10 Tips for Finding Time to Work Out! Part I

By Glenn Stark
Director of Fitness
Bay Tennis & Fitness

Many of us live very busy lives. From soccer moms to executives, we are all strapped for time. Making time to work out is a common problem . One of the most widely used excuses I hear as a trainer are the infamous words “I just don’t have time to work out right now,” or the close second “I am going to start a workout program next week, or month, or year….”

No matter who you are or what you do, none of us are too busy to make time to make improvements in our health. Let’s face it, if you went to a doctor and they informed you that you need to stop eating a certain food and you need to do a minimum amount of exercises or you will die within the year, I am willing to bet that you would be motivated to make some time and changes to your life style. Think about that for a moment, and ask yourself “If I do not make some changes what are the short and long term consequences going to be?”

You have to find a big enough reason why you need to change, before you can decide that you want to change.

Now I can understand it may be hard to set aside an hour of time that is fully dedicated to working out, not to mention the time it takes to drive to the gym, change, workout, shower, change again, and then go about your day. So here are the first five of 10 tips for helping you create time to work out and make that change.

Tip 1#: Morning time: One of the best ways to add fitness back into your schedule is working out first thing in the morning. This is not only better for you, but allows you to get it done and out of the way. By getting up a half hour earlier you avoid any of the distractions that the day might throw at you to tempt you away from working out. Most people that adapt this into their lifestyle find that they are able to get more things done in the day with higher levels of energy. Studies have shown that people that workout in the morning are more likely to stick with their program and tend to lose more weight and keep it off.

Tip 2#: Mini Workouts: You can have a great workout in 20- 30 minutes. With time crunched workouts you must make sure that you are keeping the intensity high, rest periods to a minimum to get the aerobic effect, and you must involve whole body movements. Body squats, lunges, pushups, pull ups, crunches and sit ups are just a few of exercises that you can do for great results. Try and do at least five exercises and work them as a circuit. Try and do 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps in this type of circuit.

Tip 3#: Lunch Breaks: Try working out during your lunch break. Many gym and fitness clubs have classes or trainers that allow you a quick and efficient 45-minute workout. This allows you time to shower and make it back to work in a reasonable time. Implementing this two to three times a week is a great use of time. If you do not have time to leave the office or house, use this time to do a 20-30 minute workout with your own body weight. This will still allow you plenty of time to have lunch and get back to work. Fitness bands are also a great tool to keep in your desk or car for a great mini workout.

Tip 4#: After Work: Another strategy is plan on doing your workout right after work. One reason this strategy might fail can be related to the fact that people go home first after work. This is one of the worst things you can do. Instead plan ahead, bring your gym bag to work with you and go right to the gym after work. Do not stop at home.

Tip 5#: While doing Chores: Believe it or not you can actually get a great workout while doing household chores. Look for creative ways to accomplish daily household chores. Here are just a few examples:

Vacuum to Lunge- Don’t just use your arms when vacuuming - rather lunge with your toes pointed forward. This is a great way to work on the legs and glutes.

Rake & Twist- When raking or sweeping make long steady strokes and twist from the hips up; this is great for working the oblique and core muscles of the abdominal area, remember to do both sides.

Washing clothes- Make sure to bend those knees and lift with your legs when lifting a clothes basket, hold at waist level while walking to washing machine, this works legs and core. While folding the laundry you can do calf presses, start by standing with feet shoulder width apart, balance on the balls of your feet and lift your body up by standing on your tippy toes and lower your heels back down, this is great for the calves.

Doing dishes - When you are doing dishes stand up straight and lift one leg up and out to your side and return then do the other side, make sure to do 12-14 per side. When putting away dishes, focus on stretching as you reach up to put dishes away.

Those are the first five of 10 tips in this two-part article. I hope these will inspire you to look for creative ways to make fitness a part of your busy life. Remember to look for opportunities for fitness in all aspects of your day -- taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away from the entrance when shopping, or doing arm curls with bags of groceries on your way to the car. Anything you do actively will only help you to start to enjoy the benefits of fitness leading to better health.

Till next month,
Stay Balanced in Health,
Glenn Stark

This is part of the online edition of Northern Michigan Life.

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