Modern life is busy. In between going to work, cooking dinner, doing the dishes and making the school run, there’s barely any time to sit back and relax, and that means there’s also not much time to exercise.
If you’re struggling to fit exercise into your hectic schedule, you’re not alone, and we’re here to help. Here are a few tips you can take on board to make being active work for you and your lifestyle.
Location
If you’re travelling 45 minutes to get to the gym, it’s time to find one closer to either your house or your work. If your office is next door to a gym, pop in after work for a quick session instead of going home and then having to go out again.
If you have commitments which are time sensitive and mean you can’t go to the gym straight after work, find one closer to your house so you can swing by after you’re done at home.
Another alternative for if you can never seem to find the time to go to the gym is to decide if you should build a home gym. If you’ve got space for a treadmill, some weights and a bench in the garage or the spare room, this might be a good option because it offers ultimate flexibility without the need for travelling.
Streamline
How much of your day do you spend procrastinating? A lot, probably. There are bound to be ways you can use your time more effectively and leave more leftover to exercise. One of those ways is to meal prep. When you cook, cook in bulk and freeze down leftovers so that when you get home from a busy day, the 30 minutes you would’ve spent on food prep can be spent going on a jog instead.
Do you spend an hour scrolling in bed before getting up in the morning? Instead of only exercising your thumbs, get up and do a quick fitness DVD or go for a brisk morning walk. Not only will you feel more energised and ready to start your day, it’s far better for your brain than reading social media posts and negative news is.
Timing
Workouts don’t have to be hour long sessions at the gym. If you want to do that, great! If not, 15 minutes here and there won’t hurt either. If you’re struggling to find time, commit to a short HIIT workout. They’re higher intensity and oftentimes burn more calories than extended gym sessions and long runs, and best of all, they’re usually no longer than 30 minutes.
You can make your own HIIT workout using a collection of exercises you like best, such as press ups, planks, lunges, squats and crunches, or you can follow an online class. You can specialise in cardio HIIT sessions, strength HIIT sessions or a bit of everything. Whatever programme you choose to follow, HIIT workouts are great for people who have a busy schedule.
Balance
It’s important to find time for yourself, and if you have a day where your feet barely touch the ground, forcing yourself to give up your spare half and hour in the evening to do a brief workout doesn’t sound great – and it’s not.
One mistake many people make when trying to weave exercise into their daily routine is to try and force it in every day regardless of what’s going on. Instead, commit to three or four days and get active where you can.
You won’t be able to go to the gym everyday, but taking the dog on an extended walk still counts as working out and is better than nothing – but even if you can’t manage that, don’t worry. Your body needs at least two days a week to rest, so having the odd day of doing nothing isn’t anything to beat yourself up about.
Incorporating exercise into your routine is hard, but once you get into your stride, you’ll no doubt reap the rewards of being active and making time to improve your fitness and wellbeing.