Long Work Hours - Combining This With Running

by Kool
(Coral Springs, FL, USA)

I work close to 65 hours a week. At one job, I used to run and have completed 3 half marathons. I've picked up weight and I need a training plan that I can balance losing the weight, getting good run time in, and of course work 65 hours a week. Help?


Answer by Dominique:

Hi,
Thanks for your question about combining your long work hours with running.

I think it is a very good idea that you want to try to fit some exercise into your schedule.

There is plenty of research available that has proven the benefits of exercise.

Just check out my benefits of running page to see some.

You have done the running in the past, so I am not sure if the beginner running programs are your best port of call. As someone getting back into running it would be good if you'd use some kind of run/walk program to begin with though.

You will want to make sure you re-start your running career safely!

I am concerned about the amount of work you do in a week. There are so many studies that show that people can't be productive for such a long time.

But for you, your health is suffering at the moment. There is no time for exercise and you have started to gain weight. There is no balance in your life when you are working 65 hours per week.

I hope this is a temporary situation and you are able to reduce it in the future. It is going to be tricky to fit in exercise and sufficient sleep around that type of working week.

In order to get fitter I would recommend running/exercising at least three times per week. The more you're able to build up your running the better it is for fitness of course.

I'd like to see you build this up to a solid 30-45 minutes of running three times per week and more if you want to. 30-45 minutes of running three times per week provides a good base for fitness and will also so have a good effect on the calories you burn.

When running for weight loss, you will also want to consider your diet. Without a proper diet your running will not have that much effect.

Logging your food intake for a while via a website like myfitnesspal.com helps. It will make you really conscious about what you eat and the calorie-load attached. When you can keep to their recommended calorie-intake you are bound to lose weight.

Calorie-restriction is very tough and people usually have a lot of trouble keeping disciplined. So do make sure you fit that exercise into your day. The more you exercise, the more you will basically be able to eat whilst still losing weight.

I hope you can fit running back into your life. It would be great if you could do another half marathon!

All the best.
Kind regards,
Dominique