Finding ways for exercising when short on time is a key element to maintaining your fitness level for years to come. It’s an obstacle we all face every day. Whether it’s your hectic work schedule with all kinds of hours and schedule changes, or maybe it’s your kids’ sports events or dance competitions that make it hard, there’s always a way if you have the will to make time for yourself, and your fitness!
When your time is out of control, that’s exactly when you need the workout the most! Your workouts not only are good for your physical well-being, but they are as equally important for your mental health as well. So, when life gets crazy and throws a wrench into your workout plans, it’s even more important to find the time to exercise to alleviate the stress and maintain your sanity!
So how can you make time for YOU, to exercise when your days are absolutely insane? Here are 5 ways to keep your workouts on task and on point, when short on time.
Get Up 30-45 Minutes Earlier
I know this one seems tough when your days are long and you just want those extra few minutes of sleep, but you’ve got goals right! Getting up early is a time-tested and true way to make sure you stay on task and get that workout completed every day! By getting up and “getting it done” before your day starts you have assured that nothing will get in the way of you making that “me” time for yourself and burning those calories.
Getting it done early gets your day off to a great start, wakes up your body, and best of all you’re done before your body realizes what’s going on. Yes, it can be a little more difficult if you go to a gym because many others do this same thing and gyms often are busiest between 5 & 7 AM. However, there are many home fitness options to look into as well. Beachbody on Demand is a great option with hundreds of workouts to choose from, all run by world-class trainers, all in the privacy of your walls. So if you’re exercising when short on time this is a great option for getting it done and saving yourself tons of time!
Interested in hearing more about home fitness options? Check out our article The Convenient Home Fitness Option.
Schedule Your Workouts
We never think twice about putting all those daily meetings and zoom calls into our schedule for work, right? Why don’t we deserve to do the same for our workouts? Yep, I do that every day! I know what my week looks like well in advance, so my workouts are just as much of a priority as those daily meetings are because I have them penciled in and scheduled! Yes, at times I need to adjust and re-schedule but very rarely because I have put just as much importance on my workouts as my work. If I’m not mentally and physically healthy then my work suffers.
If you schedule your workouts daily it allows you to be successful because you know there’s a set time daily for what you deem so important in your health and life. There’s something very powerful when you know that you’re taking care of yourself and have a plan to do that daily. That’s why the scheduled workouts mean so much to me. It allows me to see them coming every day with a set time to count on. So let’s start now, go schedule your workouts!
30 Minutes Make The Most Of It
Whether you’re doing your own weight routine daily, going for a jog or a walk, going for a swim, or doing a home workout like the 21 Day Fix, making them 30 compact and full minutes can help you bust the “I don’t have enough time to work out” excuse. And that’s what it always is too when you don’t work out isn’t it? That you didn’t have enough time for a long workout. Well good news, they don’t have to be long to be effective. It’s proven that 30 minutes of compound movements where the pace is accelerated are just as beneficial if not more than a traditional hour workout where the pace is a little slower.
There are so many things you can do in 30 minutes as I mentioned in the opening of this article. This is a big reason why I love the on-demand workouts that Beachbody offers. So many workouts from so many trainers than fit this timeframe, will in the end leave you dripping sweat and having burned so many calories. You do have the time for 30 minutes in your 24 hours, don’t you? I think ya do so go schedule your workouts!
Workout With Your Partner, Make It A Date
Yep, as you may have guessed this one centers around your significant other or spouse. Getting it done with your partner not only helps you become more likely to get it done daily, but it also helps you become more successful and reach your fitness goals, together! There’s just something about the bonding that takes place with the couples who sweat together and help keep each other accountable daily!
They don’t have to be always the same dates either. Mix it up and make them fun. Take a run maybe one week, and then go for a bike ride another week. Compact and quick these mini-dates can allow you just enough time to get the all-important workout done, but also time to catch up with each other on the day and share a stronger bond over time. You’re not only getting the workout done but you’re strengthening your relationship at the same time! A win all around!
Cut The Cord and Earn Your Scroll Time
Ah, did I just get a little controversial and call you out on a major roadblock for people trying to work out regularly? I mean the gall of me to ask you to give up your “Netflix and Chill” time, right? And to question your endless scrolling on social media while you sit on that comfy couch at home. The audacity! Now settle down, it’s not forever. Think of it like you’re earning that downtime to sit for those Netflix marathons and Social Media Scrolling.
Too many people use this TV and social media time as an excuse to block their desire to get in shape and work out. It’s literally their “I don’t have time” excuse every day. Look at it in a smaller picture (no pun intended) though. Let’s say you watch two 30-minute episodes of your favorite show each day/night ok. Follow me on this. Why not split that in half. One “Friends” episode and 1 short 30-minute excuse-busting workout for the benefit of your body! Your body and your health will thank you for putting it first along with Rachel and Ross!
Conclusion
Too many people use too many excuses daily and never start their health journey. In return, their work and career life are that much harder because they’re not as healthy as they could be. Feelings of tiredness, not being able to focus past 3 PM, and that food you ate at lunch isn’t digesting as well as it could be. These are all reasons why you need health and fitness in your life if nothing more than to improve your work and career.
Exercising when short on time is a factor for everyone and that’s a fact. However, there’s an old adage I live by and that’s Health and Fitness Now or Disease and Illness later. Mathematical fact. So make YOU a priority TODAY and get started now and go schedule your workouts so you can start getting it done!
You HAVE the time if you MAKE the time!
