7 ways to fit exercise in to a busy schedule
Do you want to exercise more consistently?
Are you struggling to get consistent in the first place let alone stay consistent? My 7 ways to fit exercise in to a busy week will help.
Take some time to reflect on the coaching questions below, make notes and let me know what your key takeaway is!
1) Have realistic expectations, particularly in busy weeks
It is time to be ‘okay’ with doing a shorter workout than originally planned, rather than nothing. Sometimes things will come up and rather than not doing anything, do 20 minutes or whatever you can. Going through the process of doing something will help build the habit and help it to be and feel more possible to fit in the next week. We can’t always do everything as planned and we can’t always give 100% effort to our exercise goals. Some weeks will be more of a ‘bronze standard’ week (e.g. 20 minute workouts) than a ‘gold’ one (1 hour workouts as planned), and that’s ok. That’s life. Watch out for being ‘all or nothing’ in your approach as that is what could be holding you back from getting consistent.
2) Take an active lunch break
Can you exercise in this time and then eat afterwards before going back to work? Again, similar to the first point, if you can’t go to the gym or for a run during your lunch then even just 20 minutes of walking outside is better for you than sitting at the desk during this time. How can you easily build more movement into your day?
3) Meet a friend to exercise with
This can help with both accountability and also efficient use of time combining a social catch up and a workout! What support do you have? Who can you reach out to?
4) Build activity into your commute
Can you walk instead of drive to work? Can you get off the bus or train one stop early to build in some walking? Could you run to work and get a lift home or vice-versa? Do you now work from home and have gained commute time that you can exercise in?
What can be done differently?
5) Cut personal internet use in half
Most of us can cut our screen time down. This saved time could be exactly the time you need to fit your desired exercise in. Consuming extra information throughout the day than we really need to be via social media etc is very tiring and we need the energy for our exercise! Be disciplined, turn notifications off and don’t get distracted by it in work time. Maybe you can finish work earlier and get out for a run or to a class! What’s one thing you can do starting today to cut your screen time down?
6) Become an ‘active watcher’
Do you have a webinar to attend? Or a TV programme you cannot miss? Do some strength and conditioning exercises whilst watching!
7) Plan, plan and plan!
This is where most people fall short. There isn’t enough planning of the exercise in the busy week and then it is the first thing that goes when we get overwhelmed with life ‘stuff’. We need to plan for the pinch points and the obstacles that might get in the way. What might stop you going to run with your friend? How can you overcome this? Plan your exercise into times of the day that you know you will be able to do it e.g early morning rather than after work when you always feel too tired. Plan the details like laying your clothes out the night before, the timings that you will need to exercise, shower, eat, travel so you can be confident it will work. Plan to meet somebody for company and accountability – no one likes to let a friend down at 7am! Plan your food too around your exercise as often this prevents consistency e.g. you are too hungry to exercise so miss the workout or you have your dinner and then can’t go for a run after it and then it’s too late!
15 minutes of planning on the weekend could be transformational in terms of helping you to fit exercise in to your busy week.
If you feel you have tried a lot of these things but are still not where you want to be, or possibly you have improved this area but next you need to improve your nutrition and home cooking, give me a message to set up a free coaching call!
I can help you with the extra accountability of a Health Coach to get consistent and stay consistent in these areas and you will feel healthier, happier and a great sense of achievement.