Tips For Fitting Exercise Into A Busy Schedule

1. Make exercise a priority.  Exercise and fitness have to be important to you or it will never fit into your schedule.  Things that are truly important almost always get added to our schedules. Take care of your body now and it will take care of you later.

2. Schedule your workouts. Enter your workouts into your calendar/schedule and commit to them.  Making exercise a part of your regular schedule will make it easier for you to stay on track long term.  Once your body gets used to working out you will feel like something is missing on days that you miss. Let the people in your circle know about your workout schedule and how important it is to you. This can eliminate some of them from pulling you away for other things during your workout times.

3. Exercise first thing in the morning.  Getting your cardio or resistance training in the morning will prevent other things from popping up and taking the place of your workout time.  If things get crazy later in the day you won’t need to sacrifice your training in order to deal with unexpected issues.  Training in the morning is also a great way to jump start your metabolism after it has come to a grinding halt while you were sleeping.  A good 30 minutes of interval training will burn a ton of calories and keep your metabolism elevated for hours.

4. Use your lunch time.  Going for a brisk walk around the parking lot will not only help keep you on track but it will also be a good way to reduce work related stress.  You can even have a protein shake and a piece of fruit afterwards so that you don’t have to use more of your lunch time to eat a traditional meal. Pull your co-workers with you for some added accountability. Please note: If you hate your co-workers then inviting them might be counterproductive..lol.
 
5. Make it a family affair.  Taking the family swimming, hiking or roller blading/skating are a few ways to enjoy family time and fitness all at once.  These activities are fun and burn calories without it feeling like exercise. The secret is to find things that you enjoy.  You are much more likely to continue if it is something that you look forward to doing.

Remember, you have to be honest with yourself.  Are you too busy? Or, are you too busy making excuses? Exercise and fitness have to be top priorities or you will always be stuck in the “I’ll start on Monday” cycle.  As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Will