7 Ways to Fit Fitness Into Your Hectic Life
7 Ways to Fit Fitness Into Your Hectic Life
If only you had more time, you could get fit. You're busy driving the kids to their sports games and practices. Then add going to work and keeping up with the house. It's not easy but to throw a fitness regimen on top of that? Yea that sounds daunting. But hear me out. It's doable. You just need a few tools to get you on track and keep you on track.
BE REALISTIC
By this I mean, don't start with a two-hour workout, seven days a week. That's a lot for anyone to handle, let alone a busy person. I know, you see these people on Instagram, posing picture after picture of their selfies at the gym. You want to be as dedicated as they are and you feel like less of a person because of your hectic life. Listen, most of them only do workouts. They don't have full-time jobs, kids and homes. They are just posting their highlights of the day. Don't get caught in the awful comparison trap.
You need to find how much time and what days you can commit to working out. If it's only four days a week, then it's four days a week. You can accomplish a lot in a four-day workout schedule. There is no right or wrong plan for fitness. What is right for you is one you can stick with. Don't make it unrealistic. You're only human.
ASK YOUR FAMILY TO SUPPORT YOU
You have a lot on your plate, and you want to get fit, but how on earth are you going to find time to do this? Ask for support. Loved ones need to know that you want to do this, but you will need their help. If you let them aware of your wish to make fitness a priority, they will, well hopefully, want to see you accomplish your goals. It doesn't need to be anything more than maybe pitching in with daily chores to allow you time to get your workout completed.
Take turns running kids to practices, have the kids help with the dishes and laundry. If everyone pitches in with just small adjustments, you will be amazed at the extra time you can achieve. Just make sure you thank them.
DON'T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF
So you start a new workout plan, and you so want to stick with it this time. You accomplish a few workouts, and you're exhausted, sore and wanting to see results. You start getting mad that this is so hard. How do people do this? Why does it seem so easy for everyone else? Well, it's not. They just got through this painful part.
Not only is it physically painful, but it's also mentally painful. You start looking around at everyone else working out, making it look easy, and you see others acting as if they love it. It takes time. I know you feel like you're at the bottom of an enormous mountain and you feel like you'll never get to the top. Listen, you will get to the top. No one can sprint to the top of the high mountain without stopping or quitting. However, you can climb to the top at your own pace. We all can get there, but we need to get there in our own time.
So give yourself a chance to settle into working out. Remind yourself that it's going to be hard. Allow yourself to have a bad day. But the next day, you get a chance to start over. Just don't quit on yourself. You so deserve better.
PRIORITIZE YOUR WORKOUTS
I know this sounds easier said than done. You're supposed to put family, career and, home at the top of your priority list. Of course, they are a top priority. But that doesn't mean your name shouldn't be added to this list. You're very important to your loved ones. You should recognize that your health should be your very top priority. Without your health, no one would benefit from you. They need you to be well. They want you to be well.
Every day, you have to treat your workout as a top priority. Put it in your calendar just like you would a doctor's appointment. Know exactly when you are going to work out, so there are no excuses. Tell yourself constantly that you MUST get your workout accomplished.
“It is not enough to be busy.....The question is: what are we busy about?”
START YOUR WORKOUT REGIMEN ON WEEKENDS
I know you must think, seriously? Aren't we supposed to rest on the weekends after a long, busy week? I understand that after a hard week, you want time to relax and unwind.
However, this is the perfect time to jump on your workouts, uninterrupted and may allow you more time to workout longer with less pressure. I like to start on Saturdays because when Monday hits, I'm already ahead of the game with two exercise days in the books. I do this just for the fact that if something comes up, like extra soccer practice or an orthodontist appointment with one of my kids, I can easily make that day a "rest day." There is no guilt from missing a workout during the week, and I resume my routine the following day.
SPLIT UP YOUR WORKOUTS
Some people like to do weight training and cardio as part of their workout regimen. I do this as well. But this can consume a lot of your day. I don't know about you, but skipping one or the other, makes me feel like a quitter. I tell myself over and over again that it's not my fault; it's my busy schedule. However, it still leaves me feeling like I never complete a workout.
I often split up my workout. I do my weight training in the morning, and if time allows, I do cardio either in the afternoon or the last thing at night. There is no rule stating that you have to do them back to back. I also switch this split up. I may get up early and do my cardio session and then do my weight training in the evenings. It's whatever works for you and your day. Doing something every day far outweighs throwing the towel in and skipping it entirely.
STOP SCROLLING SOCIAL MEDIA
So you sit down to relax a bit after a long hard day, and the first thing you do is grab your phone and start scrolling social media. You want to catch up with what's going on. You'll only look for a few minutes. Wrong! Before you know it, 30 minutes have gone by, and you're still on social media.
I love seeing my friends who tell me repeatedly that they don't have time to workout, yet I see them all over social media, every night, posting things, commenting and liking everything. They honestly don't realize that they are wasting over an hour a day, maybe more, just being on their phones. I know you like to keep up on your friends and family, but do it after you have taken care of yourself.
Reward yourself with time on your phone after you do your workout. You'll feel so much. If you scroll before working out, you not only waste time, but social media can be mentally draining. You start the comparison game. You begin the envy game. Before you know it, you're blowing off your workout and jamming a bag of chips down, feeling sorry for yourself. Don't do this! Make yourself and your workout plan a priority over the rest of the world, most you don't even know.
“Let today be the day you give up who you’ve been for who you can become”
Let's face it; there is never enough time to do everything. There is no perfect day to do everything we wish we could. You have to force yourself to prioritize your fitness. It should be a top priority for you. You deserve to be healthy and happy. Fitting fitness into your schedule is not natural, but it is doable. Fit it in where you can, simplify it and be proud of yourself no matter how you accomplish it. Every workout is a step towards your health, no matter how big or small.
Do you see where you can finally start a fitness plan and stay with it? Would you like a program that is easy to follow and gives you a clear path to get to all of your goals? A plan to help you lose fat, sculpt your body and regain energy you thought you'd never have again? Click below and let's find a plan that best fits you! Get started today. It's your turn to prioritize yourself.
Hugs & Love,
Aimee
Aimee Schwinabart is the founder of The Purely Fit—online workouts, nutrition, and fitness coaching that actually work! She specializes in short (super effective) daily workouts combined with customized nutrition plans to help real people shed excess fat and reveal toned, lean muscles. The Purely Fit approach to looking and feeling great prioritizes small, steady, super efficient workouts and nutrition upgrades to help you stay with it once and for all!
