As a former Personal Trainer and Group Fitness instructor, I would often hear “I struggle with getting to the gym” or “I just can’t make it fit my schedule.” I 100% understand the truth in these statements, fitness is hard, and half the battle is just getting to the gym. If you are like me, you are a BUSY bee 🐝. Between work and home life, where is the personal time, let alone the time for fitness???
By the end of this blog, you will learn some top tips to FIT fitness into your schedule.
Time & Habits
It might not be as hard as one may think if your perspective is adjusted.
Let’s start by breaking down all the things we do in a day that go without much thought: eating, walking about the office, brushing our teeth, maybe even grabbing a cup of coffee in the morning.
These tasks come naturally to us as they are habits, actions that we do every day. But these actions take up, dare I say it…. TIME!
Now let’s shift the focus over to fitness and talk about some ways to FIT it into your schedule!
Fitness Myths
I would like to first debunk some conspiracies around fitness and things you “have to do” to improve.
Workout for multiple hours
The ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) recommends that adults (between 18-65) exercise for 20-30 min of activity 3-5 day per week* (ACSM, 2021).
*adjust as needed depending on intensity of exercise
Workout Everyday
See above!
Maintain a high Heart Rate always
We will go into Heart Rate and ideal Heart Rate zones in a future piece, but in short- your heart rate wants to match the goal you wish to achieve, while staying within healthy limits. Your Heart Rate does NOT have to be super high always.
Top Tips
Workouts do not need to take up your whole day or even much time of your day! It is all about structuring your day to allow for the time. Here are some top tips to help restructure your day and allow for some YOU time!
1.Rent a locker at your Gym
Having your clothes, shoes, and workout belongings at the Gym ready for you will keep you from forgetting clothes at home and keeps you motivated!
2. Keep your Gym Bag in your Car
Not into renting a locker? That’s ok, keep your gym bag in your car so that it follows you to work every day!
3. Schedule your workouts
When planning a night out, we make reservations. Reserve yourself some time for the gym to allow you to escape from your day. Group Fitness classes are a perfect first step into doing this. Commit to a class and your schedule is already made for you!
4. Add it to your calendar
Once you have carved out the time, add it to your daily calendar as a reminder and not to double book yourself!
Fitness is about YOU
Overall, your fitness is all about YOU! And what you want to accomplish. Each and every one of us are different, why shouldn’t our workouts and fitness plans match our own uniqueness!
