Staying in shape as a dog groomer?

[ffm1967]

So I’ve been grooming for about 2 years now and my schedule is pretty busy. About 11-12 dogs a day working 5 days a week alternating Saturdays (some weeks I work 4 days a week) I pull hours about 9am-6pm every day and can only find time to work out on my days off. I’m so tired by the end of the day and in the mornings to try and work out then. Any tips or methods people use to stay in shape with such a busy physical schedule?? Thank you! Hope this is the correct subreddit to post in!

edit thank you everyone for all these responses!! It’s me and my boss so just two of us and yes we’re definitely overworked but my boss needs the money l. We do actually do that many dogs a day I bathe mostly and do some haircuts and she does finish work on almost every dog. Some of these are great tips. I’ll look into changing my diet more!!

 

[shellyeve]

@ffm1967 I just did it. It sounds so stupid but it works after awhile. I was working 5 days a week grooming between 6-8 dogs while kickboxing 2/3 times a week and lifting weights 3/4 times a week. It’s honestly made grooming much easier physically. The hardest part is starting.

 

[pleasenext]

@shellyeve I also like kickboxing! Such a great thing to start.
I do that and some yoga on the mornings lol

 

[beta2]

@ffm1967 My advice is to dial back. You’ll only hurt yourself by grooming that many dogs a day, without enough time to rest, stay in shape and take care of yourself

 

[timur]

@ffm1967 How do you do 10+ dogs a day? Do you have a baither?

 

[worshiper1994]

@timur Probably has a bather and does a quick preshave before the bath

 

[worshiper1994]

@timur Or they do like 6 small dogs and maybe 1 or 2 are big

 

[clare5890]

@ffm1967 With such a physical job you might be burning your candle at both ends trying to work out more on top. I would suggest focusing on sleep and diet at least at first. That’s what worked for me. Have a strict sleep schedule. Get a solid 8 hours every night. Get black out curtains and make your room as dark as possible. I also cut out all processed foods, added sugars, refined carbs and stopped drinking alcohol all together…. I had other health issues that caused these changes but it was 1000% necessary if I wanted to keep my workload, health and sanity. I was never big but now lost almost 30 pounds and counting, I don’t have crazy hunger swings and a way smaller appetite, I have more energy than ever which lets me have the energy to play my drums for a couple hours or ride my bike after grooming 8-10 dogs a day instead of forcing my self too…. and I have way less stress and anxiety. I’m a few weeks from being 1 year alcohol free and will never look back

 

[catharinealice91]

@clare5890 I love this! My dad cured himself of some major joint and bone issues doing this, and he also plays drums and rides bike! He is not a groomer though but had to smile as it reminds me so much of him!

 

[cglil]

@ffm1967 It sounds kinda harsh but you have to pretty much force yourself to make the time to workout. Its going to suck for the first couple of weeks, but you’ll get used to it and it will become easier! When i first started as a groomer at Petsmart I worked 7-4. I got up at 5 every morning to make it to the gym before work. Trust me it SUCKED, you’re going to be tired and you’ll think of a thousand excuses why it won’t work. For me getting it over with in the morning was the only way because grooming is so exhausting i’d be dead after work. Pre workout and energy drinks got me through the day haha. exercise is so incredibly important and should be prioritized. And it doesn’t matter how you exercise, anything is better than nothing. If its too hard to carve out an hour of your day to workout, start with just 20 minutes. Yoga, matt pilates, HIIT, all are quick and effective workouts. You don’t always have to kill yourself in the gym, whatever you enjoy doing the most and can make time for will be the most sustainable.

 

[hms]

@ffm1967 I ended up getting a recumbent bike and put it in my bedroom in front of my t.v. I would lift weights while I sat there and rode for 20-30 min before bed!

 

[sheiriam]

@ffm1967 This may be controversial but I always think grooming is a workout. I like to go on moderate hikes. I live in the mountains so it's good for getting my heart pumping. It's nice to do on a day off. Like you, I'm often too sore or tired to do much during the week.

 

[fig]

@ffm1967 Bed early and work out in the morning. I used to go to bed at like 9ish to get up at 4:30 to be at the gym by 5. But honestly, it comes down to discipline. Even if your tired you have to force yourself after work. What I do now. Straight to the gym after work. And once you get going, it never mattered how tired you were before.

 

[cglil]

@fig This!! Getting started is the hardest part. Once you are there and working out, you wake right up and it becomes easier the more you do it.

 

[ilion]

@ffm1967 I don’t do as many dogs, I do 5-6 a day, I usually work 9:30-6ish and absolutely cannot work out after work from the tiredness. I started working out this past month though because I’ve definitely gained weight and lost strength over this 1.5 yrs of grooming. I wake up around 6:45 and leave to the gym at 7:30, workout for about 45 minutes (after that your ability to continue and gains made drops significantly) and leave by 8:30 to go home and finish getting ready for work. So far it feels real good, and hasn’t affected my tiredness at work except maybe I’m a little sore.

 

[thebackyardpreacher]

@ffm1967 I find this job way too tiring to work out as well. I do yoga on my days off which is great for the back stiffness from work. And on work days I have a protein shake for lunch as they're reasonably filling, full of vitamins but low calorie

 

[marissa22]

@ffm1967 That’s a lot of overkill in my opinion. Rest days are important to input your health, from both grooming AND physical activity. But if you can afford to do, what I did was joint a fitness group who meets first thing in the morning and I head straight to work from there.

 

[david_c]

@ffm1967 I just do it right after work. I tried getting up early but it just wasnt for me. I find that as long as I get into my gym clothes right away and don’t sit/lay down after work, I’m fine. The biggest struggle is just getting to the gym/starting to work out. I cut myself some slack that even if I only do half or even 1/3rd of my workout, at least I did something. But once I get started, I always get a rush of energy and finish my full workout.

I don’t exercise on my days off tho. My days off are for resting and hobbies. It keeps some semblance of balance to my life, since I genuinely don’t “enjoy” working out.

The hardest part is just starting but set yourself with small goals that are easy to obtain. On days that I’m exhausted I just do 15 minutes of HIIT and pat myself on the back for doing something.

 

[chaz1268]

@ffm1967 Work one less day a week. That or pick a couple of days and do fewer dogs. You’re going wear yourself out. If you still want to be doing this job in 5+ years while not in some kind of miserable pain, you need to allow yourself to rest.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@ffm1967 How is it possible to do that many dogs a day?

I mean I could see with a bather. Haircuts usually only take me 30min - an hour. But it also takes me 30 minutes to bath 15-30 minutes to blow dry.
I usually do 3-4 dogs per day and never more. I’