With work, family, keeping up with social commitments all bidding for our time, it’s common for people’s fitness goals to fall down the back of their to-do list. It can be tough to stay motivated when a packed schedule puts us under pressure and leaving us pushed for time, but being busy doesn’t mean you have to shelve your fitness goals.
Making time to work on your fitness is finding a time that works best for you – whatever the time is – and giving this as much importance as any other commitments in your schedule. With that in mind, try these five wellness hacks to regularly fit activity into your routine, no matter how busy you are.
In this post we’ll share some time-saving tips to help even the busiest people fit exercise into their day.
1. Less can be more
You don’t always have to exercise for an hour to reap the benefits and as soon as you understand this you will be able to exercise more regularly, even when you have a jam-packed day. For example, you can do ten minutes of kettle bell exercises, ten minutes core work and ten minutes of squats and lunges.
2. The list
A great way to focus your time on the things you value, such as staying healthy and fit, is to create a list of everything you’d like to do get completed in your day, such as watching your favourite TV series or going to the gym.
Once you’ve got your list, number each activity in terms of how much of a priority it is for you, starting at number one and working your way down. At the end of this task you’ll have a list of the activities you value. Try to always fit in at least one of your top three priorities per day, even if it’s just for half an hour.
3. Ditching the snooze
The quickest way to build more time into your day is to get up a little earlier. Exercising first thing ticks it off the to do list before the day starts, so there’s no chance of your workout getting bumped later on when things start getting hectic.
Swap the snooze button for a HIIT session that can be done shortly after you wake up before getting distracted. It’ll wake you up faster and you’ll start the day more alert. Plus, the endorphins will keep you energised long into your working day.
If you can’t manage getting up earlier, find 30 minutes at lunchtime or when you get home before relaxing on the sofa to watch TV or going online. Or try swapping 30 minutes of social media time for 30 minutes of exercise.
You’ll be surprised how much time you make with a few simple swaps.
4. Make an active commute
If your commute to work is a sedentary one, try fitting your workout into what would save you from doing it later.
Get off the bus or train one stop earlier or park the car 20 minutes away and enjoy the rest of your route on foot. If you can, do your commute by bike. A Cycling UK study of around 73,000 men and 83,000 women found that mixed public and active transport commuters had significantly lower BMI and body fat than their car-only counterparts. And research published in the 2017 British Medical Journal found that cycling to work is linked with a 45 per cent lower risk of developing cancer, and a 46 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, compared to commuting only by car or public transport.
Now there’s something worth riding for.
5. Find a buddy
Research has shown that motivation to be active becomes easier with others, so why not do two things at once and combine your training with your social life. Start a fitness group or team at work and get your colleagues to take part in a lunchtime session. Or find a local group to train with, or join your local parkrun, after work.
