From managing your busy work schedule to making sure your kids are doing well in their academics, finding time to workout can seem impossible.
In fact, once your whole day gets occupied with task after task, exercise is the first thing that gets sidelined.
But these are times when working out becomes even more important as you need to maintain your physical and mental health. Because if you aren’t fit, you won’t be able to continue with your hectic schedule without burning out sooner.
The real question here is: how do you find time to exercise on a busy schedule? Here are a few tips you can follow to ensure that you stay fit no matter how occupied you are.
Schedule Your Workouts in the Morning
It’s easy to skip your morning workout intending to get it done later in the day. However, as the day goes on, finding time for exercise becomes more and more challenging. This is why allocating specific time slots for workouts just like what you do with meetings will prove to be effective.
Set an early alarm, ideally an hour before you normally wake up and head straight to the gym after freshening up. Ticking off working out from your to-do list first thing in the morning is the ideal way to start your day.
Of course, it will mean sleeping an hour early but that’s a lot easier than finding time for exercise late in the day. It will only take a few days but once you make it a habit, it’ll be much easier to adhere to the fitness schedule.
Make Use of Shorter Workouts
A lot of people assume that in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s necessary to exercise for hours. But that’s simply not the case. In reality, shorter workouts are just as effective as longer ones if not more. The trick here is to be efficient in exercise selection.
Don’t have more than 30 minutes? No problem, instead of exercising the conventional way, add short but high-intensity workouts to your routine. HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is one such example. They don’t last more than 20-30 minutes yet they are highly effective.
Choose an exercise like burpees or something similar and go all out for 20 seconds. Follow it up with 50 seconds of rest and repeat it again. Complete around 10 rounds of the same and that’ll count as a great workout.
Walk More
If you weren’t able to get in a morning workout then you can use other methods. You can achieve very good results through low-intensity exercise like walking.
During lunchtime, once you’ve finished your meal, go out for a short brisk walk. Another way to do this is by walking to your home after work. Even if you live far away, walking is still possible. Just get off the bus a few stops early and head to your place. Additionally, walk whenever you are talking on your phone. This will allow you to stay in shape even if you skip a workout session.
Prepare Meals in Advance
Eating out multiple times a week has become the norm and before people know it they are out of shape and are suffering from health issues. The best way to avoid that is to prepare your nutritious meals for the upcoming week on the weekend. Make sure to cook dishes that include healthy ingredients and have low-calorie content.
When you prepare your own meals, you have control over the calorie count unlike eating out where not only the dishes include harmful ingredients but are also way high in calories. This is why cooking your own food is the best way to maintain a healthy diet. Just make sure to freeze them for the week ahead.
Wrapping Up
Maintaining a healthy and fit body amidst a busy schedule is definitely a very tough task. But it’s not impossible by any means, you just need to make exercising a priority and the best way to do that is to follow the above tips and make them a habit. By mindfully incorporating these strategies, you can stay consistent with your workout routine and diet leading to a much better lifestyle.
