Fitness is important to maintain throughout your whole life. It keeps your body moving properly and is instrumental to keeping your health. But in a day and age where you can be booked from sunrise to sunset, it can be a headache trying to find the time to get in a good workout. This lack of time often discourages people from exercising at all, which can have an effect on their physical and mental health. There can be many ways to integrate exercise into your busy daily activities, so here are a few tips on how to adapt your exercise routine into your schedule.
How To Make Time To Workout On a Busy Schedule
1. Start Your Day Off With a Workout
If you struggle with finding moments to work out that agree with your busy calendar, you can make time and try by giving yourself more time in the day. No one really likes to wake up early in the morning but doing so can give you that extra hour to get in some good exercise. Even a quick 20-minute workout gets you feeling good as you start your day by already having accomplished a challenging task. This also allows you to move on to your next tasks with confidence, knowing that you no longer need to consider when you can squeeze in your exercise.
Early morning exercises have extra benefits too! The early start helps wake up your brain allowing you to feel more alert and focused as you move through the day. It also kick-starts your metabolism and can assist in losing weight, improving your blood pressure and blood glucose, and even help you make healthier food choices throughout the day.
2. Exercise Efficiently
Being tight on time can elevate your stress and leave you feeling panicked about how you can possibly complete all that is needed. So when you get the time to work out, try to do it as efficiently as possible. When you are at the gym or getting set up for a home workout, it is easy to get lost in the distractions of your phone or other items. Shutting these distractions down and focusing on a quick and efficient workout can help you pack that exercise into a manageable time slot to fit into your day.
Even with a variety of exercise goals and abilities, there are many workout options that allow you to make the most of your time. A popular method right now is called High-Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT) which is a quick way to build strength, use a lot of calories, and work on your cardio.
3. Schedule Workouts Like Meetings
If you are the kind of person who lives their life following a strict calendar schedule, try planning a workout the same way you would an important meeting. It is important to make time for yourself throughout the day, otherwise, it is very easy to burn out from the stress. So if you are looking for a way to include exercise in your daily routine, pencil it into your calendar so that you have a visual outline of when you should roll out the yoga mat.
This method also allows you to not only find time for these exercises but also reserve them. That way you can make sure nothing takes over that time and you can stick to your workouts a little easier. Planning and sticking to workout routines can be challenging, but if you see a physical reminder of it you are more likely to stick to your goals.
4. Use Your Commute For Exercise
When you can’t find the extra time for a workout, try multitasking! Many people live within a few miles of their workplace, making it a reasonable exercise option to bike or even run to work. An added bonus of this is you can save on gas money or transportation costs and even reduce your carbon impact on the environment.
You can also use this method for running errands. Instead of driving all the way to the post office to drop off a few letters, try going for a quick run or bike ride to get there instead. Finding different ways to use fitness methods as your mode of transportation can help integrate fitness into your busy life.
5. Take a Walking Lunch Break
Lunch breaks are often precious times to relax in the middle of a crazy workday. But if you are really looking to add exercise into your lifestyle you have to utilize every minute you have! An easy way to do this is to use the time that you have set aside every day to use for yourself and go on a little walk. It may seem small, but each time you can increase your heart rate helps keep you active.
To be extra ambitious you could go on a run, or if you have the time even go to the gym. Most commonly people only have quick 30-minute lunch breaks, which is enough time to eat your sandwich and go on a quick walk outside. Efficiently using your time can help give you a little extra movement and can help keep you mobile and healthy.
6. Choose Some Movement Over None
A difficult part of making exercise consistent is choosing to do it over something else. Whether you have more important tasks to complete or you really just want to relax by the TV after a long day, it takes a conscious choice in order to exercise. So even when you are overwhelmed with a task and can’t find time to exercise, choose some form of movement over none.
Instead of just watching TV, try to do 30 squats after each episode of your favorite show. Or if you are wanting to take your kid to the local park, walk there instead of driving. Making small choices to exercise over the course of the day can help you maintain your fitness and help you improve your health. The little things do add up, and these small increments can help you reach your fitness goals.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the key to integrating more exercise into your busy schedule is finding which works best for you. Not everyone’s day is guided by a strict calendar or lives close to their workplace, so look for places within your life that you can adapt to be more fitness-friendly. And you might just find you prefer the new ways too!
Sources
https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/working-out-in-the-morning#benefits
https://www.self.com/story/what-is-high-intensity-interval-training-benefits
