Working out has many health benefits, including losing weight, toning muscle and having a healthy mind and body. Yet squeezing workout time into a busy day can feel overwhelming. The secret of making time to workout is to make working out a routine. Schedule a date on the calendar. Make it a sacred, unbreakable time commitment. Once there is an allotted workout time and routine, working out will feel like a gift. Instead of worrying about working, having dinner with the kids, or shopping with girlfriends, this time is allotted specifically for the required workout session. Enjoy it to the fullest.
Finding this extra time can be difficult. In the morning, consider setting the alarm a half-hour earlier than usual. No one wants to get up early and lose sleep. Most workers feel they already rise too early, but half an hour is not too much to ask for someone committed to working out.
Try to think of ways to shave time off the morning routine. Add a quick shower at the gym after each workout session instead of an indulgent one at home. Lay out clothes the previous night to skip the time wasted choosing an outfit and coordinating accessories. For women, consider going "au naturel" after each workout to save on morning makeup time. Throw damp hair into a ponytail and avoid time-consuming blow drying or flat ironing.
Grab a banana or granola bar and exercise during normal breakfast time. Eat in the car on the way to the gym to save even more time.
During the day, consider ways to slip exercise into the daily routine. Park further away and take the stairs as often as possible. Pack a handheld lunch, fruit or simple sandwiches, and find a place to walk during lunch break. While a park and scenery is nice, walking down the street to local businesses or even power-walk laps in the parking lot burn calories just as fast. Even a half-hour lunch can turn into ten quality minutes of walking time. If able, consider grabbing lunch on the go and eating before or after the allotted lunch time.
If energy levels are high, evenings are a great time for a workout. Stop at the gym on the way home from work, arriving at home a scheduled hour late. After a few times, this later arrival time will become normal.
Instead of cooking dinner, consider a simple meal, pre-prepped or bought on the way home. Crockpot dinners are another great way to save cooking time. Saved time preparing dinner means more time exercising. While the rest of the family watches television, exercise on the treadmill. Break a thirty minute exercise session into three manageable ten minute portions. Do jumping jacks during the commercials and crunches or leg lifts at each family member’s bathroom breaks. Turn the television off half an hour earlier than usual and use that free time to exercise. DVR each favorite show and fast forward through the commercials, saving fifteen minutes for each hour of show recorded.
There are many ways to make time to exercise during the day, for those committed and creative enough. Finding the time is as easy as finding the right motivation, whether during the morning, afternoon or evening.