I don’t have time to exercise. I am too busy to exercise. Sound familiar? Often, we as human beings, make excuses for most things we do in life. Our brain likes to keep us safe and doesn’t like the thought of stepping out of our comfort zone but it is all too important for us to do this so we can try something new.
Health and fitness is not only important to keep our bodies physically fit but fitness is key to a successful and productive day and mindset therefore finding the time to exercise should be as important as making the time to go to work or to eat lunch.
In todays blog post, I share with you 6 ways in which you can start to make more time for exercise and how to stop making time wasting excuses.
Tip 1 - Setting SMART Goals
By having a clear idea on where you want your fitness to go and what your end goal is will generate motivation and excitement to want to exercise in order to achieve these goals.
However, it’s all well and good saying you want to loose x amount of pounds but if you’re not setting SMART goals then it is too easy to give up as you’re not seeing instant results.
Therefore, amend your initial goal to the following: ‘I want to reduce my weight by 10 pounds in the next 8 weeks.’ This goal is so much easier to measure, follow and achieve as you’re giving yourself a goal along with a time frame you want to achieve this goal in. Having a clearer goal will also enable you to then follow the next steps in this blog post.
Disclaimer: before making any lifestyle changes it is advised to consult with your doctor to make sure you’re achieving your goals in a healthy and safe way.
Tip 2 - Weekly Training
Now you’ve set your SMART goal, you need to now work out how many times a week you want to train.
Whilst you’re working this out, also think about what exercises or activities you want to do throughout the week. Do you want to focus on fitness classes? Or do you want to mix it up with a couple of cardio sessions along with some strength training throughout the week?
There are so many plans and apps online that will be able to talk you through a safe and tested plan to help you achieve the majority of goals. Do a bit of research and see what program works best for you and your goals.
Tip 3 - Make it a Non-Negotiable
Similar to going to work or having breakfast, exercise should be a non-negotiable task. The amount of benefits you can reap from exercising are endless. I have listed just a few so you can see the positive impact it has:
Improves Memory
Builds Strength
Improves Coordination
Boost Mood
Decreases Stress
Helps to Keep You Thinking and Learning
Tip 4 - Save Time
If fitness classes are more your jam, could you sign up to classes that are more local rather than classes that are a half an hour drive there and half an hour drive back. By cutting out the travelling time, you are saving yourself an extra hour for example meaning that your exercise could start earlier and finish sooner and you’re also being environmentally friendly by not travelling so far.
If there are no fitness classes near you that are within walking or cycling distance then perhaps try a live workout on Instagram or some workout tutorials on YouTube that you can do from home.
Tip 5 - Track Your Progress
I find this tip to be the most fun! Once you’ve put in your hard work and determination, you can then tick off your activity for the day and feel a sense of achievement. As you go along, you can also see how far you have come on your journey and how much closer you are getting to your overarching goal.
Some ways in which you can track your progress are things like: an excel spreadsheet, a bar chart, a habit tracker, daily to do list or an Instagram fitness account.
Tip 6 - Discipline
It is a fact that you are not going to feel motivated all the time. Yes, you are likely to feel motivated in the first instance because you are setting a new and exciting goal but the motivation will soon wear off which is then where discipline and habit comes into play.
Be harsh on yourself when you do find yourself making excuses. You will not progress unless you do the tasks required to reach your goals. You will also find that starting is the most challenging part but once you get going and moving you will being to feel much better and even better once you have completed your workout!
There is no such thing as not having enough time. If you are setting yourself a goal and wanting to achieve something, make the time to achieve this goal. You have 24 hours in a day, use your time wisely.
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