Let’s be real, it’s easy to feel motivated about the idea of exercising, but it’s a whole separate challenge actually implementing it. Most of your down time you’re either exhausted, hungry, or just done using your brain. Listen, I get it; but the reality is, when something is really important in our lives, we find a way to fit it in our schedules.
The goal here is to get moving, to start implementing activity into your day and work in more intense exercise. Any movement is beneficial to your health and you should take pride in whatever movement you can achieve. So here are 6 tips on working out, no matter how busy life may get:
1. Stop making excuses and make the time
Let’s start with the obvious. Understanding if exercise and your well-being is something that will be important to you is the first step. As I said before, this is a choice that you get to make for yourself and it’s a priority to you, you’ll make it happen. Everybody is busy and everyone has commitments and responsibilities, so it’s up to you to stop blaming your life for being hectic and create an effective way to build it into your life. More often than not, building exercise into your life, for any amount of time, will create a less stressful and more productive headspace.
2. Build it into your schedule
One thing that I do is build my workouts into my daily schedule. Instead of going before my day starts or after it has ended, I workout during my breaks. This doesn’t mean that you need a 1 to 3 hour break, all you need is 20-30 minutes to invest in yourself. Once you set that time, stick to it. Make that specific break dedicated to working out every week.
3. Find the most efficient workouts
With that 20-30 minute break you planned out, you have to perform a workout that will maximize that time. I don’t want you to run on the treadmill for 20 min to sweat as much as you possibly can, but find a workout that’s enjoyable and gets your body working. Working out isn’t only for your physical health, but for your mental health as well. Don’t hop onto a cardio machine because you think it’s efficient when you actually want to kill yourself when you’re on it. One of my favorites is The Nike Training Club App; it’s a godsend for a HUGE variety of workouts. They range from 5-45 minutes, equipment or no equipment, gym or no gym, yoga to strength training, quick to slow paced. If you’re as happy as this woman, you’re doing it right.
4. Build it into your daily activities
Not everyone has time to get to the gym or workout before, during or after their day and that’s totally fine. Life happens and getting to the gym isn’t easy with a chaotic schedule. So it’s a good thing that you don’t need a gym or even that 20-30 min to get some exercise in. ADL are your Activities of Daily Living: things like moving boxes, walking up the stairs or reaching for groceries off the shelf. Each movement fires your muscles without you even realizing it. Maximize those times. Take the stairs every day, no matter what. Get up every hour at work and do 10 lunges at your desk. Use a handheld grocery holder versus a cart. Lunge from class to class (who gives a sh*t if people look, you’re doing great sweetie). If you want to improve your health and build that workout in, you’ll make the effort anyway you can.
5. Know that you don’t have to workout everyday
People assume that to be healthy you have to workout everyday, when in reality working out 3 times a week efficiently will keep your body healthier and happier than ever before. Those other 4 days is where you can do “active rest”: walking more steps than you normally would, taking the stairs, vacuuming the house, walking the dog; practically doing anything to get you moving. I looove to walk my dog, as you can see below.
6. Stop viewing it as something making you busier
Exercise shouldn’t be another stressor, chore or added load to your day. It should be something that you look forward to and that gives you relief from your otherwise busy schedule. It’s the one thing that you should be doing for you and not for a deadline, your boss or a class. If exercise feels like an extra stress in your day that needs to get done, then you’re doing the wrong type of exercise. Find something that gives you the relief you need and use it to your benefit.
If working out is something you want to build into your life, there are so many ways of achieving it. Be your own motivation to make it a commitment you stick to. It’s not easy putting your health first when life is coming at you in a million different directions, but those moments that you can sneak it in make more of a difference than you could imagine. All you have to do is get up and move!