As a personal trainer and coach I often hear “I wish I worked out more but I just don’t have the time”. It is probably the number one excuse I hear from people about why they don’t exercise. I am here to tell you that you do have the time. You may need to make it, but you do have it. I train a variety of people, some that are very flexible with time, and scheduling, and others who work 40+ hours a week, have families with small children, and even manage a full social calendar. I have a few clients that simply amaze me, and I think, if they can make time for regular workouts then anyone can. So, are you thinking about starting a workout program and are wondering how in the world you are going to fit it all in? Or maybe you are looking to add a few extra workouts per week to improve your fitness even more. Don’t be overwhelmed! Here are a list helpful tricks to help squash those excuses that are already beginning to form in your head.
1. Make it your priority. There is nothing more important than your health. Without our health all of the other parts of life are lost as well. Along with a proper diet, exercise is crucial in improving and maintaining health. The benefits are numerous and include, but are not limited to, reducing your risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, it reduces your risk of injury, and can even reduce stress, as Gary mentions in his article. Can you believe it? The thing that you are stressing over is the exact thing that can help you relieve it! So, knowing all of this (which I’m sure you already do) how can you not make exercise a priority? Write it in you calendar, set goals, let family members know how important this is for you, and get out there and sweat a little!
2. Set aside the same time of day for each scheduled workout. Pick a time that works best for you and again, write it in your calendar. You will be more likely to be consistent with your program if the time of day is the same for each workout. This may be 5:30am or 10:00pm. It helps knowing that on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you are going to walk 4 miles at 6:00am (or whatever activity and time you may choose).
3. Choose an activity that you enjoy. Exercise is not always fun, but it does not have to be a chore. If you absolutely hate running on a treadmill don’t do it. Mix it up a bit. Cardio can be mundane so split it up between different activities, or try circuit training. Go for a bike ride with your kids, or a walk after dinner with your spouse or a friend. Join a recreational sports league, or a fitness class at a local gym. Trying a sport or activity that is new and or exciting can be extremely motivating.
4. Have someone hold you accountable. Who better to do this than a personal trainer? He or she will schedule your appointments, write your workouts, and motivate you to work harder than you would on your own. It can be expensive, but not when you think of the money spent as a health investment. If a personal trainer is not an option try recruiting a workout buddy. I almost never run, cycle, or swim by myself anymore, and there is good reason for that. My training partners motivate me to be at a 5:30a workout, and they push me, encourage me, and distract me from the painful or boring parts of the training. I credit a lot of my fitness to each of them.
5. Try it for one week. Schedule in 3-4 workouts for one week. Don’t skip one. At the end of the week take inventory. How do you feel? Not so bad, right? How hard was it? Not so hard, right? Next week will be easier. The following week even easier. Each week that goes by exercise will become more a part of a daily routine and you will find yourself more refreshed, energetic, sleeping better, less stressed, and you might even miss it when you can’t fit a workout in one time. Just try it for one week. You can do anything for a week, right?
6. Change your clothes. Believe it or not, just wearing the clothes (specifically shoes) that you would work out in can make you motivated to actually exercise. So when you get home from work put on your sneakers as soon as you get in the door. Or, sleep in a pair of running shorts. I’ll admit, I’ve done that one before, and it works!
These are only a few suggestions on how to time manage and get motivated. There are many more so pick ones that work best for you. There is time in the day for everything, we just might need to change our priorities a bit. Good luck!
