In this day and age, we are pretty busy. Some of us have kids, some of us have jobs, some of us have BOTH, and some of us are just BUSY no matter what!
So how can you fit in exercise when your day begins at 5:15am and you get home at 8pm completely exhausted?
Orrrr you have a child, or two children, or 3 or more and you love them very much, but all of your energy and time goes into watching, playing, preparing, teaching, bathing, feeding and cleaning up after them. Or maybe you are one of those amazing women who manages to do BOTH!
And believe me, I get it. I went from working in manhattan as a personal trainer and fitness instructor to being a stay at home mom of 2 boys in diapers. (man, there are a LOT of diapers!). While, yes, I arranged my life so I HAD to exercise, I was still insanely busy. I got up at 5:30 and got home at 8 or 9. I had a break in the middle (yes, lucky me) where I always completely crashed out to recharge for Part 2 of my day. If I wanted to do anything other than commuting or teaching (like writing to you and creating programs), I had to do it in the middle of the night or on Sundays. And I did. But I was tired. REALLY tired.
Then I had babies, and boy did THAT shake things up! I changed pretty much every aspect of my life. Even took my fit bod and put 50 extra pounds on it. Twice. (lost it all, both times. Thank goodness). And I went from being crazy busy, to being crazy busy but in a different way. And this new way made it more challenging for me to exercise.
So while I’m not exercising as much as I was, I’m on my way back to that point. And although it’s not perfect, I do have some solid tips to help you fit exercise into your life despite busy-ness based on my own experience and training.
Here are a few tips to help you get control of your fitness & your health:
1- Recognize that exercise is only movement. So any movement you can fit into your day will help you to get fit AND make you feel empowered. It’s anything that isn’t sitting at your desk or sleeping. Walking is GREAT! You can walk further in the parking lot, or walk the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Running is great, too- and it doesn’t have to be long runs. You can do sprints very effectively in a short amount of time.
2- Recognize that you don’t need an hour to get in a good workout. I recommend 10 minutes of whatever you can fit in. The intensity doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you get it done on a consistent, daily basis.
3- Get creative! EVERYTHING starts with your thoughts. So if you think “I just can’t do this” then you’re right. Instead, ask yourself “HOW can I do this?” and that will make all the difference. I’ve had clients who do jumping jacks, push ups, squats and triceps dips during conference calls. Also a few people have told me that they bring small weights and do arm exercises at their desk. And the one I like the best is doing push ups, squats, and or lunges every time you take a bathroom break. Love it!
4- If you’re a Mom then challenge yourself to think outside the box. Instead of looking for a time that you can get away from your kids so you can exercise, look for ways to incorporate them. Seriously. Mine like to pick up my weights now, so I can’t use weights at home, BUT I can do squats, jumping jacks, lunges, squat jumps, burpees, push ups, triceps dips, side lunges and any other cardio move you can come up with. Oh, and stretching counts, too! Think about it- if you incorporate your children into your exercise routine you are spending quality time with them, AND you are showing them an excellent example. I think I just inspired myself. I’m off to exercise with the kids now…
But first! Just to reiterate… TEN minutes, ANY movement, get creative and ask yourself HOW you can fit it in. And you’re good to go!
All my Best,
Miranda