How to Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule
No one has enough time to do the things they want to do these days, but that doesn’t mean we should not make time for the things we must do. One of those things is to exercise. A sedimentary lifestyle is why America has an obesity epidemic. It’s why more people are being diagnosed with diabetes and other health problems related to poor eating, sleeping and exercise habits than ever before.
“I just do not have enough time!" That is the most commonly used excuse for not exercising. However, according to statistics people that exercise regularly are just as busy with their jobs and families as those who do not work out at all. The ‘not enough time’ excuse is a bogus one. Even if you take a fifteen minute walk each day, run a half mile, swim back and forth the length of a pool two or three times, or spend just a half hour at your fitness club, the benefits of that limited amount of time out of your daily schedule can be huge for your health.
Everyone is short on time these days. That’s why we prioritize. People work longer hours, have friendship-family-social commitments and a limited amount of leisure time. Those things are important to you, but imagine what would happen if you suddenly became too ill to enjoy those activities? And how would you feel if you knew you became ill simply because you did not take the time to exercise for a few minutes each day? It’s all about prioritizing and making proper use of the time you do have available. If just a few minutes of exercise each day meant that you could live a longer and healthier life , wouldn’t that be time well spent?
The best way to prioritize is to make a list of daily activities that are as important to you as your workout or exercise plan. There are always ways of cutting back on one important event to include another in your daily schedule. If you spend two hours preparing meals each day, try making some that are ready to cook on days when you have more time for that purpose. If you take an hour for lunch, cut that in half and exercise for the other thirty minutes. If you have all sorts of social commitments with people each week, see if some of those can be shortened or spread out more evenly over a two week period of time. If you spend two hours in front of the computer trying to reach the next level of your favorite game, cut thirty minutes off that time and make the level wait.
If you do not have a solid daily schedule, you should create one. Most computers or smart phones have programs already installed that can help you with that. For example, Microsoft Office has a excellent daily schedule template that is easy to set up and use. You can also go the old fashioned route by purchasing a pocket sized Daily Planner to help you better organize your time. The idea is to make a comprehensive list of your daily schedule to identify busy and free time. That will allow you to more efficiently schedule time for a daily workout or simple exercises.
When you set up your exercise program concentrate on quality, rather than quantity. Decide which types of workouts or exercises will benefit you the most and use those. The best way to find out what type of exercise you need the most is to consult a doctor, dietitian and fitness expert. That combination will help you get in shape faster and avoid having to do exercises that you really do not need to do.
Once you find time for daily exercise, but sure to stick to that commitment. Make it a high priority and a must-do activity no matter what! Studies show that people who spend as little as fifteen minutes a day doing some sort of regular exercise or a workout feel better, work better and have better relationships with their friends and family than those who do not. That makes sense because if you feel better about yourself, you will spread that feeling to everyone you meet during the day.
