5 Tips to Work Exercise into Your Busy Life
Which of these scenarios speak to you?
✅ You were in a groove with your exercise and then life got busy.
✅ You were working out before the Pandemic and you are nervous to go back to a gym or studio. You just haven’t gotten started again.
✅ You want to get an exercise program started. Soon. You just haven’t yet.
✅ You look at your days and they seem to run you, not the other way around.
✅ You stay up too late and don’t want to get up early enough to exercise.
✅ You get home from work and you’re beat, you feel too tired to exercise.
✅ You finish your work day and have time to exercise, and you feel guilty taking time away from your family to exercise.
Question: Do you respect your body?
Starting an exercise routine can be as easy as you make it.
5 actions can help you get started today:
Decide 👉 Consider 👉 Plan 👉 Do 👉 Reflect
✨ Decide you and your health are important enough to carve out minutes each day to improve your fitness.
o Exercise does not come naturally to all of us. To be honest, that cannot be your excuse.
o The benefits of exercise are many and they are proven. Exercise improves one’s overall health and quality of life by:
· Helping with weight loss
· Helping maintain weight.
· Strengthening bones and muscles. 🏋🏽♀️
· Increasing muscle mass, burning fat. 💪
· Improving mood, reducing stress & anxiety. 🤗
· Helping to avoid and reduce the risk of numerous chronic conditions including: 🏥
1. Type 2 diabetes
2. High blood pressure
3. Heart disease
4. Many cancers
5. Depression
6. Dementia
✨ Consider what you enjoy doing. If you are unsure, experiment. The only thing sitting on the sidelines burns is time.
o Cardio: Moderate to vigorous activity each week!
· Brisk walking outside or on a treadmill
· Jogging outside or on a treadmill. 🏃🏽
· Dancing. 💃🏽
· Roller skating. 🛼
· Riding a bike or stationary bike. 🚴🏽
· Vigorous gardening, yard work, weeding. 🧑🏽🌾
· Calisthenics: jumping jacks or step outs, burpees, squat jumps. 😅
o Strength Training of all the body’s major muscle groups using free weights, body weight, bands or straps, yoga, pilates. Don’t over think it – just do it:
· Hips, glutes, legs
· Chest, shoulders, arms
· Abs, back
o Flexibility:
· Yoga & Stretching. 🧘🏽
✨ Plan for your success. What does that look like for you? 📅
o Schedule time into your calendar just like you do for all important appointments.
o Realize and accept exercise does not need to come in 60-minute increments. 10 mins here, 10 mins there still add up to exercise. 150 minutes of moderate to exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise plus 2 days of strengthening exercise is recommended. I recommend more to lose weight.
o Set clothes, equipment, time aside that you need. Put these items by the door, lay them out on your bed, put them in the trunk of your car.
o Look for an exercise class that looks fun to you. Reserve your spot. If there’s a cancellation fee – awesome!
o Utilize trial memberships.
o Look online for classes that interest you. Since the Pandemic, the online content available for exercise is vast.
✨ Do what you planned. Follow-through on yourself. You decided your health was important, you chose an activity, you planned out how this would work for you. Do not let other things/issues/people get in the way of taking care of yourself. Do as you planned to do.
o Afraid of sweating and going back to work? Pack a washcloth and wipe down after.
✨ Reflect on your success and the challenges. ✍️. Journal. How do you feel after? Is this the right activity? The right time? Is this sustainable? Notice your energy level and ability to focus following exercise. Make adjustments as necessary, and…..
o What if you didn’t “Do”? 😳
· What would you say to a loved one or friend? 😊
✨ Repeat! (5+) Repeat the steps above because it takes new commitment each day to create your routine. 🔁
Friends, it is true that not everyone enjoys exercise. I truly believe they just have not found what they like to do yet and for how long. I believe everyone deserves to flourish, to live their healthiest, happiest, best life. All of that gets easier if you treat your body with respect and move it intentionally on a consistent basis.