Are you finding it difficult to fit exercise around your busy schedule? You are certainly not alone in that regard. It seems the whole world is hectic and busy, living life at a breakneck pace which has never been encountered before. We live in a “right now” fast, faster, fastest society, in both our personal and business lives.
So how can you guarantee you stay physically active, even though you routinely cram 25 hours worth of productivity into a 24-hour day? Practice the following 6 tips that help you smoothly fit exercise into your busy schedule and your health won’t suffer because of your fast-paced lifestyle.
1 – Forget 30 and 60 Minute Sessions
If you are finding it difficult to exercise because you believe you don’t have enough time, that excuse has been taken from you. A study released in 2014 showed that intense exercise for just 2.5 minutes can burn up to 200 calories! Start looking for 3 and 5 and 10 minute chunks during the day where you can crank up your heart rate and crunch some serious calories.
2 – Wake up 30 Minutes Earlier Than Usual
I can feel your resentment after reading that last line. As it is, you would like to sleep more already, not less. You certainly don’t relish the idea of waking up a half hour earlier every day just to enjoy some torturous exercise.
But now that you know even short episodes of physical exertion can burn serious calories (Busy Schedule Exercise Tip #1), you should be happy to trade 30 minutes of sleep for a serious calorie burn, as well as an alert, focused start to your day. (You can hit the sack 30 minutes earlier to compensate.)
3 – Track Every Minute of Your Waking Hours
Seriously, we all have plenty of time to exercise if we are honest with ourselves. Remember, exercise does not need to mean the traditional definitions, such as jogging, cycling, lifting weights and running.
Any physical activity that elevates your heart rate is considered exercise. This means playing with the kids, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and walking to the store instead of driving are all forms of exercise.
4 – Multitask!
Combine several items on your to-do list into a fun and enjoyable “exercise” session. Placing a sales call while picking up a few items from the nearby grocery store can be accomplished while you walk or jog. You can even get your child out of the house when you take him along in his stroller.
5 – Place Dumbbells, Jump Ropes and Other Fitness Equipment Everywhere
At work, at home and in your car you should have multiple pieces of fitness equipment available. This ensures that whenever you find yourself with a few minutes of free time, you can enjoy a quick workout session.
6 – Take Advantage of Technology
Use a fitness tracking app: There are many fitness tracking apps available, such as Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, Strava as well as our Tribe41 App that you can find in the app store. These apps can help you set fitness goals, track your progress, and provide motivation to stay on track. You can even sync them with wearable fitness trackers or smartwatches to get real-time data on your workouts.
