The Struggles of Being Fit and Healthy – Time

I get it. We are ALL busy. Whether you have a full time job, kids, pets, after work activities, or all of the above – we all have a jam packed schedule. Like it or not, it has become the American way. But, truth be told, everyone has the same 24 hours per day and it is up to you to decide how you use it. Fitting in time to workout IS POSSIBLE, you just have to be a little creative and do some planning to fit it into your hectic schedule

First things first. This may be hard for some of you to hear and it may make you angry, but THE FACTS ARE THE FACTS and in order to find time to incorporate exercise into your life, you need to hear this.

THE COLD HARD TRUTHS:

YOU CAN FIND TIME! Look at it this way – no one has time to change a dirty diaper or clean up dog puke when they are on the way out the door, but you MAKE time. Why? Because the alternative is way worse if you ignore the issue and if you don’t take time to clean up the mess you will regret it later. Fitness and healthy eating are EXACTLY the same. Cleaning up after a horrible mess immediately will take less time, less work and have less consequences than if you covered it up and came back to it years later. You may not feel bad now, but 5 years down the road – you may really regret it!

BE HONEST! This one is harsh, but it is the one that most people are guilty of. If you have time to scroll Facebook, binge watch season after season of the latest show and everyone knows you by name at the local bar, YOU HAVE TIME TO WORKOUT! It’s not that you don’t HAVE TIME, there are just other ways you prefer to SPEND your time. I can’t tell you how many people look me square in the eye and complain about how they don’t have one spare second in a day to workout yet they go on and on about the 10 different tv shows they watch.

STOP BEING A MARTYR! “I feel so selfish taking the time away from my family to go to the gym.” I call major crapola on this one. You know what’s selfish? Not being the best parent that you can be because you are tired, out of breath, weak and unable to play with your children. Yes, I know that was harsh. But it is a reality. I TOTALLY get that it is hard sometimes to take time for yourself and a lot of guilt goes with that. But when you are healthy and feel good – only good things will come from it. Having more energy, more confidence and, since exercise releases feel good endorphins, you will be happier. Plus, you will be setting a great example to your children. The decisions you make can and will effect your family – you get to choose if it will be in a positive or negative way. PS (to some of the moms out there) – your spouse WILL SURVIVE watching THEIR children for the few minutes that you need to do something good for yourself.

Now that you have read that, I hope you are still with me. It was hard for me to write that, but those are really things that people use as excuses and, at times they may be valid, but they shouldn’t stop you. You deserve better than that. And I can help. Still with me? Good, because this is where you take responsibility for your heath and find time to fit in a great sweat session Here are a few simple ways that you can find time to fit exercise into your schedule.

All you need is a few minutes – Really! Whoever keeps the “you need to workout an hour a day” myth going should be punched in the hoo-ha. It’s BS. It’s not all about how much times you have, it’s about doing as much as you can in the time you have. You can get an incredible workout in just a few minutes a day. Doing high intensity workouts like tabatas (Working 20 seconds as hard as you can and then taking 10 seconds of rest and repeating this for 4 minutes) will give you a great workout that you can do during a commercial break. Want some examples of workouts that you can do in 20 minutes or less in the privacy of your own home without any equipment? Click here and here to join me every week for my FREE WORKOUT WEDNESDAY.

Make it a PRIORITY! It’s easy to let excuses and every day activities get in the way of your fitness schedule. Too tired, too busy, too much to do – we have all been there. But if you want to make fitness a part of your life, you have to find time to make it a part of your life. Schedule your workouts just like you would any other important appointment like going to the dentist or getting your hair done. Write it in your calendar and block out time in your day to get it done.

Be Sneaky! Sneak fitness into your everyday chores and activities. Make small changes in your day like taking the stairs at work, walking to your co-workers office instead of emailing them, squatting while you fold laundry or cleaning the house at a brisk pace.

Play! If you have kids or pets, be active with them! Kid and pet free? Join a sport league. Working out doesn’t have to mean spending time in a gym. Taking Fido for a hike, playing tag with the kids or joining a backyard game of flag football counts too! Having fun with your fitness makes it seem like a less daunting task.

Wake up early. Getting your workout completed first thing in the morning means you will be less likely to be distracted by other responsibilities later in the day. Also, working out in the morning starts out your day with a sense of accomplishment and puts a little extra pep in your step.
Be prepared and have a plan!!!! If you know that you have limited time between getting up in the morning and heading out to the gym before you have to get to work, get in a routine of making sure your gym bag is packed every night before you go to bed and have a plan for what you will be doing for a workout. That way in the morning you will not be rushed or have to skip your workout because you aren’t ready. If you are the type of person who works out after work, make sure you bring your bag with you in the morning. More times than not, if you have to stop at home to grab your workout gear, you will be distracted by household duties (or just decide it’s too cold to go outside again) and stay home.

Get into a routine. If working out during your lunch hour works best for you, try to stick to that schedule. Life does have a way of throwing a wrench in your plan every now and again, but changing up your routine too much leaves room for excuses to sneak in.

Instead of finding ways you CAN’T, try to find ways you CAN! Don’t “can’t” yourself to death. Anyone can find a million reason why they can’t find time for fitness, but try to change up your thinking and try to find ways you can. Can’t workout for an hour every day? Then make the most of the time you can. Can’t afford a gym membership? Then go for a jog or walk outside and do body weight exercises in your home. Focus on the positive of what you can do and try to eliminate the negative of what you can’t.

If you have any questions on this subject, please feel free to contact me tera@fitnesstogo.net

Want FREE workouts that you can do AT HOME with little to NO EQUIPMENT? Join me every week on my Facebook Page for WORKOUT WEDNESDAY or check out my Workouts | To | Go board on Pinterest.