An additional thought: I also have an extremely variable schedule. What helps me make it to the gym on a regular basis (when I'm not working around the clock) is a mental trick. My natural inclination is not to exercise, so I needed to find a way to prevent myself from thwarting my own efforts to be fit. I came up with a rule that I use to determine whether I will go to the gym on a given day.
The rule: if I have a significant block of leisure time (for me, that's about 90 minutes) and I did not go to the gym the previous day, then I go to the gym.
This eliminates a lot of time that I would otherwise spending hemming and hawing about whether to exercise, weighing and re-weighing my priorities. It makes the decision process easy and automatic. The decision has already been made for me, by past-me. All I have to do is apply the rule. If X and Y, then Z. It takes a lot less willpower to make this type of "decision."
Obviously, if you try this, you'll have to come up with a rule that works for you and your life.
I think exercising every day is a pretty lofty goal and frankly, unnecessarily ambitious under the circumstances. If you don't exercise, then even adding a couple of sessions a week of light exercise will bring you real benefits. Incremental changes are much more likely to stick, because you'll be motivated to keep going by your own success. With fitness/weight loss, consistency is really more important than making drastic changes.
no subject
The rule: if I have a significant block of leisure time (for me, that's about 90 minutes) and I did not go to the gym the previous day, then I go to the gym.
This eliminates a lot of time that I would otherwise spending hemming and hawing about whether to exercise, weighing and re-weighing my priorities. It makes the decision process easy and automatic. The decision has already been made for me, by past-me. All I have to do is apply the rule. If X and Y, then Z. It takes a lot less willpower to make this type of "decision."
Obviously, if you try this, you'll have to come up with a rule that works for you and your life.
I think exercising every day is a pretty lofty goal and frankly, unnecessarily ambitious under the circumstances. If you don't exercise, then even adding a couple of sessions a week of light exercise will bring you real benefits. Incremental changes are much more likely to stick, because you'll be motivated to keep going by your own success. With fitness/weight loss, consistency is really more important than making drastic changes.