How often has a lack of time prevented you from working out? You’re not alone.
We work with over age 40 high level professionals and entrepreneurs who have a packed schedule and a raft of personal and professional commitments. This can make fitting in exercise a mammoth effort.
It can also be hard to find the discipline to stick to your fitness goals when life is busy.
But it doesn’t have to be that way — we’ve rounded up some time-saving hacks to help you to reorganize your routine to help you to find time for exercise in your schedule and smash your fitness goals.
MAKE A PLAN!
At the beginning of each week check in with your calendar – is it a normal 9-5 week? Yeah, rarely, we know!
So look for blocks of time where you can fit a workout in.
Usually first thing in the morning is best before the demands of the day set in.
Once you find the time SCHEDULE IT…in pen and treat it like you would a doctor’s appointment or other important meeting, because it is!
PREPARE FOR YOUR WORKOUTS AHEAD OF TIME
Like planning, being prepared can pay off.
If you’re a person who likes to work out first thing in the morning, always pull out your clothes and shoes before you go to sleep in the evening.
Get your pre-workout supplements and snack ready to go. Set them out on the counter so you don’t have to waste time preparing them before you workout.
When you accidentally hit snooze on your morning alarm, you’ll be grateful for your efforts the night before.
FOLLOW A PROGRAM & TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
Nothing worse than blocking out time on your calendar and being prepared only to wander around the gym trying to figure out what to do.
Following a proven program will save you from this plus it is sure to get you results.
Winging it does not work!
Once you have your program, be sure to track your progress. Your weight selection, number of reps, etc. If you don’t track where you are and continue to challenge yourself, you will quickly plateau.
AUTOMATE, DELEGATE AND ELIMINATE THE TIME WASTERS IN YOUR DAY
Obviously your workout is something you need to do yourself.
But delegating isn’t just for your work life. Are there tasks in your personal life you can outsource or assign to a partner or family member?
Perhaps you can prepare Monday’s dinner ahead of time on the weekend and your partner can cook it on the night? This will free up some time in your schedule to squeeze in a workout and will ensure you still come home to a delicious home-cooked dinner.
Instead of trekking to the supermarket and battling the crowds, can you use a delivery service like Instacart for groceries to be delivered? That’s an instant time-saver.
Time is valuable, so don’t feel bad about asking for help or outsourcing if you need to.
If you are struggling to find the time wasters in your day, check out our Free Training: Find time to get in the best shape of your life using the Time Management Matrix where we share all the tools you need to prioritize your health and fitness.
MAKE EXERCISE CONVENIENT & PART OF YOUR ROUTINE
Strive to make exercise as convenient as possible for you and your lifestyle. Like with most things in life, the harder something is to achieve, the less chance there is of you actually doing it.
If you’re the type of person who would prefer to get your workout over with first thing in the morning, set an alarm and do exactly that. Don’t put it off until later in the day if you know that tends to be more inconvenient — find out the best time of day to work out for you and build a habit so you stick to it.
If you have a super busy lifestyle, commuting to a gym isn’t the best use of your time. Alternatively, you might like to workout at home. Contrary to popular belief you can get an amazing workout at home in the time it usually takes to commute to the gym…30 – 40 minutes!
There are many benefits of working out at home besides the obvious time savings, including:
- You can create and stick to a healthy routine
- You can do workouts at a time that suits you
- You can set up your exercise space so that it’s perfect for your favorite training style
- You’ll have privacy to practice exercises you are still mastering
- You can try workouts of different durations, depending on your schedule
- You don’t need to wait for equipment at the gym
- You won’t be exposed to gym germs
Work smarter, not harder to make time for fitness!
Take charge of your day — if you can incorporate just one of these time-saving hacks into your lifestyle, it might help you find some time to work out.
Do you have some time hacks that you swear by? We would love to hear them. Comment below!
