How You Can Fit Fitness into Your Busy Life

No matter how busy you are, everyone can find time to fit fitness into their day – the key is to find ways to make fitness work with your schedule – if it’s not convenient, chances are you won’t stick with it in the long-term. Here are some suggested stress-free ways to squeeze in exercise, no matter what your schedule:

Forget All-or-Nothing. One of the biggest exercise myths is that if you don’t work out for 30-60 minutes at a time then you won’t see any benefits, and this is just not true (see our Truth Behind the Myth section for more). By finding easy ways to incorporate a few 10-minute sessions into your day, you’ll feel better, have more energy and will still see results (which you probably wouldn’t see if you waited for life to slow down enough to get that full hour workout in).

Commuting. Unless you work from home or live a block away, you probably spend at least 20 minutes each day commuting to and from work or school. If you walk, bike or rollerblade, then you’ve already found a way to fit in some extra exercise – try picking up the pace to burn some additional calories. If you drive or take public transportation, use the time to tone – squeeze your gluts, hold for 10 seconds and repeat. Do the same with your abs. If you drive, park as far away as possible and walk briskly the rest of the way, and if you take public transportation, get off a stop or two early.

Chores. Everyone has errands to run and chores to do, but instead of looking at them as activities preventing you from exercise, turn them into workouts themselves! If you’re going grocery shopping, park at the far end of the parking lot and power walk to the store – continue this pace throughout your entire shopping trip (the fast pace, combined with pushing the increasingly heavy cart will burn more calories than you think!). When unloading clean laundry, only take out one piece of clothing at a time (but make sure you’re bending with your knees – not your back – to avoid any stress or injury to your back). If you’re cleaning, turn on the music and dance your way through doing the dishes, sweeping and cleaning.

TV Time. Watching TV is a common way to unwind and relax…and it’s also the perfect time to get in some exercise! For a high-intensity workout, move your exercise machine in front of the TV and workout while watching your favourite show. If you have one, put a mini-trampoline in front of the TV and bounce or jog on the spot while watching (even if you just stand still on the mini-trampoline, you’ll strengthen your core muscles and burn many more calories than if you were sitting). If you don’t have any workout equipment at home, try to do equipment-free exercises, such as crunches, push-ups or jumping jacks (see featured exercises of the month for more ideas).

Be Creative. There are unlimited ways that you can turn everyday activities into small strength or cardio exercises. When you’re talking on the phone, stand up and walk around, or alternate balancing on each leg. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Deliver a message to a co-worker in person, rather than email. Take a brisk walk at lunch time. If you’re at your child’s soccer game, pace around the field while cheering them on. The ideas are endless and with a little practice, fitting in small bits of exercise into your everyday will become second nature.

 

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