Life keeps getting busier and busier doesn’t it?
We’re all busy with a ton of responsibilities pulling us in different directions – work, family, friends, fitness, chores, and the list goes on. Making time for anything involves prioritization – we choose to spend time on what is most important to us. If you make your health the ultimate priority in your life, you will find time to exercise. Remind yourself daily that all the other things you are so busy trying to do, mean nothing without your health. Without it, you can’t take care of anything or anyone else.
Here are 5 tips to get you more active, and prioritizing good health, today:
1. Start small.
If you aim to get to the gym 5 times a week when you haven’t been 5 times over the past 2 years, chances are, you will fail. A good initial goal may be to fit in two 30 minute weight training sessions a week + 2 walks; build up from here.
2. Write your goals down.
Each month, post on your fridge and at your desk one realistic and specific fitness goal. Track the days you’re successful with achieving the goal. If you accomplish the goal within the month, reward yourself with a new fitness outfit, or something you love other than food. Read more about goal setting here.
3. Build a monthly fitness schedule.
Write out the days, duration and roughly what you’ll be working on in each fitness session. ie. Oct.28 = 30 minute session of lower body weight training from 5:00 – 5:30pm at the gym. Mapping it out will hold you more accountable to your schedule and ensure that you’ve built variety into your routine. It will also give you a plan of what you’ll be doing at the gym so you’re more productive with your time.
4. Break your workouts into small chunks to perform throughout the day.
If you’re having problems finding time to workout at the gym, set your alarm clock to go off 30 minutes earlier and begin your day with a quick and effective workout at home. You don’t need a ton of equipment to build a productive exercise routine, all you need is your own body weight. See what I mean by clicking here. If this doesn’t work for you, try breaking out 10 minutes for body weight training when you wake up, 10 minutes for a walk over lunch and 10 minutes in the evening for body weight training again. These small windows of time will keep you moving throughout the day, and make the task of exercising seem less daunting and time consuming.
5. Get support.
Tell your friends, family or co-workers that you want to be more active. Ask for their support; some of them may want to join you in your new fitness regime. Team sports can be a good option, personal training may also help you. Put together the support system that works for you.
Make fitness a priority to you now, don’t put it off. It’s easy to say that you’ll get started later, and all of a sudden another year has passed. An average person’s metabolism drops 300 calories daily from 25-65 and he/she loses 20 pounds of lean mass during this time. Don’t let yourself become one of these unhealthy people, please reach out if you’d like to learn more about how you can get started with a fitness routine today!