"I know I need to exercise, but I just don't have the time."
Sound familiar?
This is the number one reason given for not exercising: a lack of time. But like so many "reasons" for not doing the things you know you should be doing to better your life and your health, it's really just another excuse.
The truth is, you find time for the things you want to find time for. Whether it's a favorite TV show, a child's soccer game or dance recital, or getting together with friends or family, if it is important to you, somehow you manage to squeeze it in.
Why not give your health and well-being the same level of importance? Once you have made exercise a top priority, you'll be surprised how easy it becomes to fit a workout into a busy schedule.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
1. Put it on the calendar. Schedule your workout time just like you would a doctor's appointment or a parent meeting at school. Give it the same importance as any other appointment worthy of being included on the calendar or in your day planner. Make sure it's at least three times a week or you may never see the results you want, and you will end up quitting.
2. Get up earlier. Part of reason so many people fail at consistent exercise is because they try to do when they least feel like it: after putting in a full day at work. Getting up an hour or even a half-hour earlier in the morning gets your exercise done and out of the way, not to mention the healthy boost in energy you'll feel that will help get you through your day.
3. Buy a home gym or home workout equipment. There are extremely effective workouts that can be done at home with little more than a set of adjustable dumbbells and a workout ball. You will be able to save the time it takes to drive to gym (and the money for the membership) and you can fit a workout routine into your busy schedule much more easily.
4. Use the weekends to your advantage. It is often easier to find an extra hour on the weekend. By making it one of your workout days, you have fewer workouts to schedule through the week.
5. Make full use of your workout time by multi-tasking whenever possible, especially for those times you are walking or on the treadmill. You can read a report or read or listen to a book. You might be amazed at how much you can accomplish.
6. Incorporate the help of others, and delegate responsibilities. If someone else at home can pitch in and help on your workout days, let them know you need their help. A spouse or older child can get dinner started, mow the lawn, or run an errand for you so you have the time you need to get your workout done.
7. Lastly, if you just don't see how you can possibly squeeze out another minute in your day to devote to exercise, at least incorporate it into your daily activities. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk down the hall to deliver a message rather than sending email, park farther away and walk to the office or during lunchtime. Any activity is better than none.
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