In my introductory “Ask the Trainer” post, several of you asked how I have been able to fit workouts into my already busy days.
I truly didn’t think I had time for exercise before this year – and I certainly wasn’t very eager to shift my schedule around much to make time for it. Now if chocolate is involved in an activity, I can make time f0r it – no problem. But exercise? That hasn’t made it consistently onto my priority list since high school. And that was, you know…way back in the 1900’s. ;)
So, how did this happen? For starters, I had to just decide that I was going to be consistent with exercising – plain and simple. I found that it really helped that I was going to be working out with a friend. Accountability is key for me.
It wasn’t long before I started seeing results – mainly a huge increase in my energy level! Then I started noticing that my muscles were more toned. My lungs started to feel stronger. My endurance level increased. My belt needed to be tightened.
Somehow, since I have discovered that I love exercising, the time needed for it has magically appeared. I’m guessing that this is because I’ve decided to make fitness a priority in my life. I’m not really sure what I took out of my schedule in order to add in the workouts, but I have consistently been able to exercise four to six days each week since mid-January. Somehow, I’m still able to get everything else done each day. That probably has something to do with that increased energy I mentioned earlier!
Keep in mind – my children aren’t babies anymore. I think that most people can find at least a little bit of time to exercise each week, but I know that I would not have been able to work out at my current level of intensity a few years ago when my boys were littler. Could I have done something though? Yes, I believe I could have – at least two or three days each week. I sure wish I would have. If I would have only known how good I would feel!
At this point, Jen, my friend and work-out buddy/personal trainer, and I try to work out five to six days a week. Some days we get in about 30 minutes of resistance training (lifting weights). Other days we take long walks – sometimes up to eight miles if we have time. Occasionally we jog part of that walk. Some days we do a 45-minute intense work-out video. Some days, we can’t find time for a workout at all.
Our workout times vary from day to day. We just try to grab those minutes that fit into the schedule, even if it means we can’t start a workout until 9:30 at night. Ha! Recently at a soccer game, she and I decided to go for a jog/walk while we waited for Justus’ team to warm up. Then we took advantage of half-time too. Hey, you gotta make it work whenever you can make it work. And sometimes, while running around a soccer complex in front of dozens of people, you just have to realize that you’re a little bit crazy. (Um, that would be me…not Jen. Although she was with me, so…)
Here’s what Jen (from Getting Fit With Jen) has to say about finding time for fitness:
If fitness and exercise are a priority then it does become easier to find time for it. But that doesn’t mean it is always easy to fit it into your day. You will still have other priorities and responsibilities that you will need to take care. Sometimes exercise has to be fit in around those responsibilities. Sometimes it just needs to be “scheduled” into the day like everything else.
Here are some possibilities for times that might work for you to fit exercise into your busy day:
- Get up a half hour to hour earlier! Sometimes it works to get your workout in first thing so that you can continue with the rest of your day like normal.
- If you have little ones, maybe you can get your workout in while they are napping. You could also take them with you on a walk or if they are old enough to play at the park let them play while you workout nearby….Read the rest of Jen’s article here.
I totally love point #4 that she shares! That’s how I find that this exercise thing really works most days!
What have you found to be the best time for you to fit in some exercise?