a job well done.