Make These 8 Simple Changes In Your Life And You'll Actually Have Time To Work Out
Some days, you’re just lucky to find time to poop. So finding time to work out? Yeah right. Still, it’s totally possible to make time for fitness in your life — even if you have back-to-back meetings, a kid (or puppy?) to take care of, and a to-do list that will take a good month to tackle. (Photo: Getty Images)
Here are the top 8 tips to carve out some time for you (and carve a killer body) no matter what’s going on in your busy life.
1. Set A Schedule
When you schedule a meeting with a client, you probably (or hopefully) don’t just blow it off. OK, that’s partly because your paycheck would take a huge hit if you did, but it’s also because you wrote down the meeting in your schedule and then planned everything else in your day around it. You need to apply the same mindset to your workouts, says personal trainer Mike Donavanik, C.S.C.S. Think about the days you can realistically hit your workouts (are there some days that are just usually a mess for you?), put them down in your schedule a good week in advance, and then schedule your other to-dos around them, he says. Besides forcing you to actually make your workouts, it may help you schedule your whole day more efficiently.
Related: How Daily Morning Exercise Can Help You Have A Successful Day
2. Make It A Social Thing
Girls are famous for taking advantage of workout buddies. Men, not so much. However, by scheduling your workouts with a friend, you are automatically turning something that’s a “chore” into a social activity, Donavanik says. That way, you kill two birds (or to-dos on your list) with one stone. Plus, it’s a whole lot healthier to lift weights with a friend than it is to go with him to the bar, drink a few beers, and watch football or basketball players get in a workout.
3. Just Move More
And not just to “exercise.” Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) — the energy you burn doing things like walking, doing chores, and even fidgeting — makes a huge difference in your overall calorie expenditure and weight-loss success, according to research from the Mayo Clinic. Whether you go to the gym or not, work on hitting your 10,000 steps a day, breaking up sitting sessions with a quick walk or stretch, and try using a standing desk. A 2015 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that working out for 30 minutes a day won’t undo the effects of sitting for the other 23 hours and 30 minutes.
Related: 10 Things Young Guys Who Want To Get In Shape Need To Know
4. Script Your Workouts
“When you show up to a workout empty handed, you waste time. When you waste time, your workouts become longer and less effective,” Donavanik says. Basically, they become a bigger time suck than they need to be — and that’s the last thing you need. “Plan your workouts in advance. And not just the days or times you’re planning on working out, but the muscle groups you’re going to target for that session and the basic outline of your workout,” he says.
5. Keep A Gym Bag Handy
Workout schedules are great, but don’t close yourself off to the impromptu sweat session, Donavanik says. Keep a stocked gym bag at work, in your car, and over at your girlfriend’s place. That way, when someone says, “want to head out on a quick run with me?” you’ll be able to. Working out for 30 minutes won’t require an hour-long journey to go home, pack a bag, and come back.
Related: A Look Inside NFL Linebacker Lavonte David’s Gym Bag
6. Find Your Free Time
You might not think you have it, but you do. In fact, one Harris Interactive survey found that Americans have nearly twice as much free time as we think we do. To discover yours, try tracking everything you do for a couple of days. Seriously, pull out a schedule, broken into 30- or even 15-minute intervals. Every time you switch tasks, write it down. You probably have little chunks of free time scattered throughout your day. Work on grouping them together, and you’ll have plenty of time for that workout.
7. Up Your Work Productivity
If work is what’s keeping you from the gym, the simple solution is to get more done in less time when you’re at the office. For starters, log out of Facebook and stop multitasking on a million projects at once. Research from Stanford University shows that multitasking is less productive than focusing on a single task at a time. Make a to-do list, start at the top, and work your way down.
Related: 10 Best Fitness Trackers
8. Know That The More Time You Make To Work Out, The More Time You’ll Have
Working out is perhaps the healthiest way to boost your productivity. Research published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management shows that people are automatically more productive on days they worked out. That’s because regular exercise improves mood, heightens energy levels, and even keeps your brain cells healthy.
This article was originally written by K. Aleisha Fetters and posted on AskMen.
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