Maintaining a regular exercise program despite all the responsibilities of daily life can be a real challenge. With the many important and often urgent demands on our time, fitting in a workout can seem daunting initially. Mornings are busy and often rushed, lunch hours are often short, and later in the day there is the juggling act of commuting, family responsibilities, social plans, and plain old end-of-day fatigue. The gym visit often gets squeezed out by other priorities with the rationalization: "There was just no time today."
Making time for a workout doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Sure, you’ll need to allow some time for getting there and back and having a shower, but you can get a lot accomplished even in just half an hour of gym time. Here are some tips that will help make it easier for you to fit your workout into your schedule without taking over it.
1. Make an appointment with yourself.
Making the time is the first important step, even if that means blocking off the time in your daytimer. You make every effort to keep all the other engagements in your daybook, so why not consider your exercise session as a priority meeting – with yourself? It is not selfish to put yourself first – taking care of yourself means you are then able to handle other peoples’ demands.
2. Have a plan.
You don’t show up at business meetings unprepared, so carry that habit over to the gym. You don’t have to actually take notes beforehand, but knowing what you are going to do at the gym before you arrive will save a lot of time. Instead of standing around looking at the various pieces of equipment thinking "Hmmm. I wonder what I should do today?", have your plan of action ready in advance. Once you arrive at the gym you can get right to it.
3. Take a Class.
If there is a 30 or 45 minute class you’d like to try or that you already enjoy being held at the time you’re in the gym – do it! Group exercise is a fun option! You’ll get a safe, comprehensive, motivating workout that’s time efficient and eliminates the guesswork of what to do next. A good instructor, the music, and the social aspect are definite plusses.
4. Get the Guidance of an Expert.
Sometimes there are just too many choices – what to do?! If you are not familiar with all the pieces of equipment you may be missing out on some valuable additions to your training regime. Using a certified personal trainer allows you to get exactly what you want and need out of your workouts, plus YOU won’t be the one running around setting up machines or putting weights away. Not having to hunt for someone to spot you, and having their undivided one-on-one attention and expertise is worth the small investment.
5. The Multiple Options Strategy.
Sometimes the only time you can fit your workout in is when everyone else is trying to do the same thing – you’re on a time budget and all the popular machines are in use or have a lineup. How can you bypass the waiting time which you can ill afford? Have a strategy of variations! If you’re training legs, for example, and there are 3 or 4 people waiting for the leg press or squat rack, find an alternative exercise to work the same muscles. There are dozens of ways to train just about every muscle in the body. Instead of the leg press or squat rack, try travelling lunges with dumbbells or wall squats leaning back onto a Swiss ball. Even if you don’t regularly use a trainer, buying a few sessions just to learn different techniques will diversify your repertoire. Or you can read up on different exercises in fitness magazines and books. You’ll never be stuck if the traditionally popular pieces of equipment are busy or out-of-order. Expand your roster of exercises to create variety in your training program.
6. Multi- Function Exercises.
Equipment that used to be an anomaly 5 years ago – balls, wobble boards, BOSU trainers, bongo boards, Sit-Fits – are now commonplace in almost every gym. Unstable equipment challenges many muscles simultaneously and cuts down on the number of exercises you need to do, and therefore your total time in the gym. Instead of doing crunches on an ab roller, triceps on the cables and a barbell bench press – try pushups with your feet balanced on a Swiss ball! If you keep your torso aligned and your back straight, your abs will work just as hard as your chest and arms! Just as you can multitask at home or in the office, so can you at the gym.
7. Just train!
That’s what you come to the gym to do – right? If getting your workout in is always a race against the clock, cut out unnecessary distractions. Although gyms are good for socializing with like-minded health-conscious individuals, spending time standing around chatting cuts into your workout. Encourage your buddy to hop on the adjacent bike or treadmill so you can catch up AND work out at the same time. Enlist your gym pals as workout partners with the mutual commitment to focus on training, then take advantage of them for a spot or doing a partnered exercise such as medicine ball tosses
Every one of us has only 24 hours in a day and by the time all our basic needs are taken care of and other responsibilities slotted in, often precious little is left over for workout time. Don’t let a seemingly meagre 40 minute time slot make you feel resentful or stressed – that’s still 40 minutes to be used as efficiently as you can plan it! By giving some advance thought to your workouts, having a variety of exercises to choose from, getting some expert guidance, minimizing distractions and even supplementing your solo workouts with a class you can not only maximize your gym experience but showcase your time management skills! Happy training!
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