No Time to Exercise? False!
While some are still working from home, others are back to commuting to work and trying to get back to “normalcy.” Scheduling can be tough as you try to physically and mentally adjust. You may make some sacrifices here and there in order for you to make it work, but sometimes life still seems to get in the way of doing the things you enjoy. It happens to all of us and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Family, friends, work, Zoom calls, stay-cations, vacations (if you still have any planned)… these are some examples of things that we try to balance. Daily exercise tends to find itself lower on the priority list and possibly drop off, but why? During the quarantine stages we all suddenly had additional time to exercise due to less commuting back and forth to work. Now that extra time seems to have once again vanished.
In a perfect world there would be enough time to do everything we want to accomplish and still have time to enjoy some ways to stay active. If we can’t live in a “perfect world,” why can’t we strive towards something close to it and make the best of the time we do have? Why can’t we adjust our now busy schedules and make time to take care of ourselves? I spoke with one of my best friends a little while ago and he was discussing balancing work, meal preparation, house work, and parenting. He had mentioned that he couldn’t find the time to workout although he really wanted to. There were too many factors in play for him. It’s crazy to think that some struggle to get in some form of exercise, but I understand it’s tough.
Throughout my studying I’ve read numerous times that just spending 30 minutes a day exercising can add years to your life (along with a healthy diet of course). I then thought, is it possible for my friend to fit in just 30 minutes a day? 30 minutes to just concentrate on himself and work on becoming a better version of himself. If you plan ahead, I most certainly think it’s possible. Here are some helpful ways you can add a little bit of activity in your life in between all of this “craziness.”
Prepare for it
There are several time-saving additions that I’ve made to my nightly routine before bed that makes my morning workouts easier to achieve. Getting all my clothes out and preparing my pre and post run meals/snacks are 2 ways to shave off time in the morning. Not a morning person? Shouldn’t be an problem. You can apply this same concept for anytime throughout the day. Everything will be laid out and ready to go for when you’re ready to go.
Going for a run or walk? Plan your route and schedule it
If you can figure out approximately how long it takes you to run/walk a certain route, set that block of time aside during your day. If you normally run/walk for 20 minutes, add 40 minutes to your calendar (includes stretching and showering). Don’t want to shower? That’s cool, take that time off and go into the office smelling. No one will notice.
Find an accountability coach aka. your friends
Working out can be tough for some if you’re riding solo, but who says you can’t invite a friend along. Having a workout partner helps keep you on track and may make you look forward to working out. Think about all of the gossip you heard during the day, or even a really embarrassing event that happened earlier in the week. Wouldn’t you want to share that with someone outside of your “bubble” of coworkers? If you are on the same work schedule, keeping eachother in check helps. You rely on eachother to show up at a certain time or place. You may also rely on them to show up late or not show up at all, so choose your workout buddy wisely.
Pay for it
Nothing screams urgency more than when you have to pay for something. One way to get into the workout mode is to schedule a race or competition that you have to train for. You can also sign up for a membership at a gym or hire a personal trainer. They can be a bit pricey, but if that helps with motivation, go for it! Think about how swole you’ll look after paying for it.
Bring your family
If all else fails and you don’t have any available time, then exercise as a family. Go for a family walk, use your child as a weight and do some weighted squats, jump rope, hula hoop, throw a ball around. Find something that you all can participate in so you can enjoy the time together and have it “built in” to your schedule automatically. In a way, you all become each other’s accountability coach.
Quarantine has opened our eyes to a different way of living. It made us want to be more active just for the sheer fact we needed to do something other than stare at the walls in our house. The pandemic shook up all of our daily schedules. It’s up to us to figure out how to incorporate daily activity back into our lives. Remember, just because you’re out of time doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taking care of yourself. You simply have to be willing to adapt and adjust accordingly to the “craziness” of life.