You know how it goes. You make a plan, a promise that you’ll get a fitter. You join the gym, buy some equipment or splash out on new running shoes. You’ll start Monday… only, you’ve got that thing on; Tuesday night you realise you just didn’t get time but you promise on Wednesday… which is the day you have to work back late or one of the kids got sick; by Thursday you’re exhausted and when you haven’t done anything by Friday, you figure next week is as good a time to start as any, right?
When your schedule is packed tight and unexpected distractions rear up it’s really hard to find the time for regular exercise. Your plans constantly fall through because you’ve got so many other chores and commitments that take priority. Fitting something else in- especially something that takes up a pretty big chunk of time- feels impossible. There are ways to make it happen though, so keep reading for some handy ways to fit the fitness back into your life.
Pick your time
Plan to exercise not at a specific time, but at the start or end of something. When you wake up, when you get home from dropping of the kids, at the beginning of your lunch break, the moment you finish work or get home, as soon as the kids are asleep. That cue helps to remind you and means you’re less likely to be doing something else at your scheduled time.
Pre-Plan
If you want to go for a run after dropping the kids at school don’t wait until you get back to change clothes and grab your runners, put them on first thing in the morning. Have your essentials (keys, water, fitness tracker etc.) on you so when you get home, you can leave straight away. Get changed at work if you’re stopping at the gym on your way home.  By doing this you minimise excuses and distractions and don’t waste valuable workout time looking for that lost sock.
Work in with the kids
When you’ve got kids at home you sometime have to think out of the box. Look for activities you can do with them such as sports games on consoles (the Wii is excellent for this), walking or jogging with a pram, mama and baby yoga classes or kid-friendly home workouts that either get the kids playing along or use smaller children as part of the workout itself.
The three minute rule
If you really, genuinely can’t fit in a full length workout or you are really struggling with the motivation, try a three minute workout. This can be anything- throw your runners on and go around the block, do laps in the backyard, cobble a few yoga poses together or crank up the dance music and bust a groove. Every little bit counts and often it’s not the length of the workout, it’s getting up and starting. Once you’ve got that habit you can work on stretching it out a bit.
Above all, find something you love doing. If working out is exhilarating and fun, you’re more likely to find a way no matter what.
How do you find time to exercise?
Author: Amy Hopkins
I have a schedule and I stick to it. Every Saturday morning from 6 to 8, I jog and do high interval intensity training. Then, every Tuesday and Thursday night, I have a boxing session for 1 and a half hour. If I fail to attend to any of these, I still find time the next day to catch up.
That is great, Jayson!