How, when My Life is Too Busy for Exercise?

How do I get (or stay) fit when I TRULY have no time because I’m working 80-hour weeks?

… and/or I spend most waking moments keeping my young offspring / chaos agents alive in spite of their relentless commitment to mayhem?

Let’s start by accepting we’re all human. Today it's natural to be slammed by stuff that we want to get done.

And sometimes these reasons can truly last for several years (e.g. rearing the young chaos agents). It’s not the end of the world to skip a week of workouts once in a while. But taking months (or years) off from fitness is not your best move.

First, you’ll quickly see negative short term impacts in reduced energy, less emotional resilience, foggier thinking, and more.

And second, as we age (tell me about it), the more important it is to “build up equity” in your fitness. In other words, if you’re as consistent as you can be when you have bandwidth, the easier time you’ll have during hectic periods where your focus is elsewhere. Alternatively, if you completely neglect fitness for a 1 (or 5) year period, it’s not going to be a good scene for long term health outcomes.

“But … what on earth am I supposed to do? These are the circumstances of my life? I TRULY do not have any time?”

I hear you. You’re not making this stuff up.

So allow me to give you some tips on what to do when you’re working with a bare minimum.

1) Set boundaries and/or ask for help to make more time.

Can you workout 5 times per week when you truly have no time? Maybe not. But most people can be creative to carve out a little bit more time to devote to their fitness.

When it comes to work, you should be able to convince even an unreasonable boss that you need an extra 1-2 hours per week. And a reasonable boss will WANT you to take care of your body as they’ll know that’s how you can be more productive. And frankly? If you’re actually working 80 hours, no one will notice if you work 78.

Family responsibilities are a bit trickier based on your resources. If you have a partner, there’s a conversation to be had about giving each other a hand to make time for fitness. If you don’t have a partner, although it’s less than ideal, your formal workouts may need to be quickies while your angels are asleep or otherwise occupied.

2) Shoot for at least 2-3 proper workouts per week.

These can be short. 20 minutes will do the trick if that’s all you have.

Focus on full-body strength training exercises with incomplete rest periods. This approach works your muscles, takes your joints through a full range of motion, and gets your heart rate up.

Since we’re going minimal, we want the biggest bang for our fitness buck. Body part-focused workouts and long slogs on a treadmill aren’t your most efficient choice. This is why our Online & in Cub classes always train your whole body.

It’s easy to fall into all-or-nothing thinking. But something is WAY better than nothing. 2-3 short-but-focused workouts can keep you feeling amazing.

3) Use at-home workout options.

You can save 20-40 minutes per day by skipping the drive.

And it’s no secret we’re at the start of an era of at-home workouts. From fancy tech solutions to yoga apps to YouTube videos, there are a myriad of options.

While many people will always prefer working out in an actual gym or studio, you really can get and stay in great shape from home. The rising number of people playing our Online Workouts in their own time is quite surprising.

If you’re looking for an Online Workout check out our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/fitgymmtevelyn ) there’s loads for you to follow at your own pace anytime.