Fitting Exercise in to Your Busy Schedule

It's an age-old excuse - you simply don't have the time to work out. While it can be good to prioritise our career, our family, and our friends, we all need some time to ourselves, and it's important that we fit in some exercise somewhere along the way.

Of course, the less time we spend exercising, the harder it is to establish a healthy routine so here are a few tips to get you started on making those small changes.

Workout On Your Commute

If you don't want to set your alarm even earlier than normal, why not turn your boring commute into a workout. Instead of taking the car or hopping on the bus, put on your running shoes and jog instead. If running isn't your thing, perhaps it's time to invest in a bike? Cycling fast for around 20 minutes can burn almost 100 calories as well as helping to tone your legs.

Utilise Your Lunch Break

When your lunch break finally comes around, instead of sitting at your desk, head to the gym or go for a walk. Logging off and moving away from your desk for an hour has been proven to make you more productive so imagine how much better you'll feel once you return to work after some high-intensity cardio.

Learn To Multitask

If you're busy, hitting the gym means you'll have to calculate your time wisely between machines and weights. Fear not. Save time by taking your dumbbells with you while you complete a brisk walk on the treadmill. Complete shoulder presses and bicep curls while you walk and you'll benefit from a great upper-body workout.

Opt For The Stairs

Ditch the elevator up to work and prepare to power walk up those stairs. Taking two or more stairs at once will improve your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and abs while burning fat. While you're there, you could also try some stair-based exercises. Trust us; you'll definitely feel the benefit and wonder why you'd ever taken the elevator in the first place.

Make It High Intensity

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is a workout that combines short intensive exercises with recovery periods. This means that they aren't too time-consuming while still being great for weight loss, usually burning around 15% more calories than a traditional workout. HIIT is incorporated into many bootcamps and has proven to be hugely effective, particularly for those who struggle to get motivated.

Turn Your Chores Into Exercise

Got plenty to do around the house? Then turn your household chores into exercise. Clean the stairs with more vigor than usual, pull out your furniture to clean behind, wash the car and scrub the tub. Soon, you'll feel as though you've been hitting the gym hard.

Workout With Friends

For those that struggle to choose between exercise and their social life, hit two birds with one stone and incorporate it into one activity. Research has shown that exercising with friends can increase our motivation, challenge us to work harder and strengthen our relationships with them.