I was browsing the Fitness for You eDiets.com forum today and noticed a question from a busy member who wanted suggestions for quick workouts. Mind you, she was still working fewer hours than me and no mention of weekend work hours was made, but hey, I guess “long” hours are relative.

I work in the video game industry which is heavily deadline- and project-based, so I’ve been “crunching” at work for the past 2 months. This basically means I work 10 am - 10 pm seven days a week, not counting my round trip commute of 1.5 hours each day. There have been more than a few days when I’ve worked until midnight or beyond.

This is how I’ve been squeezing in my current volume of exercise despite my schedule:

- I alternate between lifting free weights and doing cardio for 45-60 minutes in the mornings before going to the office. I just make it a point to get up earlier so I can do this.

- If I happen to oversleep because I didn’t get home from work the night before until 2 am, I squeeze in 30 minutes of cardio at a gym close to work during my lunch hour.

- I also keep resistance bands/tubes at work in a desk drawer so I can do strength exercises.

- I have Yourself Fitness (a virtual personal trainer/workout program with over 500 cardio, strength, and flexibility moves that are mixed up EACH time you run a workout) installed on my computer at work and on my Xbox at home.

- I keep a backpack with my gym gear and a change of clothes packed in my car at all times.

- I take brisk one-mile walks around the office complex while other people are having a cigarette or water break.

- I have even snuck into an unoccupied office room to do random sets of 20 push-ups or chair dips during the day. I realize this probably sounds a bit weird to anyone who has not had the pleasure of enlisted military service in their past, but once you get used to dropping to the ground ANYWHERE and knocking out 20 push-ups and coming back up with a grin, all kinds of exercise opportunities open up to you during the day no matter where you are.

- I take advantage of the following amenities at work:
** Stairs: Running, climbing 2 at a time, push-ups with feet elevated
** Desk: Dips
** Chair: More dips, elevated push-ups again, curls with resistance band, swing kicks (one leg at a time) over the chair and back
** Unoccupied Floor Space: Push-up variations, jumping jacks, crunches, isometric yoga poses (like plank, side plank, wheel, tree, etc.), jogging in place, 15 minute Yourself Fitness workout, bodyweight squats and lunges, plyometric jumps

- I also do not do passive TV watching–I always try to do crunches, lift weights, pedal on a stationary bike, do push-ups…anything active really…while “watching” TV. In my view, if you have time for television, you have time to exercise!

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YESTERDAY’S EATS

1. 1/3 c. oatmeal, 3 T. raisins, 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites
2. 1 banana, 1 scoop whey (blended with ice and water into workout energy shake)
3: 4 oz. chicken breast, 1/3 c. (dry) oatmeal, 1 c. mixed Mandarin veggies
4. 1 unsalted rice cake, 1/2 T. all-natural peanut butter, 1 scoop whey
5. 4 oz. chicken breast, 4 c. Romaine lettuce, 2 T. Kraft Free Zesty Italian dressing
6. 1 c. light soy milk, 1 scoop whey

Water: 16 cups

Supplements: multivitamin, calcium 600+D, EAS l-glutamine

Calories: 1379 calories (46.0% carb/39.5% pro/17.5% fat)

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YESTERDAY’S WORKOUT

* Bike Sprints (25 min)
* LISS Incline Walk (3.8 mph / 12.5% incline / 20 min)
* YF Cardio (15 min)
* YF Physical Challenge (15 min)

Calories burned: 550 calories

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DEFICIT: -836 cal (Target: -632 cal/day)

BUDGET NOTES: None

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How many credit cards do you have and what’s their combined credit limit?