5 Ways to Squeeze a Workout into Your Busy Life

Life has been quite busy lately (especially as we prepare for TBR Dream Marathon registration! Eek!), but, I must say, this is exactly the way I like it. For some reason, I get more work done when I know I’ve got a hectic day ahead. How do I make sure I get my workout done? Here are my 5 best tips on how you can squeeze a workout into your busy lifestyle:

1+ Pencil it in. Mark your workout into your calendar as if you had an important meeting with your boss. Your workout cannot be postponed nor cancelled! As more activities come into your week, make sure you work around your schedule giving you ample time for warm up before the workout and shower, a snack, and rest after.

2+ Workout in the morning. If schedule permits, workout first thing in the morning. In other words, get it over with so that you don’t have to think about it all throughout the day when deadlines loom and traffic makes you cranky.

3+ Just move. So you really don’t have the time to head to the gym today? Don’t fret. Just make a conscious effort to burn more calories all throughout the day. Walk to lunch instead of taking the car during the break. Use the stairs instead of the elevator – yes, even if you’re heading up! Take your dog for a 15-minute walk around the village after dinner.

4+ Go for HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT are short bursts of workouts that give you a more effective burn in a short amount of time vs. a long cardio workout. Choose HIIT workouts on hectic days when you only have 30 to 45 minutes to spare in the gym. I love that they have Freestyle Group Training in my gym now where you can do interval exercises with other gym members. Fun and efficient, what more can you ask for?

5+ Make the time. It’s so easy to come up with an excuse not to workout from “I’m tired” to “I have too much work!” The list is endless. But, people who want to get fit, make no excuse. If you’re a young mom, you can workout while the kids are asleep. If you’re an executive, you can wake up an hour earlier to lift weights at the gym. If you really want to workout and get fit, you won’t just FIND the time, you’ll MAKE the time.